Effectiveness of instructional techniques
Technique Explanation Utility Effectiveness Elaborative interrogation Asking “why” rather than “what” Moderate Self-explanation Learners explain the process they used Moderate Summarisation Low Good for learners who need to generate information and not multiple-choice questions exam type. Highlighting Learners highlights text Low Ineffective, especially when overdone. Keyword mnemonic Learner associates concept to words and imagery Low Good for short term memory only. Imagery of text learning Learners creates mental images while reading Low Ineffective while reading, more effective while listening. Re-reading Reading again the same text Low More effective over a long period of time only. Practice testing Learners is tested on what should have been learned. High Very effective for recall. Very effective when learners creates the questions. Cornell University note-taking system is effective. http://lsc.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Cornell-Note_Taking-System.pdf Distributed practice The spacing of the learning in a timeframe High Best spacing is 10-20% of the time, i.e. if a learner wants to remember something for a year the studying should be done every month or so. Interleaved practice Learner jumps from one topic to another that is not directly connected in a haphazard fashion Moderate Effective for motor learning (using the environment) and cognitive learning (math).Learning how to learn (and teach): The application of neuroscience of education