Week 13: "Drill and Practice" or "Drill and Kill"

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?

Drill and practice strategies have a place in the instructional "tool bag" of the teacher. Drill functions can include flash card, branching drills and extensive feedback activities. Research has shown drill and practice to be an effective tool in transferring concepts and skills into the long term memory of students. But in spite of the well-documented history of the usefulness of drill and practice, it has drawn criticism from some educators.

In order for a teacher to be successful in their use of drill and practice I believe that it they should first understand the limitations of this strategy. Criticism has been directed at the misuses of drills due to long periods of drill time and the use of drills to introduce new concepts rather then practicing what has already been taught in the class room. Some critics believe that the isolated skills of drills and the directed practice contradicts integrated teaching strategies.

The teacher has several options open to them in avoiding these criticisms while providing a useful learning experience. Setting time limits for drilling will help keep the student from becoming bored and considering drilling a dreaded routine. By introducing new concepts prior to drilling, the time spent in this activity will be focused on practice and transferring learned skills into long-term memory. Students may also be assigned individually to computers for drilling in order to take advantage of the self-pacing and immediate and personalized feedback. Some teachers have also used drilling as a group activity in a competitive setting. Drilling can also be setup in learning center formats for those students who need work in an area they are weak in.