In Chapter 1, Lang talks about the power of retrieval. I was aware that students need to practice remembering and using information in the same way they will be tested on the content. I was unaware that simple exit quizzes in the last few minutes of class seem to have an impact on recall rates 30 days or so after the lesson. While I periodically use “exit problems” which are a lot like the activity Lang describes, I think I will make it a regular part of my classes in the winter semester (and as much as possible now). Lang also mentions the use of entrance problems, where you ask students to summarize what they learned in the last class.

Two less surprising results are that short answer questions are better than multiple choice questions and that frequent quizzing is better that simple review of notes for student performance.

WINTER GOALS:

In all classes use an exit question in most classes.