Teaching & Pedagogy
Course · 13 lessons · 1h 38m
Retrieval Practice and Quick Formative Assessment
Use small routines to improve memory, diagnose gaps, and turn feedback into student thinking.
By the end, you'll be able to
- One Concept, Three Questions
- Targeted Retakes: Stop Regrading What Students Already Know
- The 8-Minute Read-Pause-Retrieve Routine
- The 3x3 Retrieval Grid That Makes Warm-Ups Work
Curriculum
13 lessons- 01One Concept, Three QuestionsExplore a simple classroom routine that differentiates by depth instead of sorting students into groups: one concept, one shared sequence, and questions that move from surface understanding to analysis and transfer.The episode also covers how this approach protects student dignity, keeps the whole class hearing the learning ladder, and saves planning time with a fast, practical structure teachers can use tomorrow.10 min
- 02Targeted Retakes: Stop Regrading What Students Already KnowWe break down why targeted retakes are more effective than full-test do-overs, focusing on specific gaps, cleaner evidence of learning, and less grading overload for teachers. Plus, we walk through a simple tomorrow-morning routine for turning missed items into a quick, focused mini-retake.9 min
- 03The 8-Minute Read-Pause-Retrieve RoutineExplore a quick, low-prep retrieval practice that has students recall a passage from memory, then compare it against the text in a second color to reveal what stuck and what didn’t. The episode also explains why effortful recall beats re-reading for retention and how this simple routine gives teachers immediate, no-grading-needed insight into student understanding.9 min
- 04The 3x3 Retrieval Grid That Makes Warm-Ups WorkThis episode breaks down a simple 3x3 retrieval grid you can use in five minutes to build spacing into your warm-up with yesterday, last week, and two weeks ago prompts. It also explains why low-stakes retrieval beats graded quizzes for memory, diagnosis, and better student thinking.9 min
- 05The Comment-Match Routine: Turning Feedback Into ThinkingThis episode explores Dylan Wiliam’s Comment-Match Routine, a simple classroom strategy that gets students to match anonymous feedback to anonymous writing so they have to read, compare, and think. It also digs into Ruth Butler’s research on how grades can drown out comments, and why discussion and revision make feedback actually stick.9 min
- 06The 30-Second Diagnostic Every Teacher NeedsRenata Salas and Colin Whitfield explore Dylan Wiliam’s hinge questions, a high-leverage diagnostic tool designed to uncover student misconceptions in real-time. Discover how to use the 80/20 rule and AI-assisted question design to ensure your lesson plan meets students exactly where they are.7 min
- 07Stop the Piggyback: Using Retrieval Practice in Group WorkDiscover how to eliminate passive participation in the classroom by implementing a 180-second retrieval rule before group discussions. Hosts Renata Salas and Colin Whitfield share practical strategies and an AI-powered prompt to ensure every student engages in the cognitive heavy lifting of memory retrieval.6 min
- 08Student-Made Quizzes Boost Test ScoresDiscover how having students write their own questions after a lesson can dramatically improve retention, with research showing stronger exam performance than simple review. The episode breaks down a simple five-step classroom routine, the retrieval-practice science behind it, and practical ways to turn student questions into future review material.6 min
- 09The 60-Second Deliberate Mistake CheckLearn a fast formative assessment that helps students spot a plausible error and explain the rule behind it, revealing whether they truly understand the concept. The episode breaks down how to choose the mistake, run the 60-second routine, and decide when to reteach or move on.6 min
- 10Two Things, No Notes: A Retrieval Practice That SticksRenata Salas and Colin Whitfield unpack a simple, low-prep retrieval routine that replaces end-of-class rereading with a quick two-things, no-notes challenge. They share the research behind retrieval practice, classroom examples, and easy ways to use it for stronger long-term memory across grade levels.7 min
- 11The 2-Minute Hinge Question That Changes TeachingRenata Salas and Colin Whitfield break down Dylan Wiliam’s hinge questions: fast, whole-class checks for understanding designed to reveal misconceptions in under two minutes. They also explain why wrong answers matter, how to use distractors diagnostically, and when to stop and reteach instead of moving on.6 min
- 12Retrieval Challenge Grids for Better MemoryRenata Salas and Colin Whitfield unpack why retrieval practice is a learning strategy rather than a quiz, and how Kate Jones’s Retrieval Challenge Grid turns five minutes of class warm-up into powerful spaced, interleaved recall. They share practical setup tips, subject-specific examples, and the research-backed payoff of strengthening long-term retention.6 min
- 13Why One Retrieval Quiz Isn't Retrieval PracticeRenata Salas and Colin Whitfield unpack Carl Hendrick’s warning about the “lethal mutation” of cognitive science in classrooms: doing retrieval practice only once. They explain why spaced, low-stakes brain dumps outperform one-off quizzes, how to run the routine in just five minutes, and how AI tools can help teachers build a repeatable schedule.7 min
Your instructor
Teach Better Tomorrow
A daily 5-10 minute podcast for K-12 teachers. Each episode: one specific teaching method you can use tomorrow morning, why it works, and one AI prompt to help you pull it off. Powered by Jellypod.
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