1. Spaced Practice
Spaced Practice

2. What is it? Spaced practice is the exact opposite of cramming.
When you cram, you study for a long, intense period of time close to an exam. When you space your learning, you take that same amount of study time, and spread it out across a much longer period of time.
Doing it this way, that same amount of study time will produce more long- lasting learning. For example, five hours spread out over two weeks is better than the same five hours right before the exam.

3. Spaced Practice

4. Cramming

5. Evidence for spaced learning
A study was conducted into spaced learning using the training of postal workers when the sorting system changed.
They started by training 72 postal workers in sessions that were either 1 or 2 hours long, either 1 or 2 times/day until all of the groups had worked on the training for 60 hours.
So the group who training for 1 hour 1 time/day had trained for 60 days, but the group that trained for 2 hours 2 times/day had only trained for 12 days. Note that each group received the same amount of training and that they were paid the same amount to do that training.

6. Evidence for spaced learning – Results.
Those that practiced for 1 hour once/day took considerably fewer hours to learn the new skill than did those who practiced for 2 hours twice/day. In fact, the fastest person in the latter group took 2 hours longer than the slowest person in the former group.

7. Results – How well did they learn it?
The figure right shows the average number of correct keystrokes/minute for individuals in each group. Once again, the 1 hour once/day group performed much better than the 2 hours twice/day group.

8. Conclusions
Altogether, the four groups spent the same amount of time attempting to learn the new skill, but the group that spread out that training actually took less time to become proficient and were faster at the system when they had learned it.

9. So why don’t people use this all of the time?
The main reason is because this doesn’t feel easy to do. Spaced practice feels harder! (probably because it takes a bit of planning)
However, the research is clear and it indicates that spaced practice is far more effective than cramming.
So whether you’re trying to learn how to tie your shoes, a new musical instrument, a new task at work, or new information, give yourself the time to do it. Practice a little bit each day and you will perform better than if you try to do too much in any one sitting.

10. Spaced Learning Requires Planning!

11. How to space your learning.
Start early – The beginning of a term or even earlier.
Set aside the time – This could be a small amount of time every day (as little as 5-10 mins) for a subject.
Review information from each class – Not directly after class, maybe leave it for a few hours or a day.

12. How to space your learning.
Spacing your learning doesn’t mean you won’t be studying at all right before the exam. You can still study up until the exam – but instead of only studying then, spread it out so that you’re studying days and weeks before the exam as well.
You’ll spend less time and learn more, in the short-term and in the long-term.

13. What should you do during these short sessions?
It is highly important that you don’t just read your notes or highlight your revision guide. You don’t have to think to do this so you won’t remember anything.
Use retrieval practise techniques such as summarising information from memory, answering questions from your flash cards etc.
Whatever you do, make sure that you have to think in order to do it.