Last week’s blog zoomed in on the why behind retrieval: when students pull ideas from memory (rather than just re-read), they rewrite their brains for better retention and transfer. This week is all about the how—what you can do tomorrow without rewriting your whole unit plan.

Everything below is still anchored in the same research base:

• Retrieve first, then re-study.
• Keep it low-stakes, frequent, and feedback-rich.
• Space and mix practice over time.
• Log what students can do against 2.0/3.0/4.0 on the scale.

Pick one or two routines, try them for a week, and see what shifts.

The 90-Second Brain Dump (Start of Class)

Goal: Quick, no-notes retrieval on a current or recent target.

How to run it

1. Put one simple, focused prompt on the board, aligned to a scale target.
   • “From memory, list and define the three types of text structure we used yesterday.”
   • “From memory, write the steps to solve a proportion problem.”
2. Give students 90 seconds to write from memory—no notes, no neighbors.
3. Have students quickly star anything they were unsure about or left blank.
4. Then re-study: show a correct model, have them add/annotate what they missed, and briefly discuss.

Make it CBE-friendly

• As you scan, jot quick evidence codes on a roster:
  • ✔️ = solid 2.0 recall
  • ✔️+ = bumping into 3.0 (recall + appropriate use)
• Note patterns: if most students missed one key term or step, that’s a 2.0 gap to revisit, not a 3.0 “failure.”

Use this two or three times a week as your warm-up, cycling through current and recent targets.

No-Notes Exit Ticket (End of Lesson)

Goal: Turn exit tickets into true retrieval, not open-note copying.

How to run it

1. Post or project 2 to 3 short prompts at the end of class that will provide evidence the learners have acquired the foundational knowledge (Level 2.0 Target) for the day’s lesson.
2. Tell students explicitly: “This is from memory; no notes, no slides.”
3. Collect and skim quickly right after class.

Make it CBE-friendly

• Sort tickets into quick piles:
  • Pile A: solid retrieval on today’s target.
  • Pile B: retrieval was shaky; some evidence but some missing, leading to uncertainty.
  • Pile C: retrieval is weak or non-existent; they missed the whole point of the lesson.
• Use that sort to:
  • Provide the appropriate level of instruction: Pile A, an extension activity; Pile B, a deepening activity; and Pile C, more direct instruction.
  • The information may also tell you to give the whole class another hit, spaced by 24–48 hours. In other words, they are ready to move into distributed practice because they all have it.

You’ve just turned an exit ticket into both learning and diagnostic evidence.

The 2–2–7 Spacing Plan

Goal: Make spacing real without needing a complicated system. (This cognitive theory is known as spaced or distributed practices).

How to run it

When you introduce a key target (especially one you’ll certify on a scale), schedule three retrieval hits:

1. Day 0 – Teach & First Retrieval
   • During the lesson, use one of the routines above (brain dump, no-notes exit ticket, etc.).
2. Day 2 – Quick Return (2 minutes)
   • Start class with a 2–3 minute retrieval on that same target from memory.
3. Day 7 – Spiral Hit (5 minutes)
   • A short retrieval that mixes the target with a couple of related ones (a great way to also address interleaving, yet another of the cognitive theories).

Make it CBE-friendly

• In your planner or digital calendar, simply mark each key target with “2–2–7” so you remember:
  • ✔️ Day 0 taught
  • ⏲️ Day 2 retrieval
  • ⏲️ Day 7 interleaved retrieval
• Each hit gives you a clearer picture of whether students are consolidating the knowledge and ready to use it for Scale Level 3.0 demonstrations or are still living in 2.0.

Small, scheduled revisits are exactly what the research on successive relearning supports: retrieve, re-study, repeat over time.

“Which Tool Do I Use?” Interleaved Warm-Up

Goal: Build transfer and method selection, not just “I can do the last thing we did.”

How to run it

1. Create a 3–5 item warm-up that mixes recent targets. For example:
   • ELA: a text set where students must determine purpose, identify connotation, and explain how structure supports meaning across different items.
   • Math: a mix of problems requiring different operations or equation types.
2. For each item, ask students to:
   • Name the target (What are you being asked to do?).
   • Choose and justify the method (Why this approach?).
3. Students respond from memory, without notes.

Make it CBE-friendly

• Interleaved sets let you see who can recognize and retrieve the right 2.0 knowledge for the right purpose.
• When you score or give feedback, tag items by the appropriate scale: “This response shows solid evidence of knowing when to use two-step equations.”

This is where McDaniel’s point matters: quizzed material transfers better to new questions than material that was simply reread. Mixed practice is a transfer engine.

One-Take Explainers (Student-Created Retrieval)

Goal: Have students teach from memory to cement understanding and gather student-owned evidence.

How to run it

1. Give students a blank template (or just a sticky note) with:
   • Target: “Explain how air pollution affects people’s health in Mexico City.”
   • Time limit: 1–2 minutes.
2. Students record a one-take explainer:
   • Audio, video, or just a written paragraph from a blank start.
   • No reading from slides or notes.
3. After recording/writing, they quickly:
   • Compare to the scale descriptors.
   • Note what they forgot or had to guess.

Make it CBE-friendly

• Ask students to label their attempt as evidence toward 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0 and upload or turn it in as such.
• Over time, each learner builds a small portfolio of retrieval-based evidence that shows growth and increasing independence.

This is retrieval plus metacognition: What do I truly know without support?

Scale-Aligned Self-Quizzing Cards: Flashcards

Goal: Put retrieval in students’ hands between classes.

How to run it

1. For one priority scale, have students make simple self-quiz cards:
   • Front: a 2.0 prompt (e.g., “Define ‘denotation’ and give an example” or “Solve: 3(x – 2) = 15 and interpret the solution.”).
   • Back: a strong answer or worked example.
2. Teach them a quick routine:
   • Look at front → answer from memory.
   • Flip and check; if correct and confident, the card goes to the “later” pile.
   • If wrong or shaky, the card goes in the “soon” pile.
3. Encourage short, frequent sessions (3–5 minutes) as part of warm-ups, stations, or homework.

Make it CBE-friendly

• Organize cards by scale levels:
  • Green = 2.0 recall
  • Blue = 3.0 application
  • Purple = 4.0 transfer/extension
• Ask students once a week:
  • “Which card colors are easy now? Which still feels like a stretch?”
  • That reflection becomes part of your evidence of their self-awareness and progress.

Turn Errors into Data, Not Drama

All of these routines will surface errors.

A few quick norms to keep retrieval low-stakes but high-impact:

• Normalize struggle. Say out loud: “If this feels hard, that’s good. Your brain is working.”
• Grade selectively. Use most retrieval checks for feedback and planning, not points. When you do assign points, make them tiny compared to performance tasks. You are not checking for proficiency. You are checking for the ability to retrieve the acquired foundational knowledge.
• Show growth. Occasionally, stack two retrieval samples side-by-side so students can see improvement over time against the same target.

In a CBE system, the message is: “We’re using this evidence to find out where you are on the scale and help you move, not to trap you with a one-shot grade.”

Try One, Not All

You don’t need a massive overhaul to get the benefits of retrieval. For this week, you might:

• Pick one in-class routine (brain dump or no-notes exit ticket).
• Choose one target and commit to the 2–2–7 spacing pattern.
• Add one student-owned strategy (self-quiz cards or a one-take explainer).

That’s it. You’re already aligning daily instruction with what the research tells us about memory and with what CBE asks of us: credible, scale-based evidence of what learners can do.

If you’d like to swap ideas or share how you’re using retrieval in your setting, jump into the Learning Hub: post in the Community Channels, join an office hour, or send a direct message to the Learning Hub Faculty. We’d love to see the retrieval routines you’re testing out and what your students are discovering they can do from memory.