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"For many dedicated to re-making our schools as hubs of dynamic innovation and creativity, getting good at math or science or literacy might be better found in techniques like inquiry-based learning, less emphasis on standardized testing, and avoiding the soul-numbing “drill and kill” exercises and worksheets used to instill basic skills.
But what if the right drill -- without the kill — actually encourages creativity?"
This post explores this question "does creativity come "after lots and lots of rote learning (also called practice) has built a solid foundation of skills."
It also presents the flip side of this issue, noting that aha moments, defined as "breakthroughs [that] come to people who have mastered an area" may not happen to a person who has "mastered something" since "their thinking about it often becomes locked in and it’s difficult for them to break out of this mental straightjacket."
And there is a third way to look at this issue, the belief that "a side-by-side combination of rote work and “aha” moments works better for students."
This post looks at work by Doug Lemov and Kurt Wooten as well as Daniel Willingham.
As educators we are concerned with how to best motivate our students, and this is an issue that impacts us daily. This post may challenge your thinking in a number of areas (and may move you to add some books to your list of summer readings). For more information on this topic click through to the post.