As midterm exams approach, your students face the challenge of preparing for them. Cognitive learning research provides insight into the best practices for studying.
The Top 2 Study Strategies are Retrieval Practice and Spaced Learning:
Retrieval Practice 
Retrieval Practice is the act of pulling information out of your brain. You remember what you know about a word, topic, or lesson, pull it out of your mind, and then articulate it in some way. For example, you write down everything you can remember. This is the way your brain really wants to learn!
Retrieval Practice is the opposite of reviewing notes or the textbook and trying to 'stuff' the knowledge into your brain!
Teacher Action:
Teacher Action: 
If you are holding review session(s) or providing review documents, incorporate places for students to write everything they can remember about the topic before they interact with your review material. Encourage them to create images, tables, or whatever visually helps them with learning. (Dual coding theory suggests that images are processed using different parts of the brain. Using related illustrations and text together offers the student more avenues to access the knowledge).
Alternatively, or in addition to, provide students time to write down everything they can remember about review material right after it is covered. You want to break this down by sections.
Provide students with images from your course content they can annotate by labeling, drawing a process, or adding detail.
Provide practice tests or quizzes. If you are a math or a 'mathy' science teacher, provide practice problems that are mixed, forcing students to retrieve information about the different formulas, laws, etc.
Incorporating Retrieval Practice in your classroom doesn't have to involve a lot of prep! After reading this blog post before finals last spring, Sophia Rovitti decided to try it with her students. She wanted her students to review 13 elements of Roman culture they had learned throughout the year. The topics include the Roman baths, treatment of slaves, women's role in Roman culture, and other topics integral to roman life. She paired students and told them one partner would do all the even-numbered topics, while the other worked with the odd-numbered ones. The first partner would take two minutes to say everything they knew about the topic while the other partner listened and timed them. Then they would reverse roles. Sophia was 'pleasantly surprised' by how well this activity went. The students felt that the activity helped them prepare for their final exam in a meaningful way. The students were quite engaged as she mingled among them during the activity.
Student Action:
Some examples of retrieval practice include writing down everything you know about a topic, sketching a picture, adding text to a diagram, taking practice tests, or quizzing friends about class material.
When using flashcards:
When using flashcards:
- Write down the answers - don't check the answers the first time through! Try to think about what the answer is.
- Go through the flashcard deck at least once (some Cognitive Scientists recommend 3 times) before you eliminate a flashcard.
- Change the order of the flashcards!
- Primacy (first) and Regency (last) effects state we tend to remember items at the beginning and end and not much in the middle. Changing the order helps with memory.
Spaced Practice - Top Study Strategy!
Spaced practice refers to studying material over several days in shorter sessions. If you are going to prepare for a test for 3 hours, it is much better to study for one hour over 3 days than study in a single 3-hour chunk! Spaced Practice is the exact opposite of cramming!
Spaced Practice, along with Retrieval Practice, are the top two study strategies that show the most positive impact on learning!
Spaced Practice, along with Retrieval Practice, are the top two study strategies that show the most positive impact on learning!
Teacher action:
If you are holding review session(s) or providing review documents, structure them to make it easy for students to space out their review.
Student action:
Don't Procrastinate!
Plan your study time for each subject several weeks in advance, and work your plan. Note that this is in addition to any homework assigned by your teacher.
Interleaving:
Related to Spaced Practice, interleaving is the practice of changing topics after 25 minutes. Research has found that learning is enhanced when students switch studying one subject to another subject after 25 minutes. It doesn't matter if you change from World War I to Science or to World War II. Scientists believe the compare/contrast brain mechanisms are triggered, increasing learning.
Other Tips for Student Learning:
Sleep is magic!
Research shows that studying before you sleep and again when you wake up helps you learn better and retain the information!
Eat Fat & Sugar!
Research shows that the fat and sugar found in a traditional egg, bacon, pancake, and syrup breakfast provides your brain with needed chemicals for brainpower. Fat is necessary for optimum brain function, and sugar glucose facilitates memory.
Cramming & Studying Notes:
Research suggests cramming (long study sessions just before the test) and reviewing notes are much less effective strategies. While cramming can be beneficial for the short-term goal of doing well on a test or quiz, the information is not retained. Students will need the information later in the course or in their academic careers. Ultimately, they have to work harder to succeed in their classes.
Studying notes and reading the text is believed to be less effective because the student spends too much time reviewing information they already know, and not enough time with information or concepts they don't!
More Information:
See my blog post from May 2018 for additional study strategies that work and detailed research supporting them.
If you are interested in learning more about Retrieval Practice, visit their website at Retrieval Practice.org.
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