"Learning Science: Actively Recalling Information From Memory Beats Elaborate Study Methods" ScienceDaily 1/21/11
"To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test" New York Times 1/20/11
Both articles are about the same study, but offer complementary information. ScienceDaily's headline is a bit more to the point.
What the study finds is that exercising recall from long-term memory with timely feedback can be more effective than approaching material in different ways (continued exercise of working memory). I don't think that could be the basis for an argument for more standardized testing, which usually involves lots of prep (elaboration) and delayed reporting of results. In California, students wait months before seeing how they did.
Look over the material, test yourself, look again, especially at where you erred, test yourself again. That's common sense, and can even be entertaining.
The study does call into question overemphasis on making subject matter "relevant."
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