Spiral approach

See also spiral model, a software development approach.

The spiral approach is a technique often used in teaching or textbooks where first the basic facts of a subject are learned, without worrying about details. Then as learning progresses, more and more details are introduced, while at the same time they are related to the basics which are reemphasized many times to help enter them into long-term memory. This principle is somewhat similar to the inverted pyramid method used in writing news stories, and the game 20 questions.