Practicing What Is Preached: Self-Reflections on Memory in a Memory Course

To apply several principles of memory covered in a first-year university memory course, I developed a series of one-page self-reflection papers on memory that require students to engage with the material in a meaningful way. These short papers cover topics related to memory, and the assignment itself applies these same principles, reinforcing students’ understanding of levels of processing theory and the distribution of practice effect. Exam grades and analysis of a specific question related to the topic covered in one reflection paper support the use of this assignment to enhance student learning and retention.