A Guide to DNAs
Why?
- DNAs are a 3-5 minute activity to settle students into academic mode.
- We need regular retrieval practice to ensure that knowledge is stored in long term memory and remains accessible
- Research in the cognitive sciences makes it clear that 1) the battle against forgetting begins as soon as you learn something and 2) the best time to practice retrieving something from long-term memory is when you have started to forget it—the fact that you must work harder to retrieve it but then do so successfully causes you to build a stronger neural pathway—memory essentially—of the thing you are trying not to forget.
How?
- Keep any DNA to 5 minutes max
- So be selective, choosing what and what not to review
- The Do Now should be in the same place every day so taking it and getting started is the habit of all your students
- Students should be able to complete the Do Now without any direction from the teacher, without any discussion with their classmates and with resources that they already have.
- If you have to explain the DNA it defeats the purpose of establishing a self-managed habit of productive work.
- The activity should require putting a pen to paper, that is, there should be a written product from it. This not only makes it more rigorous and more engaging, but it allows you to better hold students accountable for doing it.
- To aid retention, space out the learning in DNAs
For example:
DNA 1 = learning from last lesson
DNA 2 = learning from last week
DNA 3 = learning from last lesson and last fortnight
DNA 4 = learning from last week and last month
e.g The questions in bold are from a unit that is older than the non-bold questions.
