January 2009, Vol. 40, Issue 1
Research Commentary: The Effects of Spacing and Mixing Practice Problems
Doug Rohrer
Sets of mathematics problems are generally arranged in 1 of 2 ways. With blocked practice, all problems are drawn from the preceding lesson. With mixed review, students encounter a mixture of problems drawn from different lessons. Although mixed review is more demanding than blocked practice, the apparent benefits of mixed review suggest that this easily adopted strategy is underused.
This article is available to members of NCTM who subscribe to
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. Don't miss outjoin now or upgrade your membership. You may also purchase this article now for online access.
Log In/Create Account
Purchase Article