Willingham on the Value of Practice

Practice Makes Perfect--But Only If You Practice Beyond the Point of Perfection, by Daniel T. Willingham (American Educator, spring 2004

Some evidence that a great deal of practice, and not just talent, is a prerequisite for expertise is the "ten year rule," which states that individuals must practice intensively for at least 10 years before they are ready to make a substantive contribution to their field. What about prodigies like Mozart, who began composing at the age of six? Prodigies are very advanced for their age, but their contributions to their respective fields as children are widely considered to be ordinary. It is not until they are older (and have practiced more) that they achieve the works for which they are known.

How are such studies relevant to the average student? Few students will become a Mozart, Shakespeare, or Einstein, but if we want children to understand and appreciate excellence, we would do well to send the message that excellence requires sustained practice. The athletes and artists revered by many students excel not solely by virtue of their talent, but because of their hard work. Edison remarked that "genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." The relative percentages of talent and practice are unclear, but the necessity of long periods of focused practice to exploit inborn talent is not.

Comments

[KDeRosa]

typo alert -- Willingham

[wackyvorlon]

I have seen brilliant people stagnate, while their achievements were bested by much less intelligent individuals. There is no other reason than the less intelligent person doing more work.

With enough practice, you can do just about anything.