White Paper

Spaced practice
This paper shows how organisations and learners
can optimise their learning and performance,
through spaced practice, based on the science of
learning. It covers motivational and metacognition
issues, as well as practical methods for
spaced practice.
These methods include formal and informal
methods for the consolidation of learning.

Donald Clark

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Table of Contents
Why spaced-practice? 4
Spaced-practice in practice 4
What is spaced-practice? Ebbinghaus

Forgetting curve 5
Science of spaced-practice 6
Learning, memory and performance

Cues and consolidation 6

Active recall 7
Levels of learning 8
Forgetting 8
Agency 9
Habitual spaced-practice: Blended learning

Habitual spaced-practice 10
Informal spaced-practice: Top and tail

10

Notes 11
Places 11
Sleep 11
Technology and spaced-practice 12
Email 12
Twitter 12
Facebook 12
Blogs 12
Podcasts 13
Games 13
Advanced technology and spaced-practice: Encore

13

Personalised spaced-practice 14
Adaptive spaced-practice 15
Wearables 15
Conclusion 15
Contact details 16
Bibliography 17

Why spaced-practice?
This is Mathew Syed, Britains No. 1 table-tennis
player for ten years. Not only that, the next five
best players all lived within a few streets of him.
How come? Well, they had a great coach, a club
that was open 24 hours a day (they all had the
keys) and a group who practised, deliberately
and mercilessly to get to the top. It was nothing
to do with natural talent and everything to do
with effort. Its all in his excellent book Bounce
(Syed 2011) where he explains not only his
sporting journey but the psychology behind that
Mathew Syed

journey, in particular his discovery of deliberate

practice. Practice may make perfect but that is

not the whole story. It is not simply a matter of repetition or following a pre-determined pattern of
exposure. Spaced-practice is much more than this. At its simplest it is the recall, rehearsal, revision,
application or deliberate practice and recall of knowledge of skills spaced over time to reinforce and
consolidate them in long-term memory for quick recall. Ultimately its about performance, using
evidence-based learning theory to apply the most effective techniques that lead to measurable
performance.

Spaced-practice in practice
Experienced learners know that spaced

spaced-practice. One could argue that without

practice; the repeated active recall, revision

knowledge of this principle and its causes, those

and application of knowledge and skills really

who teach are missing a key component in the

does matter. Good learners do their homework,

process of learning.

develop revision techniques, repeat and rehearse

in their heads, take notes and so on. This is often

This a little unfair, since most traditional learning

without any real guidance from the educational

has been in fixed courses in training rooms,

system, but they eventually realise that it is what

classrooms or lecture halls and once the student

leads to success.

has walked out the door, they have gone. All

attempts at practice, revision and application

So, given that millions of teachers, lecturers,

are down to them. That shouldnt distract us,

trainers, coaches and instructors are employed

however, from making the effort to improve the

in the learning game, it is perhaps surprising that

situation, with or without technology.

little or no attention has been paid to the idea of

What is spaced-practice - Ebbinghaus?

Ebbinghaus, in 1885, published ber das Gedchtnis (On Memory),

Ebbinghaus

published in English in 1913 (Ebbinghaus 1913), a groundbreaking

work, which laid the foundations for the practical science of
memory. Not only did he give us the application of the scientific
method to the measurement of memory, this also resulted in
some startling findings.
First, the famous forgetting curve, that even now, has the ability
to startle those who first encounter the precipitous nature of
forgetting. He also explored chunking, an essential principle in
memory and learning theory, a practical response to the severe
limitations of working memory. Then there are his findings
on primacy and recency, showing that we have a tendency to
remember the first and last things in a learning experience.

Forgetting curve
Lets focus on the forgetting curve. This applied to the recall of short strings of letters, and not all of
the evidence for forgetting is as pronounced as this. Nevertheless, it is certain that most learning
experiences lead to some, and usually substantial, forgetting. Although decay rates are variable this
should not detract us from the task at hand, which is to increase the productivity of learning through
increased retention and recall from long-term memory.
A solution to the problem of the failure to elaborate and shunt learnt knowledge and skills from
working memory to long-term memory is to repeat, review, revise, rehearse, recall and practice at
spaced intervals in the future. Evidence suggests that the periodicity of these intervals matters but it
is also important that it involves active recall and not just the recognition of answers. Whatever profile
the forgetting curve has, and almost all learning results in a quantifiable fall, the cure is clearly to
do more to consolidate the cognitive gain beyond that initial experience. If most of what we learn is
forgotten it should be an imperative to slow the forgetting curve. The science suggests that this one
technique has the greatest chance of substantially increasing productivity and performance
in learning.
Why spaced review works?

Forgetting Curve

100

100 %

Retention

1 hour = 44.2%

50 %

Retention

5th Review

Learning curve:
Every review slows the forgetting
curve, creating permanent knowledge.

1st Review

9 hours = 35.8%
1 day = 33.7%

2nd Review

50

3rd Review

4th Review

20 mins = 58.2%

1 day = 33.7%

1 day = 33.7%

Forgetting curve:
We forget unreviewed
knowledge quickly!

1 day = 33.7%

No

Retention

Time
5

Science of spaced-practice
Memory theory is one of the most developed areas of experimental psychology and learning theory,
yet the learning industry, schools, further education, higher education, corporate and adult learning
have taken little practical advantage from these theoretical advances. So what does the science
tell us?

Learning, memory and performance

All learning comes down to encoding into memory with performance being the retrieval of that
stored knowledge and skills (Anderson 1994). Yet, much learning has been shown to play to shortterm memory with rapid and on-going decay. This cramming or sheep-dip learning plays to short-term
memory and recall, and does not have high retention value (Dempster 1988).
Encoding matters, so chunking of the original material to prevent cognitive overload, along with media
techniques to grab and sustain attention really do matter. But to consolidate memories, repeated
active practice pushes knowledge and skills from working to long-term memory then consolidates
these memories to make them more permanent. Spaced events, combined with repeated retrieval,
consolidate memories and improve accurate recall. In practice, the repeated spaced-practice intervals
get longer over time.
We have known for over a century that memories decay over time. We also know that memory is
better encoded the more times it is actively learnt and that the same amount of active learning is
better if distributed over time. This is important as spaced-practice gives you better performance with
optimal effort. Additionally, memory is a process of reconstruction and the more we recall a learnt
item, the more recallable it becomes in the future (Bjork 1988).

Cues and consolidation

Memories are encoded (Anderson 1994) into long-term memory and can be consolidated (made
stronger) by repeated, active spaced-practice. Spaced-practice also increases the probability, speed
and performance. The promise is that the learner will be more likely to recall something quicker and
better. This is why the retrieval through spaced-practice is so important. It prevents memory loss
(Bjork 1975). The more we recall, the more recallable memories become. But the efficiency of recall
can be made all the stronger by the use of cues, namely stimuli that help you recall knowledge
and skills.
Cues are important, as it is cues that activate the memories for recall. Theyre like the handles on
suitcases, which you can use to haul out stored memories. Cues can be mnemonics, contextual, and
there is evidence (from Kuiper & Kirker - 1977) to suppose that they are strong when self-referenced
i.e. the learner creates their own cues when encoding things to be remembered. Memory systems
used by high performing memory champions use memory palace techniques that are remarkably
efficient in aiding cued recall. Typically you would place the items to be remembered along a wellknown street you know or in the rooms of your own house, then use that known place as a cue-rich

environment you are already familiar with, to recall new knowledge. If courses are chunked, and
cues deliberately provided, so that each chunk has cues or encourages the learner to create their
own cues, this is useful in the construction of spaced-practice, as it is the cues and not just bits of
content that can be spaced and used for recall. Later practice events can be contextual cues, where a
contextualised scenario is presented.

Active recall
Active recall, pulling something out of memory,

a week later there were clear differences

not just recognising something from a list or

in performance. A weakness of this experiment

multiple choice question, improves future

is the charge that there was still more learning

performance, something we have known for

time through the recall tests, so Roediger split

a century (Gates 1917). The act of active recall

students into two goups. Group 1 read a science

develops and strengthens memory. It also

essay and were allowed to reread that essay.

improves the process of recall in ways that

Group 2 did the same but rather than re-read

passive recall reading, listening and watching

they were asked booster recall questions. A recall

- do not. In practice, it is active recall that really

test 2 days later showed a clear difference and

matters in knowledge and skills, not recognition.

that difference was even more marked after 1

An additional advantage is that if we learn in a

week in Group 2. We can take advantage in a

way that mimics the conditions of future recall

formal, pushed system to push out cues and

(rarely just recognition), recall is all the more

active recall, on knowledge that users have

certain (Morris et al 1977).

shown they dont know, dont know well or dont

feel confident about. Active recall and/or practice

Lets get more precise on active recall. Professor

generally produces much greater performance

Roediger at Washington University in St. Louis

benefits, especially repeated and spaced testing.

has researched this in detail. In this study

These have been shown in many trials to be

students had to memorise pictures. Group 1

superior to the re-presentation of content. Allen,

were simply asked to remember as many as

Mahler, & Estes (1969), Hogan & Kintsch (1971)

they could, Group 2 were given a booster quiz

Nungester & Duchastel (1982) Cuddy & Jacoby

where they were asked to actively recall as

(1982) Kuo & Hirshman Izawa (1992). When this

many pictures as they could, Group 3 were given

active practice is accompanied by feedback, it has

spaced-practice recall exercises. No extra study

even greater benefits.

was provided in any of these exercises. In a test

31.8

30
25
20

Proportion of idea units recalled

Number of pictures recalled

35

23.3
17.4

15
10
5
0

0.8
0.7

Study Conditions
Read then re-read
Read then booster quiz

0.6
0.5
0.4
2 days

Number of initial tests

Test Date After Studying

7

1 week

Levels of learning

Forgetting

Attention matters as it is a necessary condition

Although students often perform better

for learning, but vigilance (sustained attention)

immediately after massed practice (single bout

is just as important. The problem with much

of practice), they forget quicker and perform

traditional learning is the unrealistic and

poorly in later tests than spaced-practice

unsustainable attentional expectations; one hour

students (Keppel 1964). This is why much end-

lectures and long bouts of e-learning are good

point assessment is short-term and short-

examples, where attention has been shown to

sighted.

drop dramatically.
Forgetting is initially steep and shows that
Attention can be held by good design, variation,

memories are lost very quickly then more slowly,

relevance and personalisation and is a necessary,

so forgetting is not simply proportional to the

not sufficient, condition for learning. We can

passing of time (Wickelgren 1976).

distinguish between four levels of learning:

One solution to this predictable process of
1.

Familiar knew but cant now remember

forgetting is spaced-practice which works, as

2.

Recognised correctly recognise answer

Ebbinghaus discovered, through the spacing

in a multiple choice question

effect; the separation of learning events over

3.

Recalled recall with effort but without

time (Dempster 1988). As forgetting is a curved

help

descent, so methods that combat forgetting

4.

Automatic immediate, effortless, high-

(remembering) need to be spaced across a

performance recall

curved ascent.

It is quick and Automatic recall that is the goal

But it is the combination of spaced-practice with

of high-performance learning and expert ability.

active recall (Landauer and Bjork (1978), with

So, even after good recall is achieved, it can

repeated sessions, as well as greater gaps, that

be improved through practice, this is why it is

leads to optimal retention and recall.

important in spaced-practice to include known

items. Note that when Automaticity is achieved,

The timing of this practice is important. We know

it is almost effortless and therefore doesnt

that there is a point, soon after the learning

demand massive cognitive effort, freeing up

experience, where it is essential to practice but

cognitive capacity for other tasks (Carnine 1989).

as decay slows over time, the practice sessions

can be increasingly spaced out over time. This
typically follows a minutes, hours, days, weeks,
months pattern.

Agency
All of the above encourage student agency,

Self-perception of ability can both help and

where the learner plays a role in determining

hinder learning. The bottom line is that one can

what they need to practice more. Agency, as

study too little or too much (Nelson and Leonesio

a feature of memory, is important in terms of

1988). This has led to spaced-practice systems

improving performance. This self-awareness

that allow the learner to express a rating on their

of ones own learning and processes, such

feeling of confidence about their ability.

as memory, is called metacognition. This

Spaced-practice can therefore be selective in

metacognition (Tulving & Madigan 1970) can be

that items that are clearly known can have less

used to control and improve learning (Nelson

weight than items which the user is not confident

& Narens 1990). We also know that, if learners

about, had difficulty in learning or clearly

metacognition skills are low, they often fail to

doesnt know. Here spaced-practice can involve

plan their study so that optimal learning and

algorithmic inferences that use performance data

retention takes place (Nelson & Leonesio 1988).

about each individual learner, then route that

This can work to the students disadvantage.

learner through a series of items, or network of

Zechmeister and Shaughnessy (1980) showed

knowledge, based on optimising their learning

that metacognition of massed repetitions give

and spaced-practice.

learners a false view of their ability to recall

It should also be noted that the use of

knowledge.

spaced-practice methods improves a learners

An additional feature of spaced-practice is the

metacognitive skills and makes them better

self-awareness of the learner in relation to their

learners. Applying a formal method can lead

confidence that they know something. However,

to more informal methods and habits

simplistic metacognition, the students knowledge

being adopted.

of their own learning is a double-edged sword.

Habitual spaced-practice:
Blended learning
To give spaced-practice a real, practical, performance context, lets consider its place in blended
learning. Blended learning has become an acceptable shorthand for learning experiences that are
sophisticated in that they are deigned around the real needs of the learners, types of learning and
resources you have at your disposal, along with costs. Note that blended learning is not blended
teaching, where you simply slam together a bit of offline and online (sometimes known as Velcro
learning). It is about optimising the learning experience for the learner. Every blended learning
experience should at least consider spaced-practice as a way of maximising learning outcomes and
there are many ways to introduce spaced-practice into a blended experience.
Blended components can include a wide range of spaced-practice opportunities; simple repetitions,
repetitions with concise cued phrases, stories, graphics, examples, analogies, metaphors. More active
retrieval components include; tests, practice, exercises, simulations, case studies and role plays.
Deeper retention may also involve; discussion, debate, dialogue and collaboration.
9

Habitual spaced-practice
Spaced-practice needs to be habitual. These

So how can we make spaced-practice habitual?

habits are common in experienced and

We also have to be conscious of context and

successful learners but take time to learn and

the affective, emotional and motivational side

in themselves require repeated practice to

of learning. Its also about habits sleep, time,

become habitual.

place, having a notebook, note taking, email,

social media, blogging, mobiles, wearables and
so on.

John Locke and William James both emphasised

the key role that habit plays in learning;
lessons weve largely ignored. Good learners

Spaced-practice is on the agenda not only

develop good learning habits. They always have

because it works but because we now have the

something to read in their pocket or bag. They

tools and technology to make it work. To limit

tend to be obsessive note takers, often with a

the concept of spaced practice to repetition is

long series of filled notebooks. They habitually

to limit the principle and limit our imagination

elaborate what they hear and actively try to

when it comes to solutions. As we will see, with

remember. They replay and recall in their own

technology we have a chance to create learning

minds, through dialogue and re-reading their

habits in ways that were never possible even a

notes. They also tend to kick-start new learning

few years ago.

habits using technology, such as bookmarking

and blogging.

Informal spaced-practice:
Top and tail
One of the simplest techniques is to top and tail

(we remember the first and last things more

identified course chunks. This could be lectures,

than the things in between), taking advantage

classes, periods, breaks or modules. Take a

of a cognitive bias to consolidate learning. The

lecture. Before you start, summarise succinctly

same can be applied to classroom training,

what was taught in the last lecture, then

with summaries before and after coffee breaks.

summarise at the end of the lecture. This inserts

Similar techniques can be used in e-learning,

a small dose of spaced-practice, preferably an

where modules are topped and tailed. In other

active learning experience, to the learner, with

words, take advantage of every break, section,

practice being presented, three times once

module to include a summary which repeats

during the lecture, once at the end and once

or gives an opportunity for learners to recall,

again at the start of the next.

what was learnt. Across a term you can use

regular quizzes, where 50% is new and 50% is old

There is a double dividend here, as this also plays

material. These overlapping tests are, in practice,

to the known principle of primacy and recency

spaced-practice.

10

Notes
As a learner, get into the habit, not only of taking notes, but rereading and rewriting those notes.
When reading books, underline key points. At the end of each chapter, write a small summary. Even
better write a review of the book. Marx used to write a summary of every book he read. Studies
on note taking (with control groups and reversal of note takers and non note takers to eliminate
differences) show overwhelmingly that note taking increases memory/retention. Many aspects of
increased memory have been studied including; increased attention, immediate recall, delayed tests,
free recall, MCQs, remembering important v less important knowledge, correlations with quality
of notes and deeper learning. Bligh (2000) has detailed dozens of studies in this area. Wittrick and
Alesandrini (1990) found that written notes increased learning by 30% through summaries and 22%
using written analogies, compared to the control group. Why does note taking increase retention?
First, increased focus, attention and concentration, the necessary conditions for learning. Second,
increased attention to meaning and therefore better encoding. Thirdly, rehearsal and repetition,
which processes it into long term memory. All three matter.

Places
Non-places

Marc Auge wrote a book called Non-places which are those many
places where we increasingly spend our time trains, planes, hotels,
railway stations, airports and so on. These places have become
havens for isolation, reading and, habitual spaced-practice. We could
add to these the places we regularly inhabit day-by-day, like the
kitchen, the toilet and so on. One trick Ive heard used in language
learning, is to put up vocabulary lists, grammatical rules etc., on the
back of the toilet door, even on objects around the house. A couple
of minutes every day, while you go through your ablutions may just
prevent the natural excretion of that knowledge you worked so hard
to remember. This is about developing the habit of learning through
reinforcement so look for that unproductive downtime.

Sleep
One of the most effective methods of habitually delivering spaced-practice is to encourage learners
to get into the habit of a little recall just before they go to sleep. This takes discipline but studies show
that it is very effective as the brain appears to consolidate memory during sleep. We now know that a
lack of, or interrupted sleep, is detrimental to memory formation. A full nights sleep helps as the first
couple of hours consolidates memory in the hippocampus, the next few hours moves memories to
the cortex for long-term storage and the final few hours results in cortex rehearsal.
A magazine (www.scientificamerican.com) published a paper in which learning was tested comparing
those who learn then sleep on it overnight, compared to normal 9-5 daytime learners. They forced
subjects in two groups to learn a new set of word pairs 12 minutes prior to testing-the well-rested
radically outperformed those who had not slept; 76% of sleepers accurately recalled the initial pair
compared to just 32% of their peers who had gone without sleep. Memories after sleep are resilient
to disruption, the researchers conclude.
11

Technology and spaced-practice

Formal, automated and semi-automated spaced-practice usually (not exclusively) requires technology
and approaches that deliver spaced events to the learner. It is often push rather than pull. There are
many ways to use technology to push and manage spaced-practice, from the simple to complex. In all
cases pedagogy is the driver, technology the accelerator.

Email

Facebook

Many learners use email so this is an easy and

Given the fact that 1.5 billion people are on

efficient and familiar way to deliver spaced

Facebook theres a good chance that learners

-practice events. Group emails, set up and timed

are easier to reach on Facebook than they are

for release, can get spaced events straight to

in the institution, LMS, VLE or any other physical

the audience. A simple text email, infographic,

or virtual space. The notifications system on

question, video, even piece of e-learning;

Facebook is superbly efficient and that little red

anything that makes learners rethink and recall,

circle with a number in it is a strong stimulus

will help consolidate and fix the learning in long-

for attention. Simply message students with a

term memory. One can even ask for a reply to

series of cues and reinforcement events from the

encourage active learning and ensure that it has

lecture or course.

been opened. For larger audiences there are

tools that manage the delivery of large batches

Blogs

of emails.

Blogging is, in this sense, a massively effective

way to reinforce learning. Its one of those

Twitter

practices that, when it becomes habitual, is

The psychology of learning constantly reminds us

massively effective as an aide memoire. Many

that less is more, and in a world that is plagued

bloggers claim that the act of writing up blog

by cognitive overload, the massive popularity

posts forces them to summarise and articulate

of Twitter, which is short and sweet, is proof

their learning. It also gives them an archive of

that this rule is well received. Indeed, Twitter

content for future refreshment. There are many

has become a common, if not intentional, form

in education and training that now recommend

of spaced-practice. When we Tweet something

blogging in the context of learning. One can

that catches our eye we reinforce that point in

start with teacher/trainer blogs around what you

our own minds. Good Tweets also act as good

taught this week. This gives students a second

cues for the retrieval of content, as can retweets.

bite of the content, as well as expanding out

With this in mind they can be re-used for spaced-

content with media and links. Learner blogs

practice. Twitter streams are sometimes collated

based on what the learner did learn that week

after a talk or conference, again a form of

can also be useful as the exercise forces them to

spaced-practice for participants. It has, of course

reflect and summarise their learning experiences,

been boosted by the use of mobile devices.

playing on the fact that note taking (writing)

increases retention.

12

Podcasts
If you exercise regularly, that is a chance to regularly recall and reinforce whatever you want to retain.
A podcast through your headphones can be listened to while running or exercising. Similarly in the
car. Simply record your own lists, notes, reinforcement events and replay on demand. Get into the
habit and youll get both physical and psychological gains.

Games
Games use a learning technique that is built into their design spaced, repeated practice. Within
many computer games, the player will die or fail and be pushed back to the start of the level or the
place from which they started. This catastrophic failure makes games players focus their attention on
not dying or failing, accelerating their rate of learning. This remedial loop on failure is a classic game
feature and we have much to learn from it in learning design, as it builds in the reinforcement of
learning into the entire learning experience.

Advanced technology and spaced-practice:

Encore
Spaced-practice software tools, such as ENCORE, uses mobile devices to deliver cued spacedpractice for learning. Tools like this are a major breakthrough in learning technology. For mobiles the
advantages are around quick, episodic events such as texting, photographs, looking things up, quick
experiences, games or alerts.
The average time someone spends on a mobile device is seconds, and its getting shorter as texting on
WhatsApp or whatever, overtakes voice. As we use mobiles for short, episodic experiences, it follows
that they can be used for short bouts of spaced-practice.
Learning is one of the most unproductive areas of human endeavour. The trick is to look beyond the
course and learning experience to the reinforcement of that knowledge and skills. This has never
really been possible in learning, as we lose the students attention as soon as they walk out of the
door. Suddenly a miracle has happened, we all have the ideal device mobile phones. These powerful,
personal and portable devices can deliver personalised learning at anytime, anywhere to individual
learners.

13

ENCORE, takes the cues from any course or learning experience and spaces them out in whatever
frequency you determine after the course to an end-date. It may be spaced out up to the start of a
new job, an exam, a product launch, whatever.
As mobile systems develop, significant increases in retention and productivity could be realised. We
can remind learners about tasks, activities and push snippets of learning topics to them at timed
intervals. Systems like this can insert new life into previous learning with bite-size questions, tasks and
activities to help refresh the learners mind.
One problem with formal, pushed methods is habituation. This is seen in pop-up help or tip systems,
where the user tires at being interrupted and starts to ignore the events that are pushed to them. This
motivational problem can be solved by not being too aggressive with the push techniques, keeping
them short, varying them and making them worthy of attention.

Personalised spaced-practice
One can categorise items as unknown, not

other times it may deliver more items over a

confidently known and confidently known.

longer period if youre showing signs of poor

Indeed, this categorisation can be taken further

recall or confidence.

with degrees of tested and subjectively assessed

knowledge. However fine-grained the schema,

Scheduling spaced-practice can be tricky. An

an adaptive system can deliver spaced-practice

80:20 ratio can be used here to distinguish

items based on a mathematical judgement

between the bulk of the consolidation practice

(algorithms) that decide on the optimal delivery

period (80% of the time) and its final fixing

of those items. This optimum delivery schedule

period (20% of the time). The consolidation

is based on what the science tells us and data

period closes gaps, gradually drops items

drawn from learner performance and learner

and increases recall. The fixing period simply

perceptions.

increases speed of recall.

Such systems deliver personalised spaced-

By distributing workload over time, this method

practice that is determined not by a preordained

can contribute greatly to reducing worry and

sequence but by identifying what the user can

cognitive overload in students. Rather than

actually recall going forward. A useful technique

procrastination leading to cramming, we have

is to gradually drop items that are well known.

a balanced workload that consolidates and

This selective presentation of items gradually

improves performance smoothly over time. Far

drops items off the conveyer until no items

from demotivating learners, spaced-practice

remain. Like a Sat Nav, it delivers the right

can motivate by raising self-confidence, meeting

corrective action depending on where it thinks

expectations and achieving goals.

you are. Sometimes it may deliver in a fairly

predictable fashion as you are doing well, at

14

Adaptive spaced-practice
Adaptive learning, in some forms, especially those that use algorithms, may have an algorithm that
checks for competence and builds in spaced practice by presenting content that the it knows the
learner found difficult or took longer to learn. This dynamic form of spaced-practice is used, for
example, in the CogBooks system (www.cogbooks.com).
This is personalised space-practice, as it presents content on the basis of what it learns about you as
a learner, reconfiguring that content in real time to make sure you have an optimal spaced learning
experience. This form of spaced-practice is deliberate within a course and has the advantage of
being fine-tuned dynamically in response to an individuals performance. It may, in time, be the most
sophisticated form of spaced practice available.

Wearables
Lastly, we now have the promise of wearables like Google Glass, which are literally with you as you
live, and give you ready access to pull or push spaced-practice at any time. They have the advantage
of being able to deliver as audio, image or text.
Similarly with health wearables that deliver alerts for diabetes patients and those suffering from
disorders that need reminders of some sort. This technology brings spaced-practice to your eyes, ears
and skin. Future devices may even be implanted.

Conclusion
There is a tendency in education and training to see teaching as an art form or practice not helped
much by theory, especially psychology. This simply begs the question of what practices are most
efficient and productive. However, in this one area, memory theory and spaced-practice, we have
a theory, set of clear principles and evidence that lead to clear, best practice, leading to
improved performance.
Good learners learn to do this the hard way, by inefficient studying, but eventually adopt their own
spaced-practice strategies. We have also shown that these strategies can be taught, recommended
and applied, either informally or formally through the use of existing, free technology and more
advanced systems.
Spaced-practice is arguably the most powerful, yet most overlooked benefit in learning and true
performance. Implemented properly and it is possible to have huge gains in productivity, namely the
retention and recall of whatever has been learnt. One could go further and say that without a spacedpractice strategy, there is no learning strategy.

15

At Learning Pool, our passion is for building low cost,

innovative services that help customers deliver real
performance improvement.
Hopefully weve injected some fresh thinking about
how you can implement spaced practice in your
organisation. Encore is our spaced-practice mobile
app, allowing you to send bite-sized refresher training
to your learners after they take the initial training.
Talk to us about how we can help you get the most
out of learning technologies to help improve business
performance:
W: learningpool.com
E: hello@learningpool.com
T: 02071019383

16

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