While looking into something else tonight, I came across the following:
From the beginning, accordingly, Everyday Mathematics was designed to take advantage of the spacing effect. An explicit attempt was made to ensure multiple exposures to important concepts and skills, spread over two or more years. As the First Grade Everyday Mathematics teacher�s manual states, �If we can, as a matter of principle and practice, avoid anxiety about children �getting� something the first time around, then children will be more relaxed and pick up part or all of what they need. They may not initially remember it, but with appropriate reminders, they will very likely recall, recognize, and get a better grip on the skill or concept when it comes around again in a new format or application�as it will!�
From
http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/about/research/distributed_practice.pdfI quite possibly missed something here, because I can't figure out how they made the leap that "spacing" review and practice (is this the common meaning of "spiraling"?) must be at the expense of mastering the skill the first time around (except that they're hoping that not requiring mastery will avoid anxiety about math in the student?) Why can't there be both? Something about the quote makes me feel slightly ill.
