Many classrooms treat retrieval practice as a "bolt-on" activity—a quick quiz or a five-minute starter. However, to truly impact long-term mastery, retrieval must move from a peripheral task to the very architecture of the course.
This session explores how to transition from "doing" retrieval to building a cohesive, curriculum-led system that identifies not just what students remember, but how that memory shapes future learning.
Key Themes
Retrieval as Architecture Shift from isolated "bolt-on" starters to a holistic design where retrieval is the engine of the medium-term plan, not an interruption.
Designing Utility Streams Map low-, medium-, and high-utility questions to your curriculum to ensure you target the most "leverageable" knowledge.
Eliminating "Busy Retrieval" Avoid high-output/low-load tasks. Focus on "desirable difficulty" that maximizes cognitive load on core concepts rather than "fluff."
Errors as Instructional Input Move past checking accuracy. Learn to use student misconceptions to actively shape the input of your next lesson.
Dr Carl Hendrick
Carl Hendrick is a Professor of learning science at Academica University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam. He is the author of several books including ‘How Learning Happens’ with Paul Kirschner. He holds a PhD in education from King’s College London and taught English for several years in both the state and independent sectors in the UK.