Spaced learning to better absorb information

SPACED LEARNING TO BETTER ABSORB INFORMATION

“Timing is the answer to success.”

A spaced learning plan takes advantage of the way our brains are wired to help us absorb information more quickly.

It’s a technique that was developed based on research about how memories function by neuroscientist R. Douglas Fields. The idea is to spend short but consistent periods learning and then reviewing new material to optimize the brain’s natural memory encoding process.

Experiments have already shown positive results. Spaced learning was used as the means of instruction for a national curriculum biology course and led to rapid long-term memory encoding, according to researchers.

What’s the takeaway for you as an ESL educator? Spaced learning can help you teach material much more efficiently.

With the right formula, you can teach a new vocabulary set or grammar concept over the course of an hour-long lesson and know that it’ll be encoded into students’ long-term memories. It may be hard to imagine, but below we’ll provide a sample lesson to show that it’s totally doable.

Example Spaced Learning Lesson

Say I wanted to teach a lesson on the differences between “would” and “could.” Here’s how my lesson might look:

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  Step 1 (15 minutes): Use the whiteboard to explain the official grammar rules.
  
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  Step 2 (5 minutes): Take a break to watch a video on the coffee culture of Seattle. (Yep, nothing to do with the grammar, just for fun.)
  
• 
  Step 3 (15 minutes): Review differences between “would” and “could” quickly. Take a short fill-in-the-blank quiz.
  
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  Step 4 (10 minutes): Play an easy improv game in English. (Also nothing to do with the grammar.)
  
• 
  Step 5 (15 minutes): Do a real-life role play situation involving “would” and “could.” You could choose a restaurant or work situation, depending on what best serves your students.