Research

Hello, I’m Nicola Carr-White, a Master of Education by research graduate (2021) and a primary school teacher with 39 years of teaching experience. If you're a primary teacher, it will be obvious to you that students need much more practise time than can be achieved within the lesson context. Add to that the complicating factor of individual abilities and achievement. If you're a secondary or tertiary student, you'll want an evidence-informed practise strategy that's as efficient as possible.

My research degree investigated the results of cognitive psychology research¹  in spaced, retrieval, and interleaved practice, as well as metacognition, and applied them to a tool known as a Mastery Learning Folder. The folder process now includes the most effective spaced intervals (adaptive² and expanding^3,4 ) for durable learning,⁵ and the optimum number of retrievals for short and long term learning retention⁶. These strategies combine to create the desirable difficulty that strengthens the transfer of learning into long-term memory⁷. My thesis was examined by Drs Robert Bjork (Desirable Difficulties theorist), John Hattie (Visible Learning) and John Sweller (Cognitive Load Theory). Folder instructions include QR codes linked to short video demonstrations of the new process.

Additionally, I have developed a practical primary school implementation strategy which places the teacher in a management role whilst dividing the remaining workload (students’ daily practise sessions) between parents, education assistants or volunteer student leaders. Secondary and tertiary students can use the process independently.

Schools and teachers interested in exploring how Mastery Learning Folders can assist them to meet differentiated learning needs are invited to explore the on-demand training below or request on-site or virtual professional learning. I welcome the opportunity to discuss your students’ learning needs to determine if and how Mastery Learning Folders can facilitate their progress.

With the theory (illustrated below) and intervention process established, I am seeking collaborative or independent applied educational research to further the potential of this tool to address differentiated student learning needs.

With kind regards,

Nicola Carr-White

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The Mastery Learning Folder ‘Differentiated Learning Consolidation Process’ Theoretical Framework

1. Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.

2. Mettler, E., Massey, C. M., & Kellman, P. J. (2016). A comparison of adaptive and fixed schedules of practice. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(7), 897-917. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000170

3. Kang, S., Lindsey, R., Mozer, M., & Pashler, H. (2014). Retrieval practice over the long term: Should spacing be expanding or equal-interval? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21(6), 1544-1550. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-014-0636-z

4. Küpper-Tetzel, C. E., Kapler, I. V., & Wiseheart, M. (2014). Contracting, equal, and expanding learning schedules: The optimal distribution of learning sessions depends on retention interval. Memory & Cognition, 42(5), 729-741. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-014-0394-1

5. Cepeda, N. J., Vul, E., Rohrer, D., Wixted, J. T., & Pashler, H. (2008). Spacing effects in learning: A temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(11), 1095-1102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467- 9280.2008.02209.x

6. Rawson, K., & Dunlosky, J. (2011). Optimizing schedules of retrieval practice for durable and efficient learning: How much is enough? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 140, 283- 302. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023956

7. Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2020). Desirable difficulties in theory and practice. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(4), 475-479.