WrapUp Quiz

The Science of Learning

Short, sourced notes on how people actually remember what they were just taught — written for anyone who teaches adults.

5 articles

Retrieval and testing

Retrieval and testing

Why a short quiz beats going over the slides again

Retrieval practice and the testing effect: why asking adults to pull an answer from memory beats rereading the slides in the last five minutes of a teaching session.

2026-10-12

Spacing

Spacing

Why leaving a gap beats cramming the recap

Spaced practice for teachers of adults: why a second look after a gap beats cramming the same points at the end of the session, and how the useful gap grows with how long the knowledge has to last.

2026-10-12

Feedback

Feedback

What to do with the questions people got wrong

Feedback after a quiz: why showing the correct answer matters, why a short delay can beat instant marking, and what to do with the misses before people leave the room.

2026-10-12

Difficulty

Difficulty

When making it harder helps, and when it is just harder

Desirable difficulties for teachers of adults: why a fluent recap can hide weak learning, which kinds of difficulty strengthen memory, and when harder is only harder.

2026-10-12

Memory and the brain

Memory and the brain

What the brain is actually doing when people learn

Neuroscience of learning for teachers of adults: working memory, memory consolidation, sleep, and why learning-styles and left-brain/right-brain sorts are neuromyths.

2026-10-12