Megan Sumeracki
Inserting questions into a lecture, and encouraging students to covertly retrieve through cold calling, ought to improve learning from a lesson. If time does not permit writing out the answers (one form of overt retrieval), or doing so would disrupt the flow of a discussion, then students should still benefit from bringing the information to mind if they are encouraged to do so fully through cold calling.
This article is part of a collaboration with The Learning Scientists.
AUTHOR
Megan Sumeracki (née Smith) is a tenured professor at Rhode Island College. She is an original co-founder of The Learning Scientists.
Megan earned her MA in Experimental Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, and her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Purdue University. She specializes in human learning, memory and applying the science of learning to educational contexts. Megan's research program focuses on the application of cognition to education, and specifically enhancing meaningful learning in the classroom and during independent study. She is also passionate about science communication. In her spare time Meg crochets, plays board games, and reads. She also loves to travel, hiking and wine tasting, as well as spending time with her young daughter and husband!