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Interleaving Practice Guide

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Interleaving Practice Guide

This playbook describes how to use interleaving practice to improve learning efficiency. It guides through the steps of incorporating interleaving into study sessions to enhance memory retention and understanding across multiple subjects.

Step 1: Understanding

Gain a clear understanding of what interleaving practice is. Interleaving involves mixing different topics or types of problems together during a study session. It contrasts with blocked practice, where one focuses on a single topic or type of problem at a time.

Step 2: Planning

Plan your study sessions. Determine the subjects or types of problems you want to interleave. Identify the key concepts or skills from each topic that you wish to understand better.

Step 3: Organization

Organize your study materials. Gather textbooks, practice problems, and any other resources you need for your study session. Organize them in a way that you can easily switch between topics while studying.

Step 4: Scheduling

Decide on a schedule for your study sessions. Allocate specific time blocks for studying and include short breaks to help maintain focus. Make sure to alternate between the subjects or problem types within each study session.

Step 5: Execution

Execute your interleaving study session. Begin with the first topic or problem type, spend some time working on it, then switch to a different topic or problem for the next block of time. Continue to alternate throughout the study session.

Step 6: Reflection

After each study session, take some time to reflect on what was learned. Make note of areas that were challenging and might need more focus in future sessions. Reflecting on the practice helps consolidate learning.

Step 7: Adjustment

Adjust your approach as needed. If you find certain topics are not being retained as well, or the transitions are too abrupt, modify your strategy. Interleaving should be flexible to accommodate your learning pace and needs.


General Notes

Variation

The variety of subjects and problems within a single study session helps prevent mental fatigue and keeps the brain actively engaged in the learning process.

Challenges

Interleaving practice may feel more difficult than blocked practice; however, this challenge is often a sign of deeper learning taking place.