Recently, I’ve been thinking about a tutoring strategy that has reshaped the way I work with students, which is retrieval practice. Unlike methods that focus heavily on re-reading notes or reviewing worked examples, retrieval practice centres on actively pulling information out of memory. Although it sounds simple, it completely changes how students engage with what they’ve learned. Retrieval practice is built on the idea that memory is strengthened when it is used consistently. Instead of asking students to look back over their notes, I’ll close the book and ask them to explain a concept in their own words, list key steps in a process, or answer a few low-stakes questions from memory. At first, this can feel uncomfortable. Students often say, “I know this, I just can’t remember it right now.” But that slight struggle is actually where the learning happens.

During sessions, I incorporate short, regular retrieval moments. For example, we might begin by recalling what we covered last week before moving forward. Sometimes I ask students to write down everything they remember about a topic in two minutes. Other times, I’ll mix old and new questions together so they have to distinguish between similar ideas. This prevents learning from becoming too narrow or short-lived.
What makes retrieval practice so powerful is that it builds durable understanding. Students begin to realise that remembering isn’t about recognising information on a page, but about being able to produce it independently. Over time, their confidence grows because they can see clear evidence of progress. They’re not just following steps in the moment; they’re developing knowledge they can access when it truly counts, whether in exams or in future learning.

Katreen Diab