Learning how to learn is quite possibly the most important skill we can develop.
If we can master how to learn, we can apply that skill to more quickly and efficiently master anything else we set our minds on. Learning is a key that unlocks an infinite number of doors. There’s no other technique, tactic, or life-hack that will provide a better ROI.
But to become better learners — to master the ultimate meta-skill — we must understand how we learn in the first place.
Before we can begin to hack our brain, we must first understand how it works.
With that goal in mind, we’ll try to glean some insight by exploring two extremely useful concepts for thinking about this topic: the Spacing Effect and the Forgetting Curve. Then we’ll consider how mobile learning (or “mLearning”) might be used to improve learning initiatives at scale.
What is the Spacing Effect?
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The Spacing Effect is a phenomenon in learning whereby retention and recall are improved when learning is spread out over time rather than condensed into a single session. The phenomenon was first discovered by German psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus and written about in his 1885 book, Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology.
We learn better when we learn things in multiple, spread-out sessions. There are a number of theories for why this is the case, but they all come down to the same core principle, summarized neatly in How We Learn: The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey:
“Some breakdown must occur for us to strengthen learning…without a little forgetting, you get no benefit from further study.”
The reality of the Spacing Effect is demonstrable and well documented; according to an article by the Director of Dartmouth University’s Cognition and Education Lab, “hundreds of studies in cognitive and educational psychology have demonstrated that spacing out repeated encounters with the material over time produces superior long-term learning, compared with repetitions that are massed together.”
Still, experts are uncertain as to the exact mechanism responsible for the Spacing Effect. Below are brief descriptions of some of the more popular theories:
- Retrieval Effort Hypothesis: Also known as the “testing effect,” this hypothesis states that increased effort in recalling information leads to better retention. According to the theory, the act of retrieving information is also an act of re-encoding it. (This is one reason testing is thought to improve retention; you’re actually learning while taking a test.) Increased time between learning and retrieving leads to increased effort during retrieval. More time = more effort. More effort = better retention.
- Encoding Variability: According to this theory, we’re able to recall information once it’s encoded in our brains based on “retrieval cues.” Retrieval cues are stimuli that help us retrieve a certain memory. For example, if you’re reading this while staring at your cat, seeing your cat tomorrow may help you remember what encoding variability is all about. Your cat would serve as your retrieval cue. This theory posits that the Spacing Effect works because learning across multiple, spaced-out sessions provides us with a more robust library of retrieval cues. So, if you read this again tomorrow while staring at your dog, then both your cat and your dog would function as retrieval cues.
- Deficient Processing: This theory sort of takes the “glass is half empty” perspective. The Spacing Effect is true, according to this theory, simply because we’re awful at learning in large doses. It’s not that spaced learning somehow improves retention, it’s just that massed learning is too much for our brains to handle. The Spacing Effect, then, is merely a reflection of our natural limits. Instead of trying to hack our brains, we should just avoid situations and methodologies that inhibit learning.
Whatever the reason, the Spacing Effect is real, and understanding its principles can help us structure our learning more effectively. What’s more, the Spacing Effect also presents itself as the natural antidote to another Ebbinghaus discovery: the Forgetting Curve.
The Forgetting Curve? Remind Me.
The Forgetting Curve, also discovered and written about by Herman Ebbinghaus, is the expression of another learning phenomenon. The curve demonstrates just how quickly we forget new information after learning it.
Frankly, it’s somewhat alarming:
Source: Farnam Street
According to Farnam Street, the average person remembers less than 50% of new material within an hour of learning it. Apparently, we’re really good at forgetting stuff.
Yet, if you recall, forgetting is actually the secret recipe to better learning. That’s where the Spacing Effect comes in. We can combat the Forgetting Curve with a “spaced repetition” or “spaced learning” system, and the fact that we forget is what helps us get better at remembering in the future!
To combat the Forgetting Curve, we need to implement some version of a spaced learning system. In such a system, we are repeatedly exposed to the same information at set intervals over a certain period of time.
A good spaced learning system (also according to Farnam Street) includes the following components:
- A schedule for review of information.
- A means of storing and organizing information.
- A metric for tracking progress.
- A set duration for review sessions.
For the average college student studying for midterms, that system might be very basic. It could include 1) a personal calendar, 2) a notebook, 3) review quizzes, and 4) a study routine.
However, for more demanding scenarios (such as corporate learning initiatives), a more scalable solution is likely necessary. That’s where mobile learning and a mobile-friendly learning management system (LMS) come into play.
How Mobile Learning Can Help
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Mobile learning aligns perfectly with the principles of the Spacing Effect and a well-designed spaced learning system.
- Learning schedule: A mobile learning program can provide learners with a predetermined learning schedule, or the program can be completed at the learner’s pace, depending on your particular goals and needs.
- Information storage/organization: When the mobile learning program is administered through a mobile-friendly LMS, it inherently lives on a platform that can store, organize, and deliver the relevant information to the relevant parties.
- Metrics for tracking progress: Most mobile learning platforms also have baked-in success metrics and analytics for tracking and rewarding progress. This will help keep learners engaged and program administrators informed. Such metrics will also help you calculate the ROI of your learning program.
- Lesson duration: Courses can also be created at your desired length. Some programs take this to an extreme and focus on hyper-short learning segments as part of a strategy known as microlearning.
Mobile learning is helping organizations everywhere adapt to fundamental changes in technology, business, and the modern workforce. But, perhaps more importantly, mobile learning can easily accommodate a spaced learning system to better serve the way our brains function in the first place.
Fight back against the Forgetting Curve. Leverage mobile learning and the Spacing Effect to achieve your learning goals.
About the Author
Nick Santaniello is the Head of Content at Northpass — a modern, mobile-friendly LMS. You can find Nick on Medium or LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on workforce and learning tips.