Retrieval Practice Strategies in the World Language Classroom

To learn a language, students need to acquire massive amounts of vocabulary and be exposed to many grammatical structures before they are able to decode and communicate in the language effectively. In this blog entry, I’m going to talk about retrieval practice, which is one of the most effective ways to help students bring previously-taught information to the front of their minds, review high-frequency vocabulary and core language structures, and provide students with multiple opportunities to access curricular content. I define what retrieval practice is and offer three practical strategies that you can implement in your World Language classroom to help students retain language in a more durable, long-lasting way.