Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M7420

Interleaved Practice

Interleaved Practice
Learn & MetacognitionmediumLearning Science
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Updated 2026-08-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Interleaved Practice, established in the learning research of Rohrer and Taylor, mixes different kinds of problems or skills within a single practice session rather than grouping them by type. Its core proposition is that the difficulty of switching forces the learner to select and retrieve the right strategy each time, which builds discrimination and transfer rather than fluent repetition. The key qualifier is that immediate performance looks worse, so learners who judge by how smooth practice feels will abandon the method.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Mix design: shuffle the problem types within a single session rather than grouping them. - Strategy retrieval: force the learner to choose the right method before solving each one. - Fluency caution: treat the discomfort of switching as a signal of learning, not of failure.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Blocked practice lets the learner apply one procedure repeatedly, so selection is never practiced and the skill fails to transfer. Interleaving reintroduces the selection step on every item, which strengthens the discrimination between strategies. The extra effort during practice is exactly the mechanism that produces the later gain, which is why the immediate performance dip accompanies better retention.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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