How We Learn

Practice Does NOT Make Perfect

Or, more precisely, practice makes perfect, but only BRIEFLY.

 

Sustained practice, and then you're in the ballpark of practice makes the kind of perfect I was hoping for.

I was going over my May 2011 SAT the other day and found myself nearly in tears over the fact that I couldn't begin to do the following problem:

Ok, it's a hard (for some of us),  but I'm pretty sure I could have answered that (or come close) a month or two ago. In fact, I even took pleasure in seeing these grizzly looking graph problems because I know they look evil.......and I could solve them (though it turns it was only for a brief moment in time).

Frustrated, I did a little research and discovered this article by Daniel Willingham: Practice Makes Perfect -- But Only If You Practice Beyond the Point of Perfection

The whole thing is worth reading, but here are a few quotes that resonated with me:

It is difficult to overstate the value of practice. For a new skill to become automatic or for new knowledge to become long-lasting, sustained practice, beyond the point of mastery, is necessary.

The unexpected finding from cognitive science is that practice does not make perfect. Practice until you are perfect and you will be perfect only briefly. What's necessary is sustained practice. By sustained practice I mean regular, ongoing review or use of the target material.......This kind of practice past the point of mastery is necessary to meet any of these three important goals of instruction: acquiring facts and knowledge, learning skills, or becoming an expert.

When we refer to "practice," it is important to be clear that it differs from play (which is done purely for one's own pleasure), performance (which is done for the pleasure of others), and work (which is done for compensation). Practice is done for the sake of improvement. Practice, therefore, requires concentration and requires feedback about whether or not progress is being made. Plainly put, practice is not easy. It requires a student's time and effort, and it is, therefore, worth considering when it is appropriate.

 

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
31 Comments | posted July 12th, 2011
 
 
  • http://twitter.com/akilbello Akil Bello

    test prep is sooo much like sports the analogies abound.. here is a quote for you

    Vince Lombardi - Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect...

  • Guest

    Please confirm the correct answer

    • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

      Correct Answer is E.  (is that what you thought? ;))

  • pckeller

    The SAT draws on standard archetypes repeatedly -- and this is one of them:  the funny-shaped graph that does not correspond to any single function you know (usually becasue it is designed "piece-wise" but you don't need to know that...) 

    When you see one of these, here's what you want to pop into your head immediately:
    1.  Functions have inputs that get assigned unique outputs
    2.  Inputs are along the x-axis
    3.  Outputs are along the y-axis

    With that in mind, the choices can be translated:

    I.  When the x value is b, the y value is zero

    II  When the x value is a, you get a bigger y value than when the x-value is c

    III The two y-values you get when you use x = a and x = 0 together add up to zero.

    Notice that once you understand how to read a function graph ,decidng which of these is true requires no more math than counting boxes! 

    • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

      Ok, am printing that out to hand write it and paste it above the kitchen sink (where I feel like I spend half of my time).

      For the moment, however briefly, I UNDERSTAND!

      And actually, it was your description of Functions in New Math SAT Game Plan that was my original "I get it" moment. (But then I lost it!).

      • http://postijen.myopenid.com/ Postijen

        It's those letters(parentheses) that make it look like it's insanely difficult!   And just to make it that tiniest bit harder, they put the y first up there in the graph and used 'g' instead of how you usually see f(x) = y   All those things combine to make you think this is some new and horrible problem.  It's not. 

        g(x) = y  just means (for the purposes of understanding these problems on the SAT, I'm no mathematician!)  that when you put in a value for x you will get that y.  Or in English  When x is ___ then y will be ____.

        So in the problem above:

        Choice I says: when x is b, y is 0 (true or false?) -->  find b on the x-axis of the graph, go up to the line, uh, yup, where x is b, y is 0, True  (Cross off B)

        Choice II says when 'x' is 'a', 'y' is bigger than 'y' when 'x' is 'c.'  Check it out -- at 'a', 'y' is 2 and at 'c' 'y' is 1.  2 > 1  Yupper!  (Cross out A and D)

        choice 3 translates to 'y' when 'x' is 'a'  plus 'y' when 'x' is '0'  so 2 + -2 = 0 True again! (Left with E as answer)

        • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

          Excellent, non-mathy solution.

          When my brain is working properly, that is actually how I think about it.  

  • Grelosmandarina

    I have a question, when it comes to math question, what  help do you use when you've answered a question and you get it right or wrong and want to known why they correct or false. where do you get your explanations,and do you copy them out? 

    • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

      GOOD question.  It turns out that you can get solutions on the College Board Website.  https://satonlinecourse.collegeboard.com/SR/home/bookOwnerArea.do  

      It took me six months to discover that and I believe I'm one of 5 people who appears to be aware of that essential fact.

      Before that, I was using the Khan Academy:  http://www.khanacademy.org/sat  
      Sometimes it helped, sometimes not.  For some reason, things don't stick deeply for me in video form.

      I have all of the solutions books that I could find on Amazon: http://www.khanacademy.org/sat  I think I like Tutor Ted for the math, but none of them are perfect.  And Klass drove me crazy.  

      And then, there's always the Q & A site over at PWNtheSAT.  http://qa.pwnthesat.com/ask  And he's the man.

      Oh, also, Kitchen Table Math:  http://kitchentablemath.blogspot.com/  If you get really stuck, ask one of those people.  They are super smart.  But really, PWN and all of the other resources above should give you all the solutions.

      • pckeller

        Also, for the blue book and most of the online course tests, the problems have been hashed out multiple times at collegeconfidential.  I find that if you google search a distinctive phrase from a question, your 1st hits will be collegeconfidential and yahoo answers -- and usually you can find multiple ways of looking at any given problem!

        • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

          Right.  I've never used College Confidential for the math -- but I know plenty of people who do.  Thanks.

      • Grelosmandarina

        Thanks for the help! it was really useful and I agree with you; Khan Academy is useless and the narrator is dull. I have another question,hope it isn't senseless.  when you finish an exam, do you revise it right away or proceed to answer another test?

        • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

          I'm obsessed with revising it right away.  I feel like the sooner I revise, the better. I actually just do a section, then revise, section, revise.  I know others say take the whole test, but I like to correct as I go along.  I'm going on gut though.  I don't have any scores to back up that this method works! 

          • http://postijen.myopenid.com/ Postijen

             I'd agree -- that's part of what makes it practice, the correcting it and figuring it out soon after you did it.  I sometimes tell students to do all of the same type of section together, too, when practicing.  That is, if doing three sections in one day, do all three in math. 

            Every now and then you could do a "real test" situation test, but I think that's more important for HS students who aren't used to sitting for hours on end taking tests than for grown-ups! 

          • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

            Interesting observation about grown-ups being more used to sitting for long periods than teenagers  Good point, and glad to hear you don't find it as essential for me to do a full practice test, because I really dread that! 

            I'm actually out of Kumon sheets, so I'm going to hit some college board material this morning, then off to appointments, rest of my day etc.  I will try your method (i.e. one subject then correct rather than jumping around from section to section, which is my natural inclination!).

          • http://postijen.myopenid.com/ Postijen

            I have had students who would come with a completed practice test without having scored it. Honestly, how do you do that?  Not the slightest curiosity over how you'd done?! 

          • Anonymous

            Happens to me all the time. Why should they be bothered if they know there's someone who can do it for them? 

  • Rick

    Hey Debbie, 

    I just read part of your blog. Very interesting challenge you have put yourself in! I would like to recommend this book. It's called Tutor Ted's SAT Solutions Manuel and it has all the solutions of the blue book (CB's Official Book) and its great for math (because it sketches out diagrams if you have a hard time visualizing some problems) and writing. The book pokes some jokes making SAT a little enjoyable. I cannot say for reading, but I am going to use it this summer  to improve my pathetic score in reading (550 :( ). I actually saw you are good at reading and was wondering for any tips to help me in reading because I just suck. 

    • Rick

      I cannot say for reading because I didn't attempt to improve in that section*

    • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

      Thanks.  I've got that book!  I think it's probably the best one (next to CB's own solution).  Re Reading, make sure you read EVERYTHING Erica Meltzer has to say on the matter: http://www.ultimatesatverbal.blogspot.com/  

      Are you missing on the Vocab?  If so, do critical reading sections and highlight every single word you don't know and study them and use them in sentences every day.  Do you have a test that you can see what kinds of questions you're missing?  (i.e. inferential? Compare two passages? Main Idea?).

      Erica will help with all of that!  But practice practice practice.

      Everyone says to read sophisticated material.  I guess so.....but for the reading passages, I find it's best to read, the reading passages.

      • Rick

        Thanks for the advice! I will look into Erica Meltzer. I think its both vocab and the reading in general. I was planning on memorizing the back of Tutor Ted's vocab he defines for each practice test and then getting Direct Hits and memorizing any vocab I might not know from there. Hopefully I can get a decent score in reading and writing (650+) in October as that is my last chance before I apply to colleges. I actually have pdfs of the QAS tests from 2005-2008 and the January 2011 test. Let me know if you need them!  

        • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

          My son liked Direct Hits (though I can't say he's using it).  Definitely read Erica's whole site about critical reading and the SAT, take her advice, buy her book when it goes on sale (a few days from now), and if you're in New York and can afford a few sessions with her, I'd say she's well worth every red cent.  I have met with her a few times (though haven't taken an SAT since our meetings) and find her advice to be life changing (at least in terms of SAT critical reading).  The few tips I passed on to my son seemed to help him a lot too.

          I've written a little bit about what I've learned from my sessions with her:

          http://perfectscoreproject.com/2011/06/im-having-relationship-issues/
          http://perfectscoreproject.com/2011/06/the-four-types-of-relationships/
          http://perfectscoreproject.com/category/solutions/

          I will write more about them when I have time.  I've got tons of notes to transcribe from our sessions -- just not enough hours in the day.

          But man, it's hard.  I will tell you that (and I'm a voracious reader and spent decades in book publishing).  Hard.  Not easy.  She does make it easier though.

          • Rick

            Thank you Debbie for those very useful notes! I appreciate it alot! What about grammar? I kinda of need to improve in that as well. 

          • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

            Oh, boy, grammar.  Well, the good news is that I think that's easier to learn than the reading.  DEFINITELY buy Erica's book when it goes on sale.  That's exactly what it is and it is a masterpiece of SAT grammar ;)  Her site too.

            If you scroll through the posts on the Solutions page of this site, You will find a bunch of tips in "debbie words" (not Erica's proper terms!)  http://perfectscoreproject.com/category/solutions/  

            I have gobs more to add, and you have inspired me to get to it, but I'm running right now.  late late late!

            More later, and nudge me if I forget ;)

          • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier
          • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier
  • Agjacobson

    If they give you a graph of a function, it's a wonderful thing. You just have to look at the graph. It's like a phone book with all the numbers right on a diagram. You can look up all the values. So when the problem refers to g(a), you find a, then look up where g(a) is. Go to a, then look up or down over a to see where the graph crosses x=a, and that's g(a). It's like looking up a's phone number g(a). The phone book is also a kind of function where the input is a name and the output is a 10-digit code. Allfunctions involve either computing a value, or looking up a. Value. Then, when you get the value, you can test the assertions of the problem.

    • http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

      I LOVE all of these amazingly simplified explanations for function problems.  I seriously think I need to print them ALL out and write them ALL down.....and then, MAYBE, they will stick.  Maybe.

      THANK U!!

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