Practice makes Practice
For about 15 of 25 years I have been a teacher I also coached a few different sports -field hockey, basketball, and soccer - in the after school hours.
A coach's "success" is generally measured by the record of winds and losses racked up on game days. But teams and coaches put much more time into practicing than they do in the games that "count." At its most basic, the role of the coach is to teach your student/players the set of skills that they will need to take the field on game day and win. In many senses, not all that different from the role of the teacher in the classroom.
Like the coach, in theory, we have lots of days of practice and then a game day that "counts." But in school practice, it often doesn't seem to work that way.
Let's say I'm coaching freshman field hockey. I want my players to learn how to dribble the ball down the field. What do I do? I explain what dribbling is; I give them a demonstration; I have them watch some more experienced or skilled players dribble down the field. And then they take a turn.
I don't expect them to have mastered dribbling at this point. That would be completely unrealistic. I may start up a scrimmage and let them try dribbling in a real(ish) context - because that's where it matters. I know, though, that some will trip on the ball, others will lose control of it, others will have it stolen or miss a pass and lose the ball altogether.
That's what practice is for.
And we will be back at practice tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Then a game. And back to practice the things we didn't do so well on game day. Along the way more skills are built into the routine. But all season long we probably have three days of practice for every game that "counts."
As I work on ways to help students develop the skills they will need to be better readers and writers, I wonder why we don't take that long term growth over time approach to writing. We probably think we do, but when I think of the ways writing is most often done in schools - the key step in skill development - practice- is too often omitted.
Let's say it's research paper time. The annual trial students must withstand in schools across the country. We explain what we want. We look at guides and examples. We maybe talk about the separate skills involved in the process. We write a draft. But rather than being a practice run, usually the draft "counts." We circle the mistakes and give it back. Students revise (or more likely edit), then give it back again for more grading. Pass or fail, this is the day that really counts. If they get it right...great. If they get it wrong...they "should have paid better attention" because "I went over that."
Grade recorded. Research paper, check. Maybe you'll get another shot to practice that next year. Is it any wonder that many students struggle to internalize the skills we think we are teaching them?
Why do we so often teach with more tasks that "count" rather than with real opportunities for practice? Writing in particular is one of the skills we are often likely to assign rather than teach. We have lots of tasks that count, and relatively little practice.
Assigning and teaching are not the same thing. Telling a player to dribble isn't the same as teaching her how to do it. Giving her chances to try different tactics without the pressure of "counting," that's at least as important in the classroom as it is on the field or court.
A coach's "success" is generally measured by the record of winds and losses racked up on game days. But teams and coaches put much more time into practicing than they do in the games that "count." At its most basic, the role of the coach is to teach your student/players the set of skills that they will need to take the field on game day and win. In many senses, not all that different from the role of the teacher in the classroom.
Like the coach, in theory, we have lots of days of practice and then a game day that "counts." But in school practice, it often doesn't seem to work that way.
Let's say I'm coaching freshman field hockey. I want my players to learn how to dribble the ball down the field. What do I do? I explain what dribbling is; I give them a demonstration; I have them watch some more experienced or skilled players dribble down the field. And then they take a turn.
I don't expect them to have mastered dribbling at this point. That would be completely unrealistic. I may start up a scrimmage and let them try dribbling in a real(ish) context - because that's where it matters. I know, though, that some will trip on the ball, others will lose control of it, others will have it stolen or miss a pass and lose the ball altogether.
That's what practice is for.
And we will be back at practice tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Then a game. And back to practice the things we didn't do so well on game day. Along the way more skills are built into the routine. But all season long we probably have three days of practice for every game that "counts."
As I work on ways to help students develop the skills they will need to be better readers and writers, I wonder why we don't take that long term growth over time approach to writing. We probably think we do, but when I think of the ways writing is most often done in schools - the key step in skill development - practice- is too often omitted.
Let's say it's research paper time. The annual trial students must withstand in schools across the country. We explain what we want. We look at guides and examples. We maybe talk about the separate skills involved in the process. We write a draft. But rather than being a practice run, usually the draft "counts." We circle the mistakes and give it back. Students revise (or more likely edit), then give it back again for more grading. Pass or fail, this is the day that really counts. If they get it right...great. If they get it wrong...they "should have paid better attention" because "I went over that."
Grade recorded. Research paper, check. Maybe you'll get another shot to practice that next year. Is it any wonder that many students struggle to internalize the skills we think we are teaching them?
Why do we so often teach with more tasks that "count" rather than with real opportunities for practice? Writing in particular is one of the skills we are often likely to assign rather than teach. We have lots of tasks that count, and relatively little practice.
Assigning and teaching are not the same thing. Telling a player to dribble isn't the same as teaching her how to do it. Giving her chances to try different tactics without the pressure of "counting," that's at least as important in the classroom as it is on the field or court.
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