There's a lot of great podcasts out there. But what should we do if we want to learn from them? Here's a simple method.

00:00 Some drawbacks of using podcasts to learn
01:49 Step 1 Activate prior knowledge
02:42 Step 2 Free recall and fill in the gaps
05:49 Step 3 Consolidate and extend

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Screenshots of Twilight of the Aesir and Hardcore History come from dancarlin.com.

Jutland and Saxony screenshots come from Wikipedia.

I use Miro for the visualization software clip.

REFERENCES

My comments about what free recall selftests can do for you are based on the large literature related to the testing effect. At a highlevel, frequent tests enhance learning in a variety of ways.

For a thorough discussion of the possible benefits (including anticipatory/motivational aspects and organizational aspects, like I mention in the video), check out:

Roediger III, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten Benefits of Testing and Their Applications to Educational Practice. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 55, pp. 1–36). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978012387...

Here is a recent metaanalysis exploring different potential mechanisms and applications of the testing effect(s):

Yang, C., Luo, L., Vadillo, M. A., Yu, R., & Shanks, D. R. (2021). Testing (quizzing) boosts classroom learning: A systematic and metaanalytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 147(4), 399–435. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000309