Interleaved Practice

Interleaved Practice mixes related tasks and topics in a single session, enhancing adaptability and comprehension. In a soccer practice, your might mix strength, agility, and skill drills as a form of Interleaved Practice.

Interleaved practice is an evidence-based learning technique that involves mixing distinct yet related skills, topics, or problem types within a single study session instead of focusing on one skill at a time. This method promotes better retention and transfer of knowledge, as it challenges the brain to recognize and apply appropriate strategies to solve diverse problems. 

Table of Contents

When to use

  • Combine various related skills and topics within a study session to enhance learning and retention.
  • A learner is using concrete concepts (right/wrong answer).
  • It uses concepts more than just what and when, but how to use it (rule-using with few variables – not the same as problem-solving).
  • Feedback: Constructive with a rationale of why and how; remove scaffolded feedback as it progresses.
  • Concepts must be related; they have cause/effect or similarities/differences.
  • Evidence statements are written to assess holistic knowledge at the level of the ultimate outcome.
  • Focus on the critical attributes or ‘rules’ to differentiate between similar concepts.

Pattern Requirements

  • A variety of related skills or topics to practice.
  • A diverse set of practice materials.
  • Requires very explicit instructions about the progressive nature of formatives.
  • Expects multiple lessons to build up to the interleaved practice.

Pattern Structure

  1. Engage: Identify relevant skills or topics.

  2. Explain: Design (or follow) a mixed practice schedule with Distributed Practice.

  3. Explain: Repeat again.

  4. Explain: Repeat again.

  5. Evaluate 2, 3, and 4: Check performance.

  6. Adjust practice: Make improvements to practice based on performance.

Additional Resources