Many "educrats" decry what they sarcastically describe as the "drill and kill" method of fact learning. They argue that drilling kills the sense of wonder and discovery of "real" learning. But we all know we need to be able to recall facts or perform certain mental or physical acts without thinking. A musician cannot play fluently without drilling scales and finger techniques, nor can an athlete develop reflexive skills without drilling certain physical movements.
Drilling is nothing more than focused, repetitive practice. Its purpose is to help students gain confidence and improve their skills. I will admit that drilling for its own sake is boring and can kill off motivation. If you practice scales and finger techniques, but never play a tune, eventually you would say "to heck with this!" If an athlete drilled for hours everyday, but never played a game, his reaction would be the same.
Nevertheless, drilling makes the difficult easy. Consistent, correct practice eventually leads to the freedom to be creative in ways that would otherwise have been impossible.
In order to be meaningful, drilling has to lead to something greater than itself. Scales lead to playing tunes, batting practice leads to standing at the diamond waiting for the pitch. In education, fact drilling should lead to application, analysis, and and other higher ordered thinking.
Drilling or practice doesn't have to be boring. Nor does everything require drill. According to Willingham, teachers need to implement drilling in a way "that students find maximally useful and interesting."
"Odd as it may seem, that sort of practice (drilling) is essential to schooling. It yields three important benefits: it reinforces the basic skills that are required for the learning of more advanced skills, it protects against forgetting, and it improves transfer.
More later.
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