Learn by Summarising

Test yourself

The Case for Learning by Summarisation

Summarisation has been shown to boost students' learning and retention.

Wittrock's argument

Wittrock (1974, 1989) considers summarising an effective generative approach because it 'forces students to engage with the generative strategies.'
Such strategies enable deeper learning.

Generative strategies

Engaging with generative strategies involves:
- Extracting key information.
- Making links and associations with both new and old materials.
The process of summarising short sections of learning has been hypothesised to support students' ability to select key information.

Supporting evidence

Studies by Bretzng and Kulavy (1979) and Craik and Lockhart (1972) have indicated that summarisation helps with comprehension abilities.
- This is due to the nature of summarising where it requires individuals to manipulate the material to form cohesive summaries.

Peper and Meyer

Peper and Meyer's study examined the relationship between note-taking, summary and learning outcomes.
- They found that students who took notes and summarised performed 10-15% better than those who only took notes.
- Students who summarised also performed 13-17% better in recalling the material.

Potential Limitations

Using summary as a learning strategy comes with its set of potential pitfalls.

Direct teaching required

If teachers do not devote enough time to teaching meaningful summarisation, the outcome may not be as successful.

Adopting incorrect habits

Students may struggle to create a successful summary without specific instruction.
- They may employ wrong practices, such as failing to omit irrelevant information or copying points word-for-word.
- Such forms of summary will not engage with cognitive processes and support long-term memory.

Large time investment

The time required to invest in the summary learning strategy could outweigh its potential benefits.
- The level of investment required may even make this strategy impractical in some contexts.
Dunlosky et al. rated summarisation as low utility in comparison to other learning strategies.

Not all equal

Students who are frequently asked to make short summaries may feel less motivated to 'think hard' about their learning materials.
Using longer summaries infrequently may be better as it encourages students to expend more effort in tackling a longer sequence.

1Introduction

1.1From Teaching to Learning

1.1.1Context in the Education Landscape 1

1.1.2Context in the Education Landscape 2

2Summarising

2.1Learning by Summarising

2.1.1What is a Summary?

2.1.2Learn by Summarising

2.1.3Summarisation at Work

2.1.4Case Study: Adam Riches

3Self-Testing

3.1Learning by Self-Testing

3.1.1Learning by Self-Testing

3.1.2Case Study: Emma Smith

4Self-Explaining

4.1Learning by Self-Explaining

4.1.1Learning by Self-Explaining

4.1.2Case Study: Ceridwen Eccles

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