An article in The New York Times highlights a new classroom learning technique—the "pre-final" test. Students take their final on the first day of class, obviously before they've learned the material. Although they fail, it positively affects how they learn for the rest of the semester, overcoming what researchers call the "fluency illusion."

The article says: "The problem is that we have misjudged the depth of what we know. We are duped by a misperception of 'fluency,' believing that because facts or formulas or arguments are easy to remember right now, they will remain that way tomorrow or the next day." Once we feel like we have a subject down we move on without further study, assuming "that further study won't strengthen our memory of the material."

Possible Preaching Angle:

Do we have a "fluency illusion" when it comes to Scripture? Do we think we know it better than we do and therefore put off studying the Bible and reading the Bible? What are some ways that we can overcome this illusion?