Retrieval Practice - BINGO

In a recent post, I discussed how Liam Printer in his podcast series The Motivated Classroom spotlighted the importance of developing the "retrieval process" of language in students to aid in their output process. 

'Retrieval practice' is a study technique where mental effort is used to recall information. It focuses on bringing information to mind which enhances and boosts learning. Deliberately recalling information forces us to pull our knowledge “out” and examine what we know. 

This very much aligns with Henshaw's definition of output: expressing meaning retrieving from your system. However, we must also quickly understand that output in and of itself does not lead to language acquisition. We must build up students' language systems with input so that they have something from which to retrieve for the purpose of expressing meaning.

In that podcast episode, Printer lists 11 quick and easy activities which one can implement with students which are geared towards developing language retrieval in students and are very guided, sheltered "output" in nature. The first one is simply called Retrieval BINGO. I tried this out after the first two weeks of class, and it went very well. 

1. Every student has a whiteboard or piece of paper.
2. Have students number 1-5 on their whiteboard/paper.
3. Give students 1-2 minutes to write down ANY target language word which they remember from the current reading.
4. At the same time, you write down four words from the reading too.
5. After the time is up, have students stand up.
6. Tell students that you have written down four words yourself and will read them off one at a time.
7. If you read one of their words, then they have to sit down.
8. Whoever is left standing by the end is the "winner".
9. The winner reads aloud their list of words to the class.
10. Repeat the activity again.

Observations

1. I love this activity! What a great sheltered way for students to "output" (per Henshaw, "retrieving from their system").
2. Because it is based on the current reading, this gives necessary parameters for students.
3. I was absolutely surprised at what words students wrote down - many wrote down words which I was not targeting in the reading, but yet somehow students' brains had latched onto them in their mental representation of language.
4. The standing up and sitting down nature added a bit of kinesthetic learning to the activity.
5. Although this was a sheltered "output" activity, students still received A LOT of input with them writing down their known words, from me reading my list of words, and from the winner(s) reading their list of words.
6. It was a novel way to review the reading, because when a target word was said aloud, I said the context sentence from the story.
7. When we played the second time, now that students knew what the activity was, many really tried to come up with a new set of words from either their own memory or from what words they had just heard read aloud.
8. Yes, when we played the second time, students could have written the same list of words again. I will give students the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to that these are the words which students are able to retrieve from their language system. This is okay - hopefully with more continued input to their system, the next time we play, these students will be able to retrieve additional words.
9. Students want to play this game again and again!

Thanks to Liam Printer for this fun yet quick "output" activity!