Interleaving
There is a lot of research that highlights the benefits of spacing learning with interleaved practice. Interleaving is where pupils mix up the types of questions/problems they answer, so as to avoid ‘blocking’ their time on one type of question.
Interleaving enhances learning and improves long term retention, recall and performance. This is because it allows pupils to have an opportunity to practice a range of strategies, make connections but also enables them to identify which strategy is most appropriate for success.
Interleaving is different to ‘Blocking’ where pupils cover one topic exclusively at a time. Both strategies are used at Blean alongside spaced retrieval. The below diagram is a visual representation of interleaving:
