The forgetting curve and retrieval practice

In a previous newsletter, the concepts of primacy and recency effects were presented from the perspective of encouraging faculty to intentionally plan the first and last 5 minutes of class in such a way as to foster and support learning and retention. This week, we will tackle the concepts of the 'forgetting curve' and retrieval practice. 

Our goal as teachers is to foster and engage students in the learning process. We can't make them learn; that is their responsibility. However, what we can do is create an environment that motivates and supports their participation by using evidence-based and neuroscientific concepts of learning. 

So, let's first cover the forgetting curve. Hermann Ebbinghaus first discovered this psychological finding and concept through his study on memory in the 1880s (Murre & Dros, 2015). It refers to the fact that we quickly forget what we learn if there is no reinforcement of that new learning (Beachboard, 2025; Radvansky et al., 2022; Smolen et al., 2016). In fact, a 2022 meta-analysis showed that unless effort is made to retain new material, 50% of it disappears within an hour, 75% is gone by the next day, and 90% is lost within a week (Beachboard, 2025; Radvansky et al., 2022). 

Retrieval practice has been well researched in terms of its impact on learning, particularly retention (Agarwal et al., 2021). This practice refers to a learning strategy that requires students to retrieve information from memory actively. 

These two concepts can work together to support learning and retention. Similar to the primacy and recency effects, integrating an understanding of the forgetting curve and the concept of retrieval practice requires intentional planning and structuring of both in-class and out-of-class time. 

Therefore, the key is to integrate ways to mitigate the forgetting curve through instructional retrieval practices. Although there are things we can do in the classroom to engage in retrieval practices, I believe it is also important to share and teach these concepts to students for two reasons. First, so they understand the why behind what we are doing to support and encourage their learning. If they know the why, they are more likely to accept and engage (Imad, 2025). Secondly, to encourage them to also use retrieval practice outside of class when they are reading or studying, because it is an evidence-based, effective studying strategy. 

Here are some suggestions and tips for classroom activities. The key is that these activities need to focus on the newly learned material. 

Brain dump: simply asking students to write down (from memory) everything they can remember. This could be about a topic just presented that day in class. It can also focus on what they learned in the last class or ask them to write everything they remember or know about a particular topic, pulling from material learned and their own personal knowledge. 

1-minute paper: usually used at the end of class, students are asked to write down one or two things they learned that day.         

No or low-stakes quiz –polling software can be used for these. The key is to ensure that the correct answers are reviewed in class so that students receive feedback on their responses. 

Knowledge/understanding survey: These can be used at any point during the class when students are asked to rate their knowledge or understanding of the topic or concept just presented. Works best with polling software. Can be number or color-based. For example, red for don't understand, yellow for somewhat understand, or green for fully understanding. 

Muddiest point: before students leave class, they write down what part of the class information they still don't understand. This needs to be collected and reviewed to see where students are having difficulty. 

Organizing and connecting information: this can be done with concept mapping or simply asking students to map out, draw out, or write out how what they learned today is connected to prior learning. ( For more information on concept maps, https://creately.com/guides/concept-map-vs-mind-map/). Note: this activity takes time and could be given as an assignment. 

Application: Create activities or tasks that require students to apply what they learned to some real-life situation directly related to what they just learned, such as having them work through a clinical case or giving them a challenging patient or ethical situation (it could be a video) and having them evaluate and determine whether what was done was appropriate and if not, other ways it could have been handled.

Summary

The key to successful teaching involves understanding and engaging evidence-based methods and activities, as well as an understanding of concepts that support effective learning and retention. This also involves intentional planning and designing of in-class time. The activities need to focus on the newly learned material. A bonus is if the activities also have students retrieve prior learning and see how the new material connects to it. What is probably apparent is that many of these suggested activities can also be integrated into the beginning or end of class, thus combining the mitigation of the forgetting curve with retrieval practices that also engage the primacy and recency effects. Intentionally combining and layering teaching planning, methods, and class activities in this way builds strong classroom environments that promote learning. However, the student must make the decision and choice to engage. 

References

Argarwal, P. K., Nunes, L. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2021). Retrieval practice consistently benefits student learning: a Systematic review of applied research in schools and classrooms. Educ Psychol Rev 33,  1409–1453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09595-9 

Beachboard, C. (2025, June 13). 3 ways to help students overcome the forgetting curve. Edutopia.https://www.edutopia.org/article/helping-students-overcome-forgetting-curve/

Imad, M. (2025, August 25). Teaching for meaning: How neuroscience informs connected, relevant, and coherent learning. The Teaching Professor. https://www.teachingprofessor.com/topics/student-learning/teaching-for-meaning-how-neuroscience-informs-connected-relevant-and-coherent-learning/

Murre, J. M., & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus' Forgetting Curve. PloS one, 10(7), e0120644. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120644

Radvansky, G. A., Doolen, A. C., Pettijohn, K. A., & Ritchey, M. (2022). A new look at memory retention and forgetting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 48(11), 1698–1723. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001110

Retrieval practice and why it works (2024, Aug 23). Edmentum. https://www.edmentum.com/articles/retrieval-practice/

Smolen, P., Zhang, Y., Byrne, & J. H. (2016, January 25). The right time to learn: Mechanisms and optimization of spaced learning. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17(2), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2015.18