Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

what do you call the two midterms, the final, the reading, the lecture, and the worksheets? all cover the same material at different times.

if anything, it's higher level education (4, 5, and 600 level college courses) where i saw a lack of spaced repetition, or any sort of learning beyond the professor presenting the material. I guess it's expected that at that point you have your learning technique figured out.



That's precisely my point. There should be a dedicated subject called "Effective Learning" or something similar, where students are equipped with the necessary tools to continue learning at a higher level after leaving school. The fact that individuals are unaware of these skills later in life is evidence of the education system's shortcomings.


Having an intensive course on a subject over 3-6 months doesn't really let you do much in terms of spaced repetition. If a course is a year long and material is briefly visited, then often revisited, that could work, but even with a year long course, if you see the material on a quiz, a test and (a little bit) in the final that's not even close to optimal.


Sometimes they don't cover the same material.

In post-secondary education, the amount of material, typically due to the speed or density of delivery, may reveal that your learning technique isn't working. For example you may spend too much time on one topic rather than on a topic more heavily weighted in an exam.


I'm not sure but by spread out I would assume multi-year. What you described is still problematic. I believe this is why mixed grade classrooms worked out so well because this was inherently unavoidable.


> what do you call the two midterms, the final, the reading, the lecture, and the worksheets?

Haphazard spaced repetition.




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: