Exploring how we can improve nursing education together! Practical active learning ideas and interesting thoughts about nursing education.
🎭 [Part 3] Lights, camera, learn! 3 ideas for low-stakes quizzing to rehearse in nursing education
Published about 1 year ago • 6 min read
Welcome to the third (and final!) part of this series! 🎭
My parents recently brought over some old photos of me playing basketball for my daughter's school presentation. They were black and white newspaper clippings. 😆 These don't make me feel old at all ...
🏀 As a basketball player, I learned about muscle memory when shooting free throws. It is the idea that repetition of a foundational skill can create a level of mastery that you can apply to various environments.
Performers also use repetition so that they don’t just know their lines—they can deliver them confidently, even under pressure. This mastery isn’t luck. It’s the result of rehearsing in varied, meaningful ways that mimic the intensity of live performance.
🧐 We can gain insights by looking at nursing education through this lens. Think of a nursing student facing a critical moment in patient care or sitting for a high-stakes exam. How can they prepare to recall essential, foundational information with the same confidence as a performer on stage? The answer lies in a cognitive strategy called elaborative rehearsal, which is the theme of this three-week series.
If you missed out on the first two parts, you can find them here:
Part 2 - Using context and emotion to improve recall
Elaborative Rehearsal as Repetition
🌉The bridge to reliable recall
In last week’s article, we explored how elaborative rehearsal can improve recall by connecting the content to emotion and context. Incorporating this practice strengthens nursing students' ability to remember and then take correct action or make clinical decisions.
Another form of elaborative rehearsal involves repetition but goes beyond passive study methods like re-reading notes or highlighting. Students should practice actively retrieving and applying information in diverse ways that mimic real-world demands to develop this “muscle memory.” This can include answering scenario-based questions or engaging in discussions that require the application of concepts.
The key to this type of repetition is varied contexts, which strengthen neural connections and helps the information stick.
A movie camera with Practical Tool #2: Use Emotion and Context
Practical Tool #3:
Using Repetition Effectively
The Testing Effect: Why Retrieval Beats Re-Reading
The testing effect shows that retrieving information strengthens memory far more effectively than simply re-reading. Every time students are prompted to recall a piece of information—through a quiz, a question, or a scenario—they reinforce their ability to find that information again.
Using retrieval techniques builds muscle memory. The more often students "lift” the retrieval weight, the stronger their recall becomes. In contrast, passive review methods like reading and highlighting may feel productive but don’t create the same durable pathways in the brain.
Students need frequent opportunities to practice recall and retrieval in low-stakes, supportive environments. This approach not only strengthens their recall but also builds their confidence.
Let’s say you’ve just finished a lecture on heart failure. The content is critical—students need to understand pathophysiology, recognize symptoms, and know treatment protocols. Here’s how you can apply this principle to your classroom:
📝 Standard Multiple-Choice Quiz These can be something other than your best item writing examples 😉. They can be low-level on Bloom’s taxonomy (think remembering and understanding). They do not need to be in alternative formats; just standard multiple-choice questions are great! Use a tool within your school’s LMS (such as Canvas or Blackboard) or an online tool (such as Kahoot or Socrative).
🎬 Scenario-Based Questions Present a clinical scenario: “Mrs. Jones, a 65-year-old patient with a history of hypertension, comes to the clinic reporting fatigue and shortness of breath. During the exam, you note peripheral edema and hear crackles in her lungs. What initial interventions would you prioritize?” This type of question forces students to retrieve and apply their knowledge. It’s not about regurgitating definitions—it’s about connecting the dots in a meaningful way.
Learn more about BreakoutRN's take on scenario-based questions below!
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💃🕺Collaborative Rehearsal After students respond individually to the quiz or scenario-based question, have them pair up to discuss their answers. Encourage them to explain their reasoning to each other, reinforcing their understanding and mirroring the collaborative nature of real-world nursing. Finally, review the correct answers as a large group. This immediate feedback helps correct misconceptions and solidify accurate recall.
💥 Impact:
This simple exercise achieves multiple goals:
💪 Strengthening recall through retrieval practice.
🌟 Building confidence in a low-pressure environment.
👏 Encouraging teamwork and communication skills.
Additional Opportunities
You can expand and elaborate on this type of repetition in a few ways. Try incorporating simulation or bring low-stakes activities to post-conference. For example:
🦾 Simulation If possible, bring a simulator into your course. Use it as a station or have groups gather assessment data from the mannequin. Simple setting changes related to heart failure are enough (think crackles in the lungs, elevated respiratory rate, verbalizing where to check for edema, or an I&O chart that shows net gain at the bedside). The idea is to get students comfortable with foundational skills around the simulator in a low-pressure environment.
📋Post-Conference Bring up two or three exam questions related to the patient population you care for on your clinical unit from either a textbook or question bank your school has access to. Walk students through how you would answer the question, eliminate distractors, and demonstrate your reasoning. Ask the group if they have had any personal experience related to the question.
These activities reinforce the same principles of retrieval and rehearsal, bridging the gap between classroom knowledge and bedside care.
Final Thoughts: Rehearsal as a Path to Confidence
And that wraps up this series! Elaborative rehearsal doesn’t just teach students to remember—it prepares them to perform under pressure. By weaving these techniques for elaborative rehearsal into your teaching, you’re not only helping students answer exam questions but also giving them the tools they’ll need to excel in clinical practice.
I’d love to hear how you’re using recall strategies in your teaching! Reply to this email and let me know what’s working for you. Share your experiences and strategies with your colleagues, and let's continue to learn from each other.
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These small-group activities help nursing students build confidence, apply knowledge, and strengthen clinical judgment.
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This week (December 9th) marks the final installment of this newsletter for 2024! I will return to your inbox on Monday, January 13th. I hope that you find time to rest, reflect, and find joy during this holiday season. ✨
With gratitude for this community, I will see you in 2025!
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