Revisiting and Remembering: Why Spaced Practice Outperforms Cramming

Hattie’s Visible Learning Effect Size Series – #15 Spaced vs. Massed Practice – Effect Size 0.71

May 25, 2025

To note: John Hattie’s Visible Learning research brings together over 1,500 meta-analyses, covering more than 90,000 studies and millions of students. Its aim is to identify what works best in education by measuring impact using ‘effect size’. In this context, an effect size of 0.4 is considered average progress over a year. Anything above 0.6 is seen as highly impactful. This blog is part of a 20-post series exploring the top-ranked influences in Hattie’s Visible Learning research, with a focus on practical strategies teachers can use to make a meaningful difference.

Cramming feels productive. It’s intense, fast, and focused. But what it builds is short-lived. Research tells us that spacing out learning over time is far more effective for long-term retention, deeper understanding, and transfer of knowledge.

Hattie’s meta-analysis places Spaced vs. Massed Practice at an effect size of 0.71, a strong endorsement for moving away from last-minute revision and towards consistent revisit and retrieval.

Spaced practice is not just a study habit. It’s a teaching habit, one that can be embedded into how we sequence curriculum, structure questions, and build review into routines.

What Do We Mean by Spaced Practice?

Spaced practice involves reviewing and retrieving information across multiple sessions over time. Unlike massed practice (or cramming), where content is taught or revised in a single block, spaced learning allows time to forget and relearn, which actually strengthens memory.

It works because it:

• Encourages retrieval and reconsolidation of knowledge
• Builds stronger memory traces by spacing learning apart
• Forces students to work harder to recall, which improves retention
• Gives time for connections to deepen between concepts

Why It Matters

Spaced practice turns short-term exposure into long-term learning. In classrooms where content moves quickly, students often seem to grasp material in the moment, only to forget it weeks later. Spacing combats this by strengthening memory pathways and reinforcing retrieval.

It also helps teachers identify what’s really been learned, not just what’s recently been taught. When students successfully recall something after a delay, that knowledge is more likely to stick and transfer to new contexts.

For students, spacing makes learning more durable. It supports independence, reduces panic before assessments, and helps build revision habits that actually work. When we teach with spacing in mind, we set students up to retain and reuse learning, not just survive a test.

Practical Strategies for Spaced Practice

Use cumulative review questions in lessons - Revisit material from previous weeks or terms. Mix old content with current learning during Do Now or starter tasks. A science teacher I know uses a weekly “5, 2, 1” recap, five questions from this unit, two from the previous unit, and one from last term, all before the main input. Students say it helps them “keep everything live.”
Interleave different topics within practice - Rather than grouping the same question type together, vary problems and topics. For example, alternate between area and perimeter, rather than practising all of one type. Interleaving supports spacing, though it is not identical. Interleaving mixes concepts, spacing revisits the same one later, combining both is especially powerful.
Space quizzes and low-stakes assessments - Test on earlier topics throughout the term, not just at the end of a unit. This tells students the content still matters and strengthens recall.
Use visual planners or timelines - Show students when they will revisit key topics. This helps them see the value in remembering, not just moving on.
Teach students how to study using spacing - Help them build revision routines that space out retrieval across days or weeks, not just the night before.

Add two retrieval questions to your next lesson that reference past units
Include a mixed-topic question in homework or exit tickets
Ask students to create a spaced revision plan for an upcoming assessment
Reframe a ‘review’ task as a learning opportunity, not just consolidation

Try This

In your next lesson plan, add one retrieval opportunity from a topic covered two or more weeks ago. Then ask yourself: “Did this help me see what’s been remembered, not just what’s been taught?” The more you revisit, the more you reveal.

Challenges and Considerations

Spaced practice feels less efficient in the short term. Students may struggle with content they haven’t seen recently and that’s the point. The effort of recall builds stronger learning.

It also requires planning. Without curriculum maps and shared understanding of sequencing, spacing can be inconsistent or forgotten altogether.

There’s also a danger in overloading. Spacing is powerful when it’s focused and deliberate, not when it means squeezing in everything all at once.

Reflections

For Teachers

How often do you revisit content from earlier in the term or year?
Do your students understand why you ask them to recall and review?
Could your questioning or assessment routines be better spaced?

For Leaders

Does your curriculum sequencing allow for regular spacing and revisit?
Are teachers supported with tools and time to plan retrieval across units?
Is progress measured in a way that values long-term retention, not just recent learning?

Research Connections

Hattie, J. (2009) – Visible Learning Identifies Spaced Practice as a high-impact strategy, particularly for long-term retention.
Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2006) – Distributed Practice in Verbal Recall Tasks - A key meta-analysis showing the effectiveness of spaced learning across tasks and age groups.
Rohrer, D. & Taylor, K. (2006) – The Shuffling of Mathematics Problems Improves Learning - Demonstrates that spacing and interleaving enhance retention and problem-solving ability.

Visible Learning Blog Series

1. Stronger Together: How Collective Teacher Efficacy Unlocks Student Potential (1.57)

2. Students Knowing Themselves: How Self-Reported Grades Support Progress (1.33)

3. Judging Potential: The Power of Teacher Estimates of Achievement (1.29)

4. Supporting Every Learner: How Response to Intervention Changes Trajectories (1.29)

5. Teaching for Thinking: Why Piagetian Programs Make a Difference (1.28)

6. From Misconception to Mastery: How Conceptual Change Programs Support Deep Learning (0.99)

7. Knowing Where to Start: Why Understanding Prior Knowledge Enables Effective Teaching (0.94)

8. Making It Stick: Why Connecting New Learning to What Students Already Know Matters (0.93)

9. Belief Before Progress: Why Self-Efficacy Is a Game-Changer for Learning (0.92)

10. The Trust to Teach: Why Teacher Credibility Drives Student Engagement (0.90)

11. Micro-Teaching: How Short Reflections Make a Big Difference (0.88)

12. Classroom Discussion: Dialogue as a Driver of Thinking (0.82)

13. Targeted Support: What Works for Learners with Additional Needs (0.77)

14. Relationships That Matter: How Teacher–Student Connection Fuels Learning (0.72)

15. Revisiting and Remembering: Why Spaced Practice Outperforms Cramming (0.71) — You are here

16. Learning to Learn: Embedding Meta-Cognitive Strategies Across the Curriculum

17. Stretching Forward: What Acceleration Means in Practice

18. Calm and Clear: How Classroom Management Enables Progress

19. Word Power: Why Vocabulary Programs Widen Access

20. Read It Again: How Repeated Reading Builds Fluency and Confidence

Next up: Learning to Learn - exploring how embedding meta-cognitive strategies across the curriculum empowers students to take control of their thinking and progress.

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