The research itself, which was based on retrieval, had a significant impact on my teaching and, more importantly, the learners’ experience.  

The creative ways I incorporated retrieval practice garnered more information on the learners’ current understanding of the topic, so I was able to identify gaps in their knowledge and adapt my lesson plan accordingly, Consequently, learners become more responsive and engaged, which improved their overall performance during lessons and improved their formative/summative assessment outcomes. 

In addition, learners enjoyed the fun and interactive retrieval tasks (quizzes, matching games, emoji games) I embedded into the lessons. These tasks allowed me to use interleaving and discreet review to boost the learners’ memory and to assess them on numerous topics without the frustration the learners often associate with monotonous assessments. Consequently, the learners said the activities did not feel like classroom tasks or assessments, but more like ' fun games.' 

Since completing the research, I have adapted aspect of my practice to improve the learners’ development. For example, I use more opportunities for learners to reflect on their own prior knowledge, which helps solidify learning. I do this by embedding self-assessment and peer assessment tasks into lessons. The learners also make suggestions for future lesson activities, which empowers and motivates them to learn. 

The research into retrieval has been one of the most significant aspects of my own teaching journey, profoundly influencing my approach and effectiveness. It evolved my understanding of not just retrieval but related strategies such as scaffolding and interleaving. Thus, the learners’ experiences have become more meaningful, beneficial, and substantial. 

Although daunting, presenting the digital poster to peers and managers was an invaluable experience. On a professional level, the digital poster developed my public speaking as I was able to use the structured nature of the poster to present in a clear and concise manner. On a personal level, it improved my self-confidence and gave me a sense of achievement as presenting to peers and mangers was certainly out of my comfort zone. 

Overall, the experience was an extremely positive one as it developed many different aspects of my teaching. It helped me overcome aspects of teaching that I often feared and avoided: presentations and creativity.