Practice (learning method): Difference between revisions

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{{EngvarB|date=June 2021}}

{{Distinguish|Praxis (process)}}

'''Practice''' is the act of rehearsing a behavior repeatedly, to help [[Learning|learn]] and eventually master a [[skill]]. Sessions scheduled for the purpose of rehearsing and performance improvement are called '''practices'''. They are engaged in by sports teams, bands, individuals, etc., as in, "He went to football practice every day after school". Lo

'''Practice''' is the act of rehearsing a behavior repeatedly, to help [[Learning|learn]] and eventually master a [[skill]]. The word derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] "πρακτική" (''praktike''), feminine of "πρακτικός" (''praktikos''), "fit for or concerned with action, practical",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpraktiko%2Fs πρακτικός], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref> and that from the verb "πράσσω" (''prasso''), "to achieve, bring about, effect, accomplish".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpra%2Fssw πράσσω], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref>

In [[British English]], ''practice'' is the [[noun]] and ''practise'' is the [[verb]], but in [[American English]] it is now common for ''practice'' to be used both as a noun and a verb (see [[American and British English spelling differences#-ce, -se|American and British English spelling differences]]; this article follows American conventions).

==Etymology==

Sessions scheduled for the purpose of rehearsing and performance improvement are called '''practices'''. They are engaged in by sports teams, bands, individuals, etc., as in, "He went to football practice every day after school". Lo

The word "''practice'Practice''' is the act of rehearsing a behavior repeatedly, to help [[Learning|learn]] and eventually master a [[skill]]. The word" derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] "πρακτική" (''praktike''), feminine of "πρακτικός" (''praktikos''), "fit for or concerned with action, practical",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpraktiko%2Fs πρακτικός], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref> and that from the verb "πράσσω" (''prasso''), "to achieve, bring about, effect, accomplish".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpra%2Fssw πράσσω], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref>

==Common types==

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[[File:ANCOP officers.jpg|thumb|ANCOP officer cadets practice detaining an armed insurgent at the Mazar-e Sharif Regional Training Center on December 12, 2010.]]

Some common ways practice is applied:

*To learn how to play a [[musical instrument]] ([[musical technique]])<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Ericsson |firstfirst1=K. Anders |last2=Krampe |first2=Ralf T. |last3=Tesch-Römer |first3=Clemens |date=1993 |title=The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. |url=https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-295x.100.3.363 |journal=Psychological Review |volume=100 |issue=3 |pages=363–406 |doi=10.1037/0033-295x.100.3.363 |issn=0033-295X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

*To improve athletic or team performance<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/9780511816796/type/book |title=The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance |date=2006-06-26 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-84097-2 |editor-last=Ericsson |editor-first=K. Anders |edition=1 |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511816796 |editor-last2=Charness |editor-first2=Neil |editor-last3=Feltovich |editor-first3=Paul J. |editor-last4=Hoffman |editor-first4=Robert R.}}</ref>

*To prepare for a public performance within the performing arts

*To improve [[Reading (activity)|reading]], [[writing]], [[interpersonal communication]], [[typing]], [[grammar]], and [[spelling]]

*To enhance or refine a newly acquired skill<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Ericsson |firstfirst1=K. A. |last2=Lehmann |first2=A. C. |date=1996 |title=EXPERT AND EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE: Evidence of Maximal Adaptation to Task Constraints |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.psych.47.1.273 |journal=Annual Review of Psychology |language=en |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=273–305 |doi=10.1146/annurev.psych.47.1.273 |pmid=15012483 |issn=0066-4308|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

*To maintain skill<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Anders Ericsson |first=K. |date=2008 |title=Deliberate Practice and Acquisition of Expert Performance: A General Overview |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00227.x |journal=Academic Emergency Medicine |language=en |volume=15 |issue=11 |pages=988–994 |doi=10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00227.x |issn=1069-6563|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

*To learn martial arts; [[kata]] and [[sparring]] are common forms of practice

*To master tasks associated with one's occupation (e.g. a cashier using a [[Point of sale system|POS system]])

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Duckworth describes how deliberate practice affects education, motivation, and learning outcomes.<ref name=":1" /> In a presentation she gave at the American Educational Research Conference in 2014,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.aera.net/Events-Meetings/Annual-Meeting/Previous-Annual-Meetings/2014-Annual-Meeting/2014-Annual-Meeting-Webcasts/-Noncognitive-Factors-Affecting-Student-Success|title=Noncognitive Factors Affecting Student Success|website=www.aera.net|language=en-US|access-date=2017-04-25}}</ref> she spoke about the importance of grit – of students' focusing on material with which they struggle. In her view, grit allows a student to persevere and succeed in the face of adversity. Duckworth says that if a student can apply grit in their academic work, their effort will increase. Duckworth says that effort is equally important as talent in achieving academic goals. In a study she conducted at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C, she found that the students who used the grit tactic tended to advance to the finals.<ref name=":2" />

Two recent articles in ''[[Current Directions in Psychological Science]]'' criticize deliberate practice and argue that, while it is necessary for reaching high levels of performance, it is not sufficient, with other factors such as talent being important as well.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Campitelli |first1=Guillermo |last2=Gobet |first2=Fernand |title=Deliberate Practice: Necessary But Not Sufficient |journal=Current Directions in Psychological Science |date=October 2011 |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=280–285 |doi=10.1177/0963721411421922 |s2cid=145572294 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hambrick |first1=David Z. |last2=Meinz |first2=Elizabeth J. |title=Limits on the Predictive Power of Domain-Specific Experience and Knowledge in Skilled Performance |journal=Current Directions in Psychological Science |date=October 2011 |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=275–279 |doi=10.1177/0963721411422061 |s2cid=16690524 }}</ref> More recently, a meta-analysis found the correlation coefficient between deliberate practice and performance was 0.40, the size of which is large compared to other predictor variables (e.g. obesity, excessive drinking, smoking, intelligence, adherence to effective medication).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=Scott D. |last2=Chow |first2=Daryl |last3=Wampold |first3=Bruce E. |last4=Hubble |first4=Mark A. |last5=Del Re |first5=A. C. |last6=Maeschalck |first6=Cynthia |last7=Bargmann |first7=Susanne |title=To be or not to be (an expert)? Revisiting the role of deliberate practice in improving performance |journal=High Ability Studies |date=2 January 2020 |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=5–15 |doi=10.1080/13598139.2018.1519410 |s2cid=149904631 }}</ref> In addition, Malcolm Gladwell's point-of-view about deliberate practice is different from Ericsson's view. Gladwell, staff writer at ''The New Yorker'' magazine and author of five books on The New York Times Best Seller list including ''Outliers: The Story of Success'' said in a May 2016 [[Freakonomics]] podcast interview, thathe said, "He's [Ericsson] a hard practice guy, and I'm a soft practice guy." Gladwell claims that talent is important with an intentional dedication to practice and having a support system is vital to produce superior outcomes. It is not all about methodical effort as Ericsson claims. In Malcolm Gladwell's book, one chapter is called "The Matthew Effect."

This effect describes how different biases can affect an individual's performance. When someone is practicingpractising a skill, especially with deliberate practice, coaches play an important role in how their practices go. If a coach sets high expectations and encourages their learners, the individual is more likely to take more from practice and perform better. The role of coaches is important during deliberate practice. Coaches can strengthen desired behaviors through encouragement, positive reinforcement, and technical instruction. Fostering a positive learning environment through deliberate practice is key for all individuals involved. It is also important for coaches to lay out their practices with specific skill training, variable practice, and training of open and closed skills. These factors lead to an intentional, deliberate practice, which ultimately leads to better learning and performance.{{or|date=July 2025}}

According to the American Psychological Association, the purpose of deliberate practice is to achieve high levels of expert performance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brabeck |first1=Mary |last2=Jeffrey |first2=Jill |last3=Fry |first3=Sara |title=Practice for Knowledge Acquisition (Not Drill and Kill): (501912017-001) |doi=10.1037/e501912017-001 }}</ref> Studies also show that due to deliberate practice, an individual will experience high achievement. This is due to memory, cognition, practice, persistence, and muscle response that all improves through deliberate practice.

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==Deliberate practice in medical education==

Deliberate practice is used in medical education.<ref>{{Cite journalbook |last=McGaghie |first=William C. |date=2017-04-11 |titlechapter=Advances in Medical Education from Mastery Learning and Deliberate Practice |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119165590.ch12 |journal=The Cycle of Excellence |pages=249–264 |doi=10.1002/9781119165590.ch12|isbn=978-1-119-16556-9 |chapter-url-access=subscription }}</ref> Duvivier et al. reconstructed the concept of deliberate practice into practical principles to describe the process as it relates to clinical skill acquisition. They defined deliberate practice as:

#repetitive performance of intended cognitive or psychomotor skills.

#rigorous skills assessment

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==Deliberate practice in mental health education==

Deliberate practice is used in mental health education. More than 20 peer-reviewed empirical [https://sentio.org/dpresearch studies] and two literature reviews have investigated the process and outcomes of deliberate practice in supervision.<ref>{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Nurse |firstfirst1=Karina |last2=O’Shea |first2=Melissa |last3=Ling |first3=Mathew |last4=Castle |first4=Nathan |last5=Sheen |first5=Jade |date=2025-04-03 |title=The influence of deliberate practice on skill performance in therapeutic practice: A systematic review of early studies |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10503307.2024.2308159 |journal=Psychotherapy Research |language=en |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=353–367 |doi=10.1080/10503307.2024.2308159 |issn=1050-3307|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mahon |first=Daryl |date=2023 |title=A scoping review of deliberate practice in the acquisition of therapeutic skills and practices |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.12601 |journal=Counselling and Psychotherapy Research |language=en |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=965–981 |doi=10.1002/capr.12601 |issn=1473-3145|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A 2024 review outlined two principal models of deliberate practice training for mental health professionals.<ref>{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Clements-Hickman |firstfirst1=Alyssa L. |last2=Harris |first2=Kevin R. |date=2024 |title=Deliberate practice for psychotherapy skills: Recommendations and implications based on the state of the science. |url=https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/pro0000592 |journal=Professional Psychology: Research and Practice |language=en |volume=55 |issue=6 |pages=563–572 |doi=10.1037/pro0000592 |issn=1939-1323|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Better Results model, developed by Scott Miller, Mark Hubble, and Daryl Chow, leverages data from [[Feedback Informed Treatment]] to steer deliberate practice efforts.<ref>{{Cite book |lastlast1=Miller |firstfirst1=Scott D. |url=https://content.apa.org/books/16160-000 |title=Better results: Using deliberate practice to improve therapeutic effectiveness. |last2=Hubble |first2=Mark A. |last3=Chow |first3=Daryl |date=2020 |publisher=American Psychological Association |isbn=978-1-4338-3190-4 |___location=Washington |language=en |doi=10.1037/0000191-000}}</ref> The [https://sentio.org/innovation Sentio Supervision Model], created by the Sentio University Marriage and Family Therapy program in California, combines psychotherapy skill rehearsal with clinical videos and outcome data.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vaz |first=Alexandre |date=2024 |title=Time to Rethink Psychotherapy Training and Supervision: Deliberate Practice as a Missing Ingredient in our Field |url=https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.sepiweb.org/resource/resmgr/integrative_therapist/integrative_therapist-v10-1.pdf |journal=The Integrative Therapist |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=17-2417–24}}</ref>

== Deliberate practice versus physical preparation ==