Practice is more effective when we space it out, rather than doing lots of repetitions all at once. We read research that looked at the effect of varied practice compared to identical practice over time. Their results show subtle variation helps students focus and remember the important elements upon recall.
Later, we read an account of the negative impacts of graded math homework disproportionately affecting mothers in Canada. We see how homework takes away from family time and undermines the development of math identities.
- First Segment – 02:16 – Effects of Variability and Spacing on Memory
- Second Segment – 16:46 – Mothers & Math Homework
Primary Citations
- Cowan, E. T., Zhang, Y., Rottman, B. M., & Murty, V. P. (2024). The effects of mnemonic variability and spacing on memory over multiple timescales. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(12), e2311077121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2311077121
- O’Keeffe, L., Clarke, C., McDonald, S., & Comber, B. (2023). Mathematics homework and the potential compounding of educational disadvantage. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 44(7), 1144-1160. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2023.2240530
Supplemental Citations
- Make It Stick (Brown, 2014)
- 051 Retrieval Practice & Metacognition Translation (Two Pint PLC)
- 082 Stimulus Complexity & Student Caregiving (Two Pint PLC)
- ##
- 067 Teacher Shortage & Homework Inequality (Two Pint PLC)
- Multiplication Is for White People (Delpit, 2013)
- Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors (Bishop, 1990)
Featured Beverage
We drink St. Bernardus Abt 12, an quadrupel ale from the Brewery St. Bernard in Poperinge, Belgium.