Retrieval Techniques
Retrieval practice is one of the most thoroughly researched strategies in cognitive science — and one of the simplest to apply in a primary classroom. This session explores why pupils forget newly taught content so quickly, what the evidence tells us about building lasting memory, and how five practical strategies give every teacher a clear starting point. Understanding retrieval helps schools make deliberate, evidence-informed decisions about when and how to revisit what pupils have been taught.
The Big Idea
Why pupils forget new content so quickly — and how recalling it from memory, rather than re-reading or re-teaching the same material, builds lasting knowledge across every subject. Each time a pupil retrieves something, that memory strengthens, making it easier and more durable to recall again.
The Evidence
Roediger and Karpicke (2006) on the testing effect; Dunlosky et al. (2013) who rated practice testing as one of only two high-utility techniques out of ten reviewed; Nuthall (2007) on pupils needing three to four separate exposures before content moves into long-term memory; and the EEF Cognitive Science review (2021).
The Classroom Impact
Teachers replace time spent re-teaching forgotten content with deliberate recall routines that fit into existing lesson starters and plenaries. Pupils retain content across terms rather than losing it between units, knowledge gaps surface earlier when they can still be addressed, and confidence in answering without prompts builds steadily over time.
Perfect For
Schools looking to develop children's long-term recall, reduce time spent re-teaching forgotten content, and build a consistent whole-school approach to ensuring what is taught is genuinely remembered across every year group.
What’s Included:
