Final answer:
Giving students a practice quiz every week has several benefits including enhancing long-term retention, reducing cognitive load, and fostering a sense of comfort and reduced anxiety about exams.
Step-by-step explanation:
The practice of giving students a practice quiz every week has several benefits:
- Enhances long-term retention: Taking regular practice quizzes helps students reinforce and retain the information they have learned over time. This is because the act of retrieving information from memory strengthens the neural connections associated with that information, making it easier to recall in the future.
- Reduces cognitive load: By practicing regularly, students become more familiar with the content and the types of questions they may encounter. This familiarity reduces cognitive load, allowing them to focus more effectively on understanding and applying the concepts rather than spending excessive mental effort on recalling basic information.
- Fosters anxiety about exams: Regular practice quizzes can help students become more comfortable with the exam format and reduce anxiety. By regularly testing themselves, students can identify areas of weakness and take steps to improve their understanding before the actual exam.