The SMART Spaces Chemistry Teaching programme aims to improve factual recall of pupils, to free up lesson time, so that teachers can spend more time on pedagogies that embed and extend knowledge – such as practical work and discussion – to improve pupils’ abilities to analyse and evaluate science.
The SMART Spaces Chemistry Teaching programme is delivered by GCSE science teachers and conducted during normal whole-class science lessons to pupils in Year 10. It involves using a scripted presentation to deliver three lots of condensed chemistry content, each lasting 12 minutes, with 10 minutes of spacing activity between them. This is repeated in three consecutive lessons, a day apart, termed ‘blocks’, three times across the year. Delivery is specifically timed to prime pupils in new content and reinforce recall of taught content through ‘spaced learning’.
The SMART Spaces Chemistry Teaching programme was developed from the SMART Spaces Chemistry Revision programme (conducted just before GCSE exams), which was piloted previously. This suggested that the spaced learning revision approach for GCSE chemistry students enhanced pupils’ recall of science knowledge (O’Hare et al., 2017). Literature reviews and meta-analysis such as the EEF’s evidence review also indicate experimental studies in laboratory settings support a positive effect of spaced learning on memory and retention, when compared to massed learning.
The SMART Spaces Chemistry Teaching programme sought to integrate spaced learning into science lessons throughout the year. The aim was that this would lead to teachers being able to change the content and practice of their teaching, to spend more time on application and evaluation in chemistry teaching.
The pilot evaluation indicates that teachers used the SMART Spaces Chemistry Teaching approach for consolidation (revision, retrieval practice), mapping the curriculum, and less commonly to introduce new content. However, overall, teachers did not show notable changes in the pedagogy or content of lessons beyond the delivery of the SMART Spaces lessons. The lack of conclusive evidence is due in-part to the constraints in delivery of the project, and limited survey responses, which means it is not possible to draw strong conclusions on whether the intervention changed the teaching of GCSE Chemistry beyond delivery of the programme.
Although the programme aligns with the EEF’s research agenda, there are no plans to trial the intervention. Additional research is required to understand how spaced learning impacts retention and recall in the classroom setting. This is further highlighted in the efficacy trial of SMART Spaces Chemistry Revision programme, which demonstrates the challenges of translating broad research findings about spaced learning into effective and impactful teaching strategies and interventions.
This project was co-funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and Wellcome.