My semester starts next week, and I’m asking myself: how many of last semester’s students still remember what I taught? Unfortunately, even at the end of the semester retention is low. I hold an exit interview and ask students about their main takeaways from the class. A significant fraction has a hard time articulating a good answer.
Now, maybe it’s because I need to improve my teaching. And I acknowledge that I can do better. But it happens in many other ways too. About a month ago I released my video on whether students should read classic economics books like The Wealth of Nations. It was a popular video, and at 3 minutes and 24 seconds, not that much information. But what were my main arguments? What were my recommendations?
We forget a lot of the information we consume. Maybe we’re not consuming for long-term learning. Maybe it’s just entertainment. But I would think in a college setting, where students are ostensibly investing in their future, that retaining those lessons would be a high priority.
This reflection brought me back to an essay by Michael Nielsen, a quantum computing scientist who spends his days thinking how we can use technology to improve our lives. He discusses that cognitive science has long understood how to make sure we remember almost everything we learn. If we use spaced repetition—that is, regularly review the information, even for just a minute, at regular intervals—then we can retain the information indefinitely. But even though we understand this practice, and even though there is software designed to facilitate it, it is rarely used.
This past week, I’ve incorporated spaced repetition into my daily routine. Not just mine, my kids’ too. And we’re already seeing results. My kids are using it to learn languages (Spanish for two, and Japanese for another) and their comprehension has jumped. I’m using it to learn whatever I can. Reading an article on what’s going on in Afghanistan? Throw some prompts in the system. Studying models of economic growth? Put the assumptions in the system. Feeling a spiritual insight during a worship service? Reconnect with that feeling with a prompt in the system.
I’m excited for this experiment, and I’ll probably update you in a few months on how it’s going. One of the biggest experiments I’ll be conducting is requiring my students to do it too. If it goes well, not only will they end the semester retaining most of what I taught, they’ll see it’s so effective that they’ll keep the practice.
If you want to try it, I recommend using Anki (the desktop version is free). Let me know how it goes for you!
Haiti’s Impending Scandal
Haiti, a.k.a. the country that can never catch a break, is starting the recovery process following its earthquake on the 14th. Unfortunately, disaster recovery faces serious economic problems: how do we distribute resources to their highest value use? I discuss that problem in this week’s video.
But I also discuss why I’m worried Haiti is headed for a scandal. The problem is hard, but some solutions make it harder. And I’m worried Haiti has chosen a path that will lead them to a scandal laden with accusations of fraud and negligence. Go check out YouTube if you’re interested!
Tools for Transformative Thought
If my spaced repetition experiment sounded interesting to you, here are some additional essays you could read to catch the vision: