The idea behind spaced repetition is a simple one; repeated coverage of material helps the student retain that information. On the surface it is quite self-evident. What technology and research has done in recent years is hone that repetition schedule to an efficient and effective algorithmic timetable. The graph represents the basic concept. Notice how the "Reminders" become further and further apart as the "Forgetting Curve" levels out.
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Most of us know the limited efficacy of cramming the night before a test. Studies have shown that cramming, what experts call massed practice, is effective in the short term but has a poor record for retention (Akresh-Gonzales, 2015). While much has to be learned about memory and how the brain retains them, we do know that we remember things we deem important and encounter frequently. It is this principle that underlies the spaced repetition algorithms (Gupta, 2016).
One of our members has created the short video below that outlines the concept of spaced repetition and the research that it draws upon.