Treat educator implementation concerns as speed bumps: slow down and discuss nuances of the research to address them¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

This strategy reframes educator concerns about retrieval practice not as roadblocks that stop implementation but as "speed bumps, opportunities to slow down and discuss some of the nuances of retrieval practice research that can serve to address the concerns". In practice, science communicators and workshop leaders use each raised concern as a prompt to discuss relevant nuances of the research literature with educators. The article reports using this approach in its own workshops.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Educators must raise concerns in a setting, such as a workshop, where the communicator can respond by discussing nuances of the research

Constraints¶

• The article reports this approach from the authors' own workshop experiences and does not present formal evaluation data on its effectiveness

Target Learners¶

• Educators implementing retrieval practice in classrooms

Target Learning Goals¶

• Effective implementation of retrieval practice as a learning strategy

Claims¶

• The authors call for formal research that systematically identifies educators' implementation concerns and evaluates effective ways to communicate the science of learning [+W]
• The three named educator concerns are time or workload of planning, enacting, and evaluating retrieval practice; perceived usefulness limited to basic knowledge; and test anxiety [+W]
• Three concerns about retrieval practice implementation consistently arise during educators' workshop conversations: workload, perceived restriction to basic knowledge, and test anxiety [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Build authentic stakeholder buy-in through relational strategies: show don't tell, slow down to speed up, engage resistors, and asset framing
• Reflexive Noticing Facilitation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Sumeracki, M. A., Nebel, C. L., Kaminske, A. N., and Kuepper-Tetzel, C. E. (2024). Turning roadblocks into speed bumps: a call for implementation reform in science communication about retrieval practice. Educational Psychology Review, 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09854-5