How to use spaced repetition

Why this matters

Without a schedule, studying for a test two weeks away turns into one long night before it. One session gives each topic a single pass, and the student can't see which topics will fade by test day. The teacher has to wait for the test to find out who crammed.

What spaced repetition is

Spaced repetition means reviewing the same material in several sessions with gaps of time between them. Carnegie Mellon's teaching center says spacing out practice is better for long-term memory than massed practice, the one-session version also called crammed practice (CMU Eberly Center). The benefit is the spacing effect. Researchers, including Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, began demonstrating it in the late 1800s, and a review of 317 experiments found that people recalled more items studied at two different times than items given the same study time in one stretch (Cepeda et al., 2006, Psychological Bulletin).

1. Have each student list the topics on the test and rate how well they know each one
2. Spread each topic over several short reviews before the test, shakiest topics first
3. When a review goes badly, ask the student when the topic should come back

A teacher with 30 students can't build 30 schedules from 30 topic lists. In the Flint activity, Sparky builds each student's schedule as a spreadsheet from their own topics and ratings. Unlike a paper planner, Sparky asks the student what the schedule should do when a review goes badly, then changes the dates the way the student decided.

Sparky gets Ella to fix her own review schedule

Ella goes from planning to cram to moving a missed topic's review closer on her own. Every student gets the same activity, and each student's spreadsheet comes from their own test date, topics and ratings.

Sparky works from Ella's own topics and datesSparky asks Ella to decide instead of fixing itA right answer gets a harder question

E

Ella

Interest: Theater rehearsalsStarting point: Plans to study everything the night before

Ella

hi im ella! my science test is nov 6. topics are cells 4, photosynthesis 2, food chains 3, water cycle 5. tbh i was just gonna study everything the night before lol

Sparky

Your review schedule is ready. Photosynthesis (your toughest topic) starts tomorrow, Oct 24, while Water Cycle (your strongest) doesn't kick off until Oct 30. Looking at your schedule, what do you think would happen to your memory of photosynthesis if you crammed it all into one night instead of spreading it across those three dates?

Ella

oh wait its kind of like learning lines for the play. we dont learn them all the night before opening, we run them at every rehersal and by the 3rd or 4th time i just know them. so the time in between is when it sticks?

Sparky

Yes, exactly! The time between reviews is when your brain actually locks the memory in, which is why it's called the spacing effect. So looking at your schedule, why do you think the gaps between Review 1, 2, and 3 get longer each time instead of staying the same?

Ella

maybe bc every time you review it you remember it longer so you can wait more? also i tried my first photosynthesis review early and i didnt remember. i forgot what goes in and what comes out

Sparky

That's a perfect explanation of why the gaps grow. Go ahead and fill in "didn't remember" for Photosynthesis in your "How it went" column. Now, looking at your schedule, what do you think it should do next for a topic you didn't remember: keep Review 2 on Oct 28, or move it closer?

Ella

ok i put didnt remember. move it closer i think? like do photosynthesis again in 2 days instead of waiting til the 28th, so i dont forget it again

Sparky

Great call, Ella! Your Photosynthesis Review 2 is now moved up to Oct 26. Now here's a harder one: your Water Cycle is rated a 5, meaning you feel super confident. What do you think your schedule should do differently for a topic you already know really well, compared to photosynthesis?

Moved her missed topic's next review closer, then got a harder question

Ella is an example student, and Sparky's replies are shortened. One exchange is left out: Ella asked whether one long night wouldn't be the same amount of time, and Sparky asked what three separate review dates do to her memory between sessions.

What Flint did for Ella

• From Ella's test date and four rated topics, Sparky built a review schedule that starts her weakest topic first.
• When Ella planned to study everything the night before, Sparky asked what cramming would do instead of spreading it across her three dates.
• When her first photosynthesis review went badly, Sparky asked whether to move Review 2, then moved it to Oct 26 as Ella decided.

A teacher can't do this by hand for 30 students, and Sparky does it in every student's chat.

The activity page shows who is still planning to cram

While the class works, Needs attention shows the teacher which student is stuck and on which message. After three or more students submit, activity analytics lists what the class did well, where students went wrong, and a follow-up to practice next.

Set up the activity for free

Open the spaced repetition activity in Flint's public library, select Use activity to copy it into a free Flint account, and assign it to a class. No setting needs turning on: Sparky makes the spreadsheet in the chat with the activity's default settings. Students open the spreadsheet from the chat, type how each review went in the How it went column, and can download it as an Excel or CSV file (help center).

For what students do in each review session, see how to use retrieval practice. For more test prep activities, see Flint for test prep.