The shuffling of mathematics problems improves learning
@article{Rohrer2007TheSO, title={The shuffling of mathematics problems improves learning}, author={Doug Rohrer and Kelli M Taylor}, journal={Instructional Science}, year={2007}, volume={35}, pages={481-498} }
In most mathematics textbooks, each set of practice problems is comprised almost entirely of problems corresponding to the immediately previous lesson. By contrast, in a small number of textbooks, the practice problems are systematically shuffled so that each practice set includes a variety of problems drawn from many previous lessons. The standard and shuffled formats differ in two critical ways, and each was the focus of an experiment reported here. In Experiment 1, college students learned…
263 Citations
The benefit of interleaved mathematics practice is not limited to superficially similar kinds of problems
- EducationPsychonomic bulletin & review
- 2014
It is concluded that interleaving improves mathematics learning not only by improving discrimination between different kinds of problems, but also by strengthening the association between each kind of problem and its corresponding strategy.
Interleaved Practice Improves Mathematics Learning.
- Education
- 2014
In the experiment reported here, 126 seventh-grade students received the same practice problems over a 3-month period, but the problems were arranged so that skills were learned by interleaved practice or by the usual blocked approach.
The Scarcity of Interleaved Practice in Mathematics Textbooks
- Education
- 2020
A typical mathematics assignment consists of a block of problems devoted to the same topic, yet several classroom-based randomized controlled trials have found that students obtain higher test scores…
The effects of spacing and mixing practice problems
- Business
- 2009
Sets of mathematics problems are generally arranged in 1 of 2 ways. With blocked practice, all problems are drawn from the preceding lesson. With mixed review, students encounter a mixture of…
Spaced Retrieval Practice Imposes Desirable Difficulty in Calculus Learning
- PsychologyEducational Psychology Review
- 2022
After being taught how to perform a new mathematical operation, students are often given several practice problems in a single set, such as a homework assignment or quiz (i.e., massed practice). An…
Delayed benefits of learning elementary algebraic transformations through contrasted comparisons
- Education
- 2014
Interleaved practice enhances memory and problem-solving ability in undergraduate physics
- PsychologyNPJ science of learning
- 2021
In a domain that entails considerable amounts of problem-solving, replacing conventionally arranged homework with interleaved homework can (despite perceptions to the contrary) foster longer lasting and more generalizable learning.
A randomized controlled trial of interleaved mathematics practice.
- Psychology
- 2019
We report the results of a preregistered, cluster randomized controlled trial of a mathematics learning intervention known as interleaved practice. Whereas most mathematics assignments consist of a…
Spaced mathematics practice improves test scores and reduces overconfidence
- PsychologyApplied Cognitive Psychology
- 2021
Correspondence Doug Rohrer, University of South Florida, Psychology PCD4118G, Tampa, Florida 33620. Email: drohrer@usf.edu Abstract The practice assignments in a mathematics textbook or course can be…
The effects of interleaved practice
- Psychology
- 2010
Previous research shows that interleaving rather than blocking practice of different skills (e.g. abcbcacab instead of aaabbbccc) usually improves subsequent test performance. Yet interleaving, but…
References
SHOWING 1-10 OF 44 REFERENCES
The effects of cumulative practice on mathematics problem solving.
- Psychology, EducationJournal of applied behavior analysis
- 2002
Cumulative practice of component skills is an effective method of training problem solving in basic algebra rules teaching to college students.
Learning “How” Versus Learning “When”: Improving Transfer of Problem-Solving Principles
- Psychology
- 1994
Experiments examined how instructing learners about when to apply problem-solving principles may later improve performance and found that subjects who received applicability instructions made fewer confusion errors when learning the similar problem pair.
Effects of Massed and Distributed Practice on the Learning and Retention of Second-Language Vocabulary
- Education
- 1981
AbstractHigh school students enrolled in a French course learned vocabulary words under conditions of either massed or distributed practice as part of their regular class activities. Distributed…
The Effect of Overlearning on Long-Term Retention
- Education, Psychology
- 2005
Once material has been learned to a criterion of one perfect trial, further study within the same session constitutes overlearning. Although overlearning is a popular learning strategy, its effect on…
Timing of Information Presentation in Learning Statistics
- Psychology
- 2004
Simultaneous presentation ofprocedural information before and supportive information during practiceled to the most efficient learning.
Application of the Testing and Spacing Effects to Name Learning
- Psychology
- 2005
SUMMARY Four experiments investigated the effects of testing and spacing on the learning of face-name stimulus-response pairs. Experiments 1a and 1b compared the recall of names following intervening…
Motor schema formation and retention in young children.
- PsychologyJournal of motor behavior
- 1979
The variability-of-practice hypothesis, a major prediction of Schmidt's (1975) motor schema theory, was tested in an attempt to investigate motor-schema formation and transfer to novel tasks in the same movement class.
Distributed Versus Massed Practice in High School Physics
- Education, Physics
- 1995
An analysis of the effects of distributed practice in physics was undertaken. The subjects were 41 students, nearly equal numbers of males and females, in two suburban high school physics classes.…
3 Optimizing Long-Term Retention and Transfer
- Education
This chapter considers training conditions that do or do not facilitate posttraining performance. We focus on two aspects of posttraining performance: its durability (long-term retention), that is,…
New Conceptualizations of Practice: Common Principles in Three Paradigms Suggest New Concepts for Training
- Psychology
- 1992
We argue herein that typical training procedures are far from optimal. The goat of training in real-world settings is, or should be, to support two aspects of posttraining performance: (a) the level…