Students 2.0

Cognitive Daily has a summary of a study (PDF) on the connection between different types of practice tests and performance on a final test. The conclusion (as reported by Cognitive Daily) shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to seasoned teachers:

more elaborate retrieval processes during practice tests lead to better results on final tests

While the researchers looked at a much simpler form of learning (memorization of lists of words) than we strive for in our classrooms, the applicability of their results is easy to see: make students think. The study would seem to support the idea that when we force students to use their knowledge in elaborate ways, such as class discussions, presenting projects, or defending a thesis in an essay, they will be able to better recall the information in the final test—whether it be an exam, or life.