Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
When students are asked to remember and explain relevant knowledge just before applying it, they arrive at a more concrete understanding of the content.
Math teacher Maggie Arnold is about to launch a final summative project on a statistics unit in her 9th grade Algebra class at Frederick High School in Frederick, Maryland. Before turning students loose to work on the project, Arnold first has them participate in a series of retrieval practice activities that bring their background knowledge and the math skills they’ve been working on for the last couple of weeks back into the forefront, so they are crystal clear.
Our How Learning Happens video series explores teaching practices grounded in the science of learning. To see more, visit edutopia.org/package/how-learning-happens-instructional-shifts
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© 2026 George Lucas Educational Foundation
When students are asked to remember and explain relevant knowledge just before applying it, they arrive at a more concrete understanding of the content.
Math teacher Maggie Arnold is about to launch a final summative project on a statistics unit in her 9th grade Algebra class at Frederick High School in Frederick, Maryland. Before turning students loose to work on the project, Arnold first has them participate in a series of retrieval practice activities that bring their background knowledge and the math skills they’ve been working on for the last couple of weeks back into the forefront, so they are crystal clear.
Our How Learning Happens video series explores teaching practices grounded in the science of learning. To see more, visit edutopia.org/package/how-learning-happens-instructional-shifts
Join the Edutopia community today to get articles, videos, and more delivered via email every Wednesday—all tailored to you and your unique role: edut.to/3wEVHUh
*Follow us here:*
Official Website: edutopia.org
YouTube: youtube.com/c/edutopia
Facebook: facebook.com/edutopia
Instagram: instagram.com/edutopia
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/edutopia.org
#teachingstrategies #brainbasedlearning #howlearninghappens
© 2026 George Lucas Educational Foundation
