Retrieval Practice
Harness the power of testing yourself to strengthen memory and combat forgetting.
Key Phrase: Recall to Retain
Make It Stick: Unlocking the Science of Successful Learning
Learning is deeper and more durable when it’s effortful. Learning that’s easy is like writing in sand, here today and gone tomorrow.
Dive into the transformative world of learning with Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel. This groundbreaking book shatters common myths about how we learn and remember, offering a treasure trove of evidence-based strategies that promise to revolutionize your approach to education and personal growth. Backed by cutting-edge research in cognitive psychology, the authors challenge the status quo—think cramming and rereading—and present a compelling case for effortful, active learning. Whether you're a student, teacher, or lifelong learner, this book is your guide to making knowledge stick for the long haul. Let's unpack the science behind learning that lasts.
Spaced Practice
Spread out your study sessions over time to build stronger, longer-lasting memories.
Key Phrase: Time Builds Strength
Interleaved Practice
Mix up topics or skills in a single session to enhance flexibility and deeper understanding.
Key Phrase: Variety Sparks Mastery
Desirable Difficulties
Embrace challenges in learning to create durable neural connections.
Key Phrase: Struggle Equals Growth
Avoid Illusions of Knowing
Beware of false mastery from passive review; active testing reveals true gaps.
Key Phrase: Test Over Trust
Growth Mindset
Believe in your ability to grow through effort and strategic learning.
Key Phrase: Effort Shapes Ability
Retrieval Practice: The Power of Active Recall
Introduction
Retrieval practice—actively recalling information from memory—is a cornerstone of durable learning. Research highlighted in Make It Stick shows that testing yourself can boost retention by significant margins. For instance, a study at Columbia Middle School found that students who engaged in frequent quizzing scored up to a full grade higher on material compared to those who didn’t. This isn’t just about assessment; it’s a learning tool that interrupts forgetting and strengthens neural pathways.
Retrieval Practice Impact
Selected Golden Sentence
“The act of retrieving learning from memory has two profound benefits: it tells you what you know and don’t know, and it makes that material more recallable in the future.”
Detailed Exploration
The concept of retrieval practice dates back to early thinkers like Aristotle, who noted that repeated recall strengthens memory. Modern studies, such as those by Roediger and Karpicke, confirm that students who test themselves retain information far better over time compared to those who merely restudy. This strategy works across domains—whether it’s a medical student like Mike Ebersold preparing for surgery by mentally rehearsing checklists, or a middle schooler using flashcards for science terms. The effort involved in recalling information, especially when it feels challenging, solidifies learning. It’s not just about getting the answer right; even errors, when corrected with feedback, enhance retention. The book emphasizes that retrieval should be a primary study strategy, replacing passive rereading, as it provides a reliable measure of mastery and helps combat the natural decay of memory.
Spaced Practice: Timing is Everything
Introduction
Spaced practice—studying information over extended intervals rather than cramming—leverages the brain’s consolidation process for stronger memory. A study with surgical residents cited in the book showed that those who spaced lessons over weeks outperformed peers who completed training in a single day, with better performance in speed and precision a month later.
Single-Day Training
Performance tested a month later showed lower retention and skill application.
2025-03-20
Spaced Over Weeks
Significant improvement in surgical skills, with better speed and success rates.
2025-03-27
Selected Golden Sentence
“Durable learning requires time for mental rehearsal and the other processes of consolidation.”
Detailed Exploration
The spacing effect, a well-established principle in cognitive psychology, counters the rapid forgetting associated with massed practice. When you revisit material after a delay, a little forgetting forces your brain to work harder to reconstruct the information, making the memory more robust. This is why cramming might help for a test tomorrow but fails for long-term retention. Make It Stick illustrates this with examples like medical training, where spaced sessions over weeks led to better surgical outcomes. The authors recommend scheduling study sessions with gaps—perhaps reviewing flashcards monthly even after initial mastery—to ensure knowledge sticks. This approach feels slower and less intuitive, but the payoff is evident in deeper, more enduring learning that can be recalled when it matters most.
Interleaved Practice: Mixing It Up for Mastery
Introduction
Interleaving—practicing multiple skills or topics in a single session—enhances learning by forcing the brain to adapt and discriminate between concepts. A striking study with college students learning geometric volumes showed that those who interleaved problem types scored 63% on a final test, compared to just 20% for those who practiced in blocks.
Interleaved vs. Blocked Practice
Selected Golden Sentence
“Interleaving enabled better discrimination and produced better scores on a later test.”
Detailed Exploration
Unlike massed practice, where you drill one topic until it’s “mastered,” interleaving mixes things up, making learning feel harder but yielding superior results. The book cites examples like young children tossing beanbags at varying distances, outperforming peers who practiced at a fixed distance, and studies on identifying artists’ styles, where mixed exposure trumped consecutive learning. This strategy builds versatility—crucial for real-world scenarios where problems don’t come neatly categorized. Interleaving forces you to constantly switch mental gears, enhancing your ability to discern “what kind of problem is this?” and apply the right solution. Though it’s unpopular due to the perceived sluggishness, Make It Stick argues it’s essential for mastery, encouraging students to shuffle topics during study sessions to build a flexible knowledge base.
Desirable Difficulties: Embrace the Struggle
Introduction
Desirable difficulties—challenges that slow learning but enhance retention—are key to durable memory. The book references military jump school training at Fort Benning, where rigorous, effortful practice ensures skills stick under pressure. These difficulties, like spacing or testing before readiness, build stronger neural connections.
Initial Exposure Learn basic skills through demonstration, like the parachute landing fall (PLF).
Incremental Challenge Practice from increasing heights with immediate feedback to refine technique.
Real-World Simulation Execute skills in high-stakes scenarios, ensuring mastery through effort.
Mastery Through Repetition Repeat under varied conditions to solidify learning for real jumps.
Selected Golden Sentence
“When learning is hard, you’re more likely to remember it.”
Detailed Exploration
Coined by Elizabeth and Robert Bjork, desirable difficulties turn short-term struggle into long-term gain. The authors detail how effortful learning—whether through spaced retrieval or tackling problems before solutions are shown—creates robust memories. At jump school, trainees don’t just watch; they do, repeatedly, under increasing difficulty, ensuring skills are second nature. This mirrors academic learning: struggling to recall a concept without notes might feel frustrating, but it cements understanding. The book warns against avoiding difficulty, as easy learning often fades. Instead, embrace setbacks as signs of growth, knowing that each effortful attempt—whether in a gravel pit or a study session—builds a bridge to expertise. Errors, when corrected, become stepping stones, not stumbling blocks.
Avoid Illusions of Knowing: Test Your Reality
Introduction
Illusions of knowing—mistaking familiarity for mastery—can derail learning. Make It Stick warns that passive strategies like rereading create a false sense of competence. Research shows over 80% of college students rely on rereading, yet it’s largely ineffective compared to active testing, which reveals true gaps.
Study Strategy Effectiveness
Selected Golden Sentence
“Familiarity is not the same as understanding.”
Detailed Exploration
We’re often poor judges of our own learning, seduced by the ease of rereading into believing we’ve mastered content. Make It Stick exposes this illusion through studies showing rereading’s minimal impact on retention compared to self-quizzing. The Dunning-Kruger effect—where incompetence masks itself as confidence—further complicates self-assessment. The book recounts real-world consequences, like pilots misjudging spatial orientation due to overconfidence, to underline the stakes. Active retrieval, through low-stakes quizzes or self-tests, acts as a reality check, exposing weaknesses before they become costly. The authors urge learners to prioritize testing over passive review, recalibrating judgments with objective feedback to ensure learning is genuine, not illusory.
Growth Mindset: Cultivating Potential Through Effort
Introduction
Intellectual abilities aren’t fixed; they grow with effort and strategy. Carol Dweck’s research, featured in the book, shows that students with a growth mindset—believing intelligence can be developed—outperform those with a fixed mindset, achieving higher grades through persistent effort.
Fixed Mindset
Students believe ability is innate, leading to avoidance of challenges and lower achievement.
2025-02-21
Growth Mindset Intervention
After learning brain plasticity, students adopt aggressive learning habits, improving performance.
2025-03-20
Selected Golden Sentence
“Effortful learning changes the brain, building new connections and capability.”
Detailed Exploration
The notion of a growth mindset, championed by Dweck, transforms how we view potential. Make It Stick recounts a study with seventh graders where teaching about brain plasticity led to remarkable academic gains, as students embraced challenges over defeat. This aligns with broader evidence of neuroplasticity—even into adulthood, the brain adapts with use, forming new neural pathways through deliberate practice. The book also nods to the Flynn effect, where IQ scores have risen over generations due to environmental factors, reinforcing that ability isn’t static. Examples like memory athletes, who train recall to extraordinary levels, show what’s possible with dedication. The takeaway? Believe in growth, push through setbacks, and use strategies like retrieval and spacing to expand your intellectual horizons.