Welcome to the Practical AI Classroom Blog
Written by Sean Doyle, Head of Education at Classroom 42
“I find it much better when I learn it all the night before”
“Did we even cover that?”
“I don’t need to revise this topic, we only did it recently”
For many students, revision has become an end-of-cycle process. Content is taught, assessed, and then largely left untouched until mock exams or final exams approach. Homework, when it exists, can easily become a tick-box exercise focused on completion rather than learning.
The problem with this model is simple: forgetting has already happened.
When students return to content weeks or months later, what we often call “revision” is actually re-learning. While this can give a short-term boost in performance, it does little to secure knowledge in long-term memory. Students feel busy, but learning is fragile.
Well-planned Spaced retrieval practice across sequenced curricula challenges this cycle. Instead of waiting for forgetting to take hold, it deliberately revisits content at planned intervals, strengthening memory before it fades. The result is learning that lasts, not just learning that gets students through the next assessment.
What does the research say?
The foundations of spaced practice can be traced back to the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus, whose forgetting curve shows that forgetting begins almost immediately after learning. Without opportunities to retrieve information, knowledge rapidly decays.
Crucially, moving information from working memory into long-term memory relies on retrieval, not exposure. Each time students successfully retrieve information, memory is strengthened, making future recall more fluent and durable. This is why spacing and interleaving topics over time is so powerful.
Research consistently supports this:
Jones (2019) highlights that dividing revision into smaller, manageable sections leads to learning that “sticks” for final exams, unlike cramming which creates short-lived gains.
Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli (2020) emphasise that well-planned quizzing balances intensity with spacing, enabling students to recall information more fluently over time.
Megan Sumeracki and Yana Weinstein (2019) demonstrate that shorter study sessions spaced across time are far more effective than longer, massed sessions. This approach allows retrieval strength and fluency to build gradually.
One important takeaway from the research is that spaced retrieval often feels harder for students and the preference would often be towards massed practice. Performance may appear lower during spaced periods, but long-term retention is significantly improved. This gap between perceived learning and actual learning is where many misconceptions arise.
How can I actually use this?
Spaced retrieval makes sense in theory, but in practice it can feel hard to sustain. Curriculum breadth, tight timelines, and the pressure to keep moving forward often leave little space to embed great CPD – it can feel unrealistic.
Time is nearly always the biggest constraint. Effective spaced practice relies on a web of support:
- knowledge organisers
- checklists
- assessment insights
- teaching timelines
- carefully designed retrieval tasks.
Creating and personalising these for multiple classes, each with different needs and levels of confidence, is demanding. Without clear systems, spaced practice can quickly become inconsistent or simply drop off.
That’s where the short-term challenge is worth embracing. Once in place, spaced retrieval reduces re-teaching, strengthens independent study, and makes revision more efficient rather than more frequent.
Crucially, it won’t require a curriculum overhaul. The plans you’ve already made – allied with an organised long-term plan (across a 2 or 3 year course) and a checklist from the specification – will hold all the keys.
When used thoughtfully, technology and AI can support this process by handling the organisation teachers don’t have time for: mapping topics to teaching calendars, identifying when content should be revisited, and adapting retrieval based on student confidence. This is an excellent example of a routine, but lengthy, admin task that can safely be outsourced.
So the next time you review your outcomes or analyse underperformance – keep spaced practice in mind. Some key questions to ask:
- Does your homework mass the practice or include elements of spaced retrieval?
- What is the gap likely to be between early content and first reviews?
- How can tech support you in producing a plan and timetable for students that won’t overload the working memory?
References
Jones, K. (2019) Retrieval Practice: Research & Resources for Every Classroom. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational.
Sherrington, T. and Caviglioli, O. (2020) Teaching WalkThrus: Five-step guides to instructional coaching. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational.
Sumeracki, M.A. and Weinstein, Y. (2019) Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide. London: Routledge.
Ebbinghaus, H. (1885) Über das Gedächtnis: Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie. Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot.
(Optional to include if you want the English edition too: Ebbinghaus, H. (1913) Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.)
