Maximising Learning with Interleaved Practice in Maths
Jan 18, 2025
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John Jackson and Emma Lindley-Thompson, co-authors of "Helping Pupils Learn Maths" and experts in mathematics education, delve into the transformative power of interleaved practice. They discuss how interleaving various mathematical concepts enhances student engagement and retention. The duo shares practical strategies for classroom implementation, addressing common misconceptions about the approach, and highlights the implications of cognitive science in teaching. Their insights aim to empower educators to improve learning outcomes effectively.
Interleaved practice enhances students' long-term retention and understanding by mixing various problem types, encouraging critical engagement with mathematical concepts.
Effective implementation of interleaved practice requires starting small, ensuring foundational understanding, and combining it with retrieval practice to optimize learning.
Deep dives
The Importance of Research in Mathematics Education
Mathematics plays a crucial role in both personal and professional settings, making its effective teaching essential. To address this, a recently published paper aims to bridge the gap between dense educational research and practical classroom applications. This research emphasizes key findings that support teachers and school leaders in improving students' mathematical understanding. By encouraging educators to reflect on their teaching practices, the paper aims to inspire meaningful discussions that can enhance instructional methods.
Interleaved Practice and Its Benefits
Interleaved practice, the method of mixing different types of problems rather than grouping similar ones, is shown to significantly bolster long-term retention and understanding in mathematics. This approach not only encourages students to critically engage with various concepts but also improves their ability to select appropriate strategies for solving problems. Research indicates that classrooms employing interleaved practice have experienced remarkable increases in test scores, highlighting its effectiveness. While this method presents challenges, such as requiring students to distinguish between different mathematical ideas, the long-term benefits of improved cognitive flexibility make it a worthwhile strategy.
Practical Implementation of Interleaving Techniques
For teachers looking to adopt interleaved practice in their math instruction, starting small and gradually increasing its use can lead to effective integration. It's important to combine interleaved practice with traditional block practice to ensure students have a solid understanding before introducing complexity. Teachers can utilize existing resources and adapt activities to include interleaving, facilitating engagement without overwhelming students. Additionally, providing clear explanations of the rationale behind this approach can enhance student motivation and understanding of the learning process.
Navigating Potential Challenges with Interleaved Practice
While interleaved practice shows great promise, educators must be aware of common pitfalls to maximize its effectiveness. Ensuring that students have already learned the foundational concepts before introducing interleaved exercises is paramount to avoid confusion and frustration. Educators should also combine interleaving with retrieval practice to reinforce prior knowledge and retention effectively. Clarity of purpose is essential; understanding the goals of interleaving can help prevent undesirable difficulties and optimize the learning experience for students.
Episode 211: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I’m joined by John Jackson and Emma Lindley-Thompson from Ambition Institute to explore interleaving practice in mathematics lessons. Drawing on their expert edit, Helping Pupils Learn Maths, and insights from a seminal study, we dive into how interleaving can transform the way students engage with and retain mathematical concepts.
We discuss:
What motivated the creation of Helping Pupils Learn Maths and how teachers can make the most of it.
Why a key study on interleaving caught their attention and its implications for teaching.
The characteristics that make interleaved practice effective.
Practical strategies for implementing interleaving in the classroom.
How to avoid common misconceptions and pitfalls, like teaching different topics every day.
Whether you’re a teacher, leader, or researcher, this episode provides actionable insights to help you harness the power of interleaving in the (mathematics) classroom.
If you enjoy this episode, please support us by subscribing to our YouTube channel, leaving a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or making a donation via www.ko-fi.com/tdape. Join the conversation on Discord to share your thoughts and ideas!
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