Individual Deliberate Practice
Overview
Practicing until achieving several error-free attempts is critical for retention. While this may seem like an old idea, research confirms that working many practice problems really is an important part of learning math. When learners work independently to repeatedly recall and practice (retrieval practice) new material that is beyond their current level of expertise, they become fluent in the skill and are able to recall it automatically.
Example: Use This Strategy In in the Classroom
Design It into Your Product
Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.
See how Multiplications with Math Mathews includes a practice session of multiplication facts before gameplay. By allowing learners to choose which facts they review, these apps encourage learners to take ownership of knowing what they need to practice to build their Arithmetic Fact Retrieval.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Repetition Strategies
Continual use of foundational skills with different problems reinforces a conceptual understanding of math skills.
10 minutes in each math session devoted to building fluent retrieval of basic math facts sets the foundation for learning new concepts.
Daily review strengthens previous learning and can lead to fluent recall.
Spending time with new content helps move concepts and ideas into Long-term Memory.
Having students verbally repeat information such as instructions ensures they have heard and supports remembering.
