Drill And Practice In Basic Skills example essay topic

Math curriculum has changed in the United States. Until the early 1960's behaviorism was the predominant view in all subject areas. Soon after the launch of Sputnik by the Soviets, Americans realized that we were behind in mathematics and our curriculum was the blame. This lead to the development of a new curriculum for those students headed for a career in math or science.

This new curriculum was the called the "New Math". This new math focused on abstract and conceptual. Many people did not like this new math. So math returned back to the "old drill and practice" until the end of the 1970's. In the 1970's cognitive science pushed the behavioral approach to the side. Today the battle still rages on.

Some believe that if the old curriculum worked then, it will work now. Others say that we need a new math for the new times. The behavioristic approach believed that when learning occurred "bonds" were formed between a stimulus in the environment and a response, or behavior by the learner. For example, to learn a simple addition fact, a bond was formed between an environmental stimulus and the correct learner response. It is believed that many teachers did not fully use the principles of behaviorism. Drill and practice became the major mode of instruction.

As an instructional strategy, drill & practice is familiar to all educators. It "promotes the acquisition of knowledge or skill through repetitive practice". It refers to small tasks such as the memorization of spelling or vocabulary words, or the practicing of arithmetic facts and may also be found in more sophicated learning tasks or physical education games and sports. Drill-and-practice, like memorization, involves repetition of specific skills, such as addition and subtraction, or spelling. To be meaningful to learners, the skills built through drill-and-practice should become the building blocks for more meaningful learning. Drill and Practice activities help learners master materials at their own pace.

Drills are usually repetitive and are used as a reinforcement tool. Effective use of drill and practice depends on the recognition of the type of skill being developed, and the use of appropriate strategies to develop these competencies. There is a place for drill and practice mainly for the beginning learner or for students who are experiencing learning problems. Its use, however, should be kept to situations where the teacher is certain that it is the most appropriate form of instruction. Drill and practice software packages offer structured reinforcement of previously learned concepts.

They are based on question and answer interactions and should give the student appropriate feedback. Drill and practice packages may use games to increase motivation. Teachers who use computers to provide drill and practice in basic skills promote learning because drill and practice increases student acquisition of basic skills. In a typical software package of this type, the student is able to select an appropriate level of difficulty at which questions about specific content materials are set. In most cases the student is motivated to answer these questions quickly and accurately by the inclusion of a gaming scenario, as well as colorful and animated graphics. Good drill and practice software provides feedback to students, explains how to get the correct answer, and contains a management system to keep track of student progress.

There has been a definite move away from paper-based drill and practice systems to computer-based systems. Drill and practice exercises with appropriate software can enhance the daily classroom experience. Given the personalized, interactive nature of most software, the computer can lend itself to providing extended, programmed practice. Used in small doses, electronic learning experiences can supplement any lesson effectively.

Certain software allow students to reinforce specific skills in a certain subject area. Although not as easily integrated across the curriculum, drill and practice software can be useful. It usually comes in one of two formats. The first focuses on a specific subject area or a part of that area. The most common areas are reading and math. The second type attempts to improve skills in several areas of the curriculum.

As with all other types of software, the teacher needs to determine if technology is the best way to work with the subject matter being dealt with. Games provide child centered activities to apply problem solving strategies as well as an opportunity to practice basic skills. Basic Skills Practice Cards can be designed to be used in many different formats. They can be used with a game board, in a lotto format or as flashcards. Four decades ago, following Russia's Sputnik satellite launching, our nation embraced "new" math as part of a commitment not to fall behind our global neighbors. While "new" math may have provided a necessary push toward academic excellence, its emphasis on the memorization of theories and formulas did not revolutionize or enhance math instruction.

Consequently, recent international studies still indicate that our students have not caught up to the level of math achievement in other advanced nations. Over the last 11 years, with the introduction of national math standards, a concerted reform effort has led to the "new-new" math approach. At the heart of the standards is the goal of making mathematics education as real-life oriented as possible. Behind this thinking is the awareness that our students will enter a technology- and information-driven society that will require them to be very math-savvy, creative problem-solvers. Critics of the "new-new" math tend to believe that the reformers have made the mistake of moving away from basics such as computation and practice. In this group are many parents who worry that their children are not focusing enough on learning multiplication, long division, and other skills that just one generation ago were considered essential.

Proponents of the "new-new" math assert that they support computation, especially in the elementary grades. However, they point out that the traditional approach overemphasized the drill and practice of formulas without providing students with sufficient understanding of their real-life application. For example, a teacher using "new-new" math techniques might reinforce a multiplication lesson by having students measure how much carpeting they would need to cover their classroom-or bedroom-floor. As Barbara Youngren from the North Central Mathematics and Science Consortium (NC MSC) points out, "In support of the math standards, the 'new-new' math still considers math content-like memorizing multiplication facts-very important for students to learn.

It is more the math processes that are evolving as the workplace demands more creative problem-solvers". Some defenders of back-to-basics also question the merit of stressing creative problem-solving. For example, to some critics, it seems illogical that a math problem may be solved in multiple ways. "What some people overlook", notes Youngren, "is that in everyday life and work, it is a real advantage to know different ways to solve a problem. What if, say, there were only one way to buy a house or car?

Equally important, being able to solve problems in a variety of ways empowers children with different learning styles. One student's approach is as valid as another's-assuming that similar results are achieved", Youngren adds". How should we teach so students learn? What students learn is related to how they learn.

What do we know about how students process ideas and how they put them together to make sense of the mathematics they are studying? How is this different from current practice? As educators decide what mathematics programs they want for their students, they should consider not only what content is important but also what research can tell us about how students learn and how this should inform the curriculum they put in place and the instructional processes used to deliver that curriculum. These questions should drive decision making: How do students learn mathematics? What are the implications of what we know about how students learn for curriculum and instruction? What is the nature of teaching practice supported by research in cognitive science?