My computer has a sticker that says, “Wake Up and Work Out.” I live by that mindset. If I get up and work out before doing anything else, I’ve banked at least one win for the day. That means even if everything else goes crazy (like the recent day when our internet service was out almost ALL day, on a day we were supposed to be doing our state assessment), I have something to feel good about while dealing with the stress of the day.

If you don’t work out consistently, you may not be familiar with all the acronyms used in various workout designs. From HIIT and LISS to EMOM and AMRAP, you might need a cheat sheet to comprehend the terminology. However, today, I want to concentrate on the concept of AMRAP, and I assure you I will relate it back to education.

AMRAP stands for “as many reps as possible” or “as many rounds as possible.” This is a workout structure where you set a timer and either complete as many reps as possible of a specific exercise or as many rounds as possible of a series of exercises. AMRAP is a high-intensity workout that many use to boost cardiovascular fitness, but it can also lead to increases in strength and muscular endurance, high calorie burn, and more.

So, how does that relate to education? There is a quote that is often attributed to Confucius: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” This quote is on my mind because I’ve been reading a lot of writing and studies about cognitive psychology. What’s that, you ask? In the book Do I Have Your Attention? by Blake Harvard, he says that cognitive psychology “offers insights into how people learn and what makes for more effective and efficient learning.” Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark suggest that “learning is a change in long-term memory.”

I recently wrote a post on cognitive load theory, one of John Sweller’s key works. In Cognitive Load Theory, he explains that the brain can only hold a small amount of information in working memory. This limitation is a bottleneck, affecting what can be transferred from working memory into long-term memory. You see, information in working memory typically remains there for about 30 seconds, but as teachers, we want our students to retain that information for much longer than that. So, how do we transfer information from working memory to a student’s long-term memory? I wish I could tell you that this would happen automatically, but I’d be lying if I did. Our memory requires processing power to store information in long-term memory. As teachers, some strategies require our students to engage with the information presented in the classroom. Usually, that involves them applying the information in some way. Maybe they are identifying the correct vocabulary term or practicing some sample problems from the math skill.

The connection between working memory and long-term memory resembles a line with arrows pointing in both directions. When we are exposed to something new, it initially resides in our working memory. As we engage with that skill, it transitions into long-term memory; however, initially, there is no strong connection between working memory and long-term memory. Imagine a new trail in the woods that has not been frequently traveled. Yet, the more we are asked to utilize that information stored in long-term memory, the stronger the connection becomes. Picture a wide, paved trail ready for use by many people. For our students, the more we encourage them to remember and accurately apply information in class or on homework, the stronger their memories develop, making it easier to retrieve that information later.

Cognitive psychology suggests that creating a wide trail between working and long-term memory involves the elaborate rehearsal of information. This process is known as retrieval practice. The easiest way to explain it is that we ask our students, in some manner, to retrieve information from their memory. Students need to use their brains to recognize or recall information and then apply it appropriately. Cognitive psychology indicates that, as a study skill, retrieval practice is a more powerful learning tool than rereading text, notes, or highlighting.

Sometimes this retrieval practice happens immediately. Imagine that you introduce a vocabulary word that is written on the board: “This word is compulsory. What word?” Then you might do something to teach the meaning of the word: “When something is required and you must do it, it is compulsory. So if something is required and you must do it, it is ________.” At the blank, you would signal students to fill in the blank. Then, you might give examples and non-examples of the word, asking students to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to let you know if compulsory is being used correctly. Finally, you might close this activity by checking for understanding: “Many things become compulsory. What is something you can think of that is compulsory?” This activity requires students to retrieve information based on your instruction immediately.

This work does a great job of creating that initial weak path. However, to strengthen that path, we need to use a strategy called “spaced practice.” With spaced practice, we have our students revisit key ideas repeatedly over multiple days. In Do I Have Your Attention?, Harvard suggests a couple of strategies that involve spaced practice. One way is through an activity that closely resembles something many teachers use – it’s a variation on the exit ticket, called an entrance ticket. It could be part of your “warm-up” at the beginning of a lesson, but it should include a retrieval practice activity from yesterday’s lesson or from your current unit at the start of today’s lesson. By doing this, you create a window of time for your students to forget a little. They then must pause and reflect on what was covered in class the previous day, which establishes a stronger connection between working memory and the location of that information in long-term memory.

Harvard also employs a spaced practice activity called “Last Lesson, Last Week, Last Month.” In this, your warm-up will include a question from yesterday’s lesson, as well as one from a lesson last week and one from a lesson last month. This spaced practice helps students not only strengthen the connections between working and long-term memory but also encourages them to recognize how what they studied last week or last month contributes to their current understanding. This is especially true in math class, but can be true in other subjects as well.

For both of these spaced practice activities, I would encourage students to first try to answer from memory, then highlight their answer in one color. Next, I’d let them refer to their notes or book to modify and improve the answer, then highlight that new answer in a different color. Finally, they could consult with a peer to see if that feedback could help them refine their answer and highlight that in a third color. Ultimately, they should have the best possible answer, while also recognizing what they knew entirely on their own. The questions that required support from the book or a peer to arrive at a solid answer indicate concepts they need to study and develop further. At the elementary level, we might also use this as a formative assessment to determine which students need more teacher support on specific topics.

By creating situations where our students can repeatedly practice the essential skills we have identified, we help them strengthen the pathways between working memory and long-term memory, allowing for better recall of that information or skill the next time they need it. Students get as many reps as possible, strengthening the connection between working and long-term memory, allowing them to access those skills more easily every time they need to.