Just two weeks ago, I posted about a study showing potential boundary conditions for retrieval practice: one of the most robustly supported classroom strategies for enhancing long-term memories.
As luck would have it, the authors of that study wrote up their own description of it over at The Learning Scientists blog. Those of you keeping score at home might want to see their description of the study, and their thoughts on its significance.
The short version: boundary conditions always matter.
We should assume they exist, and look for them.
A teaching practice that works with some students — even most students — just might not work with my students.
In that case: I’m happy it helps the others, but I need to find the strategy that will work with mine.
