Students need to not only build mastery in current material but also remember what they have learned before and understand when and how to apply it. The way teachers organize their instruction can greatly influence a student's ability to learn, retain, recall, and apply skills and knowledge. In this topic you'll find information on four key ways that that instruction can be structured to improve students' long-term understanding: space learning over time with regular review and quizzing, include completed examples with practice opportunities, make abstract-concrete connections that explore ideas at work in various contexts, and using higher-order questions to help students delve deeper into explanations.

To learn more about the research underlying these practices, view the IES Practice Guide, Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning.