What the Science of Teaching and Learning Can Teach Us About Our Classrooms

 Every semester, faculty ask some version of the same question: What actually works?

It is a fair question. And fortunately, we do not have to rely only on instinct, tradition, or memories of how we were taught. The science of teaching and learning offers decades of research from cognitive science, educational psychology, and classroom-based studies to help us make more intentional instructional choices.

The good news? Applying this research does not necessarily require redesigning an entire course. Often, small changes in how we structure practice, feedback, and reflection can make a meaningful difference in what students retain and can do.

Retrieval practice beats re-reading

Students often prepare for exams by re-reading notes, slides, or textbook chapters. While review has a place, research suggests that asking students to retrieve information from memory is more powerful for durable learning.

In the seminal testing-effect study by Roediger and Karpicke (2006), students who practiced recalling information retained substantially more of a passage one week later than students who spent that time re-reading it. More recent scholarship continues to explore ways instructors can encourage students to use retrieval practice intentionally, while research in health-professions education has examined its impact alongside distributed practice (Carpenter, 2023; Trumble et al., 2023).

Try it next week: Begin class with a short, low-stakes prompt: “Without looking at your notes, write down the three most important ideas from last class.” Then invite students to compare, revise, and discuss their responses.

Spacing outperforms cramming

We have all seen it: students studying intensely the night before an exam, then struggling to recall or apply that material later. The research on the spacing effect points to a better alternative—returning to important ideas repeatedly over time.

Cepeda et al. (2006) found that distributed practice generally produces stronger long-term retention than massed practice. More recently, a meta-analysis of classroom-based studies found a moderate advantage for distributed over massed practice in authentic learning settings (Mawson & Kang, 2025).

Try it next week: Rather than teaching a topic once and moving on permanently, build in brief returns to major concepts. Revisit a foundational idea through a bell-ringer, a short application activity, a discussion question, or a cumulative quiz.

Feedback timing matters

Feedback is more than a score or a set of comments at the end of an assignment. Effective feedback helps students understand where they are headed, how their current work compares to expectations, and what they can do next.

Hattie and Timperley’s (2007) influential work identified those three questions as central to feedback that supports learning: Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next? Subsequent research has added important nuance, highlighting the importance of feedback that is specific, aligned with learning outcomes, attuned to how learners interpret it, and delivered at a point when students can still use it (Mandouit & Hattie, 2023; Nicol, 2025).

Try it next week: Before returning a graded assignment, identify one action students should take with the feedback. For example: revise one paragraph using rubric criteria, write a short response explaining a revision decision, or apply the feedback to a related low-stakes task.

Struggle can be productive

When learning feels effortful, students may assume they are not learning well. But difficulty is not always a problem. Under the right conditions, effortful practice can strengthen learning.

Robert Bjork’s (1994) framework of “desirable difficulties” reminds us that learning activities such as retrieval, spacing, and interleaving may feel more challenging in the moment while supporting stronger long-term retention. Recent research also suggests that the benefits of spaced practice may be especially pronounced when students are working through more difficult skills and productive struggle is present (Schonberg et al., 2026).

The key word is productive. Struggle should be purposeful and supported—not confusion without guidance.

Try it next week: Give students a challenging problem or case before showing them the solution. Allow time for individual thinking or peer discussion, then debrief the reasoning process rather than simply revealing the correct answer.

Metacognition can be taught

Successful learners do more than absorb information. They plan, monitor their understanding, assess their progress, and adjust their approaches when something is not working.

Bjork, Dunlosky, and Kornell (2013) describe how learners’ beliefs about learning can shape the strategies they choose—and how those beliefs are sometimes inaccurate. The Education Endowment Foundation similarly emphasizes that metacognitive and self-regulation strategies can support student outcomes when instructors explicitly teach students how to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning within the context of disciplinary work (Education Endowment Foundation, 2025).

Try it next week: Before an exam or major assignment, ask students to respond briefly to three questions: “What is my plan?” “How will I know whether I understand?” and “What will I do if I get stuck?”

Small shifts matter

Evidence-informed teaching does not mean replacing disciplinary expertise, professional judgment, or the relationships that make learning possible. It means using what we know about how people learn to make our teaching more intentional.

Consider one small change:

• Add a five-minute retrieval activity at the beginning of class.
• Revisit a foundational concept across multiple weeks.
• Build an opportunity for students to act on feedback.
• Create space for productive struggle before providing an answer.
• Ask students to reflect on how they are learning, not only what they are learning.

Small, thoughtful shifts can accumulate across a semester—and help students develop knowledge and habits that last beyond a single course.

What is one evidence-based teaching practice that has made a difference in your classroom?

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