Some people say drill and practice is really "drill and kill." What can teachers do to make sure this kind of use doesn't happen and drill and practice can serve a useful function?
It is very easy for a teacher to misuse drill and practice. Teachers should try to identify the needs that drill and practice can meet. Then use software in ways that will take advantage of its capabilities. One way to avoid "drill and kill" practices is to establish a certain amount of time of devotion for drill and practice, 10 - 15 minutes per day. This will ensure that students will stay actively engaged in the activity without becoming bored and they will retain the concept of the drill. Another great strategy is learning stations. This is a very effective way to practice drills and serve students with identified weaknesses in one or more key skills. It allows the students to move around the room practicing more than one skill that is best matched to their specific learning needs. This brings me to my next strategy for effectively utilizing drill and practice, which is that most drills are designed to allow self pacing and personalized feedback when it is assigned individually. The problem with this strategy is that most classrooms do not have enough computers to make sure everyone can drill and practice by themselves. Drill and practice activities on the computer can replace worksheets and really motivate the students to enjoy what they are being taught. It can be very beneficial for the students.
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Cheri, you made an excellent point about it being difficult to use drill & skill programs within a classroom. In an ideal world, they could be used frequently to reinforce necessary skills, but not having an adequate number of computers would make that difficult. I don't think these programs work well at all for group activities, so they must be limited to computer lab time, center time, or extra work at home (when possible).
ReplyDeleteCheri, I think you made a really good point when you said that teachers need to use software drills to replace worksheets for only one reason, motivation. Students hate doing worksheets unless they are working in groups or moving around like you mentioned in your strategy about stations. I know adults hate the same kind of instruction so how can we expect students to be motivated to complete a piece of paper. Too much visual and mental stimulation can be found or are on computers for teachers not to take advantage of. Feedback is also very important and is necessary for students to be successful and for teachers not to overlook when it comes to overkill.
ReplyDeleteCheri, I agree with your analysis of drill and practice. It can easily become drill and kill. One way to avoid drill and practice from becoming drill and kill is by establishing a time limit. Unfortunately, some teachers will put students for over 30 minutes. Another way that drill and practice becomes drill and kill is by not identifying the area of need before hand. I also agree with you that students have to use drill and practice programs to strengthen the area or areas they struggle with. Using drill and practice activities to replace worksheet activities is an excellent idea.
ReplyDeleteCheri,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we do misuse drill and practices. Specially for new teachers that are told to direct them to learn strategies for the TAKS tests. It is difficult to locate software that works on students strengths and weaknesses. I guess time and examining those softwares will help out in the long run. Roblyers statement about 10 - 15 minutes per day is great but how can we manage that in a class full of students and minimal computer time due to others using the computer lab as well.