Implementing Retrieval and Distributed Practice in a Rotating Block Schedule: Boosting Students’ Memory and Metacognition

An all-boys secondary Jesuit Catholic school in the Midwest, recently transitioned to a rotating block schedule with the goal of supporting deeper learning for all students. Though the transition to longer class meetings helped achieve this goal, less frequent class meetings presented a new challenge in that it tended to exacerbate the natural “forgetting curve.” Retrieval practice, one of the most widely cited high-impact learning strategies to boost student memory, is most beneficial when used alongside spaced practice. A team of teachers implemented and tested the impacts of retrieval and distributed practice on memory in a rotating block schedule. Our findings support the use of retrieval practice to improve memory and boost metacognition, particularly when used in conjunction with spacing and proximity to assessments. Given the importance of utilizing research-based practice to strengthen academic excellence in Catholic schools, this study offers compelling support for retrieval and spaced practice as an accessible and user-friendly—but high-impact—strategy for improving learning and metacognitive capacity, amplifying Catholic schools’ mission of academic excellence.