Week 13: Chapter 3 Discussion

Question: 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?

Answer: I believe that many of those individuals who say that drill and practice is really “drill and kill” are speaking from personal experience than anything else. I believe that in the past and in the present and even in the future, the “drill and kill” debate will go on because of the very nature of this topic.

As the book mentions, some individuals have criticized teachers for presenting drills in a long time period or presenting certain types of lesson with drills, which might not be the best way to present that lesson plan. The book mentions an example of certain teachers giving students drill-and-practice software as a way of introducing new concepts rather than just for practicing and reinforcing familiar ones. For that example, maybe a different type of instructional method might be more productive for the student than drilling and practice.

Then you have the criticism by constructivists that argue that introducing isolated skills and directing students to practice them contradicts the progress toward a revamped curriculum in which students learn and use skills in an integrated way within the context of their own projects that require skills. I believe that drill-and-practice should not be ignored or become banned within the classroom. Educators should find ways to identify certain needs that drills can meet and use specific software in productive ways in conjunction with drill-and-practice.