Retrieval Practice
This learning strategy strengthens memory by pulling information out, not re-reading it.
What is retrieval practice?
This learning strategy involves spreading practice out over time.
What is spaced practice?
This feeling of familiarity that comes from rereading creates the false belief you’ve learned something.
What is fluency illusion?
This strategy asks learners to put concepts into their own words.
What is elaboration?
This popular idea claims people learn best through a preferred sensory method, but the book debunks it.
What are learning styles?
According to Make it Stick, this method is less effective than retrieval because it creates an illusion of knowing.
What is rereading?
Interleaving mixes these together instead of doing one type repeatedly.
What are problem types or topics?
Highlighting can create this illusion if not combined with deeper processing.
What is the illusion of mastery?
This involves connecting new information to personal experiences or prior knowledge.
What is making connections (or elaborative interrogation)?
This ineffective studying method is extremely common right before tests.
What is cramming?
Practicing retrieval is most effective when this element is added-making it a bit harder to recall.
What is desirable difficulty?
Spacing improves learning because forgetting forces the learner to do this.
What is work harder to retrieve(desirable difficulty)?
This strategy, where students study material until it feels easy, often leads to overconfidence.
What is massed practice?
Creating mental models or analogies helps build these deeper structures for understanding.
What are schemas?
The book argues that learning shouldn’t always feel easy; it should feel like this instead.
What is effortful?
These types of quizzes, even if ungraded, significantly boost long-term retention.
What are low-stakes quizzes?
According to Make it Stick, this common studying behavior is the opposite of spacing.
What is cramming?
Students often mistake recognition for this—true, usable knowledge.
What is recall?
Reflective practice involves three steps: reviewing what happened, analyzing it, and doing this for next time.
What is planning for improvement?
Repeatedly practicing the same skill without variation leads to fast gains but weak long-term memory; this is called ____.
What is massed practice?