An introduction to spaced practice

Spacing is a way in which we can interrupt the process of forgetting in our pupils, and support their retention of knowledge long-term. This concept is essential when we're considering retrieval practice. The effect of retrieval practice has only been seen to be obvious over a few days or more. The gaps between one retrieval practice and another is known as spacing; the time delay that exists between revisiting learned materials. It’s important to apply spacing to retrieval practice, no matter what form it takes. Whilst retrieval of knowledge will be recycled across the term or year, it’s helpful to distribute these opportunities to practice across a number of days, weeks and lessons. In one lesson you may choose to recap the previous week’s learning. You then don’t offer another retrieval opportunity on the same piece of knowledge until, for instance, five lessons later. This is in order to leave room for the process of forgetting that takes place between the two opportunitie