Why Spaced-Learning in Small Chunks Works

It was Thanksgiving Day. I was preparing a salad to take to our family dinner, and I thought roasted pecans would make a good salad topping. I put the pecans on a cookie sheet and placed them in the oven under the broiler. Then I took my dog for a walk. 

I returned from the walk to smoke in my kitchen, the oven on fire, and the need for a fire extinguisher to put it out. 

What had happened? 

This was the year 2013 when I had suffered a concussion from a car accident. The electrical system in my Chevy Cobalt completely shut down leaving me with no power steering and no power braking. The car ran off the road and crashed into a barn. Oh - and the airbag did not deploy. 

My memory was significantly disrupted and it took four to five months for it to heal. In the meantime, doing things like putting food under the broiler then taking my dog for a walk was typical of the forgetfulness I experienced. 

Our Fascinating Ability to Remember

Aside from suffering memory lapses, memory itself is a fascinating subject. When we encounter new information, our brains have to assimilate it. This involves connecting the new concepts with what we already know. Think of your mind as a giant file cabinet, where every piece of information you know is filed in a specific order. Your new knowledge is in a folder to be filed in a specific place in your file cabinet. How do you do that?

The nerves in the brain are referred to as neurons. When signals travel from one neuron to another, they cross a gap from one end of the neuron to the end of the next neuron. This gap is called the synapse, and there are chemicals called neurotransmitters in that gap that help the signal travel along. 

Synaptic plasticity is the term used to describe the agility of the neurotransmitters in doing their job. Think of something like a plastic bag that can be pulled and stretched. That’s how we can think of the term “plasticity”. 

We have these incredibly important protein molecules in our brains called brain-derived neurotrophic factors, or BDNF for short. They are a member of the family of nerve growth factors that promote the health and growth of neurons. 

The plasticity of the nerves in our brains allows us to learn from new experiences. New brain cells grow, and the signal path of others are reorganized when new concepts are presented for assimilation. (Placed in the file cabinet of our brains.) BDNF stimulates this process. 

But…and here is the most fascinating part…it’s only when you sleep that these changes become permanent.

BDNF acts as glue, solidifying all the new information you’ve been exposed to during your working day. Invisible filing secretary-fairies are arranging and rearranging your files, assimilating new folders of information and reorganizing your file cabinet while you sleep. 

When we are on the fence about an important decision we have to make, “sleeping on it” is good advice. 

What Teachers Should Know

Why is this information important to teachers, tutors, and other educators? Because students  thrive far better when new information is delivered in small chunks over periods of time, or in spaced-learning. Rather than holding a two-hour session teaching students ten different concepts, have a twenty-minute session teaching two concepts. Then let students sleep on it before teaching another small chunk of information. 

Consistently reviewing the previous sessions of learning allows students to continue connecting and assimilating the concepts of the course. Teachers would be wise to begin each new session with a brief, five-minute review of what led students up to that day’s new material.

Spaced learning of small sets of learning material benefits students’ learning processes by allowing them to assimilate each piece of new information. This practice, along with adequate sleep, leads to long-term memory and the ability to apply new concepts and think critically about them.