If you’re having a hard time remembering facts or skills in school, try doing deliberate practice to improve your grades.
As a student, are you having trouble improving your grades, despite putting in a lot of work? Are you finding it difficult to pick up or understand concepts or skills quickly?
Well, the problem isn’t that you don’t understand what you are learning. The problem is how you are learning it.
Most students practice (or do homework) just to complete the assignment.
They don’t do the exercises to deeply understand the concept or to understand the steps.
They just do it to it to get it finished without thinking about why a step is necessary, for instance.
But this is the wrong way of practising. It won’t help them improve much.
Rather, if you want to improve your understanding quicker, you should do your homework with intention. You should practice deliberately.
What is Deliberate Practice?
Deliberate practice, according to author and photographer James Clear, is:
“…a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance.”
How to Use Deliberate Practice to Improve Grades
To do this type of practice, you have to create a system that suits your goals, needs, and abilities.
So, you have to first figure out what your long-term goal for achieving this skill is.
Then, you have to figure out and plan what you need to do (things you need to practice) to achieve this skill.
As you practice deliberately, you have to keep an eye out for what step is working and what step is not.
If a specific step is hindering your progress, remove it and/or replace it with a new one if necessary.
As you’re going through the practice sessions, remember to take breaks and reward yourself when you have a breakthrough.
At the same time, however, remember to make the steps more challenging as things start to feel easier.
Additionally, as things become more complex, you have to get a coach, such as a tutor or a teacher, to guide you.
They’ll help you improve your training system and be someone you can rely on for assistance if you need help.
How Deliberate Practice Can Be Applied To Schoolwork
So, how can you use deliberate practice in school?
Well, let’s use practising algebra as an example.
First, figure out why you need to practice solving algebra. Is it to improve your grades? Or is it to help you solve more difficult math questions later on?
Next, you have to figure out the best way to practice and memorize the steps.
In algebra, there are many steps you have to do to solve an equation. And the steps increase and become more complex as you go up in grade.
Thus, you have to be mindful and remember the fundamental steps. You have to find a way to understand why one step has to go before the following step, and remember it.
Some methods you can use to improve your memory are to use active recall when studying or practising, think about the steps critically as you go over them, and asking a tutor or teacher to quiz you and check on your understanding.
Once you have a hold on the fundamentals, congratulate yourself. You can also take a break.
But after you are refreshed, you have to go back at it again, but with more challenging questions.
And you just have to keep recycling these steps until you have mastered algebra (or reached the intended goal).
Some Things to Take Note Of
Deliberate practice can be energy-consuming.
Since you are being mindful and focused on your work, studying can take a toll.
So, pay attention to your concentration and energy levels. If you feel burnt out, take a break.
If you try to fight through it, you are probably going to hinder your progress because you are overworking your brain.
Just like a horse, if you keep pushing it without letting it take a break, it just gets slower and slower until it can’t run anymore, and the progress that was initially made dwindles.
So, take a break and let your brain rest. Once you are rejuvenated, go back to work.
Conclusion
Deliberate practice is a great way to master a skill or concept that you may be having trouble with.
It’ll force you to focus and be mindful of the steps that you are doing as you do homework.
So, give this study method a try and improve your grades.