Different Students Need Different Amounts of Practice

The amount of practice should be determined on the basis of each student's individual performance on each individual topic. Some students may end up having to do more work, but this ultimately empowers them to learn and continue learning into the future.

Lots of people in education – especially math education – completely lose their mind over stuff relating to individual differences between students.

But here’s a fact: different students often need different amounts of practice on different topics.

The amount of practice should be determined on the basis of each student’s individual performance on each individual topic.

Whenever a student has mastered a topic – meaning that they can consistently perform the corresponding skills accurately enough to continue layering more advanced skills on top – they should be allowed to move forward right away.

And, at the same time, if a student has not reached the point of mastery, they should not be pushed out of their depth and required to learn more advanced material that depends on component skills they haven’t yet mastered.

(When this happens, the student should be given a day’s rest before being asked to try again – but in the meantime, they should continue forward along other paths, learning advanced material that doesn’t depend on the skill they’re struggling with.)

Now here’s another fact that can be harder for some people to stomach:

While the amount of practice should be determined on the basis of each student’s individual performance on each individual topic, it does turn out that some students will tend to need more practice than others in a subject overall.

And that’s perfectly okay! That’s just the way life goes: some things come to us easily, while other things take more work, and that varies from person to person.

…aaaaaand this is where some people lose their heads: “requiring more work from some students is mEaN and unFaiR!”

No, it’s empowering.

You know what happens when a student doesn’t get the practice that they need to master the skills they’re being asked to learn?

They struggle.

Not just in the moment, but also into the future, indefinitely. The struggle compounds into an educational death spiral that closes the door on future learning and locks it shut.

Every time a student progresses into more advanced content without mastery of the foundations… well, that just puts another lock on the door to future learning.

THAT’s what’s mean and unfair: Not giving students the support they need to learn and continue learning.

In basically every area of functioning society, people practice as much as they need to clear a bar high enough to ensure future success.

Think about driving tests: if you can’t demonstrate the ability to drive in a lane, at the speed limit, while signaling your turns and obeying the rules of traffic, then you’re not allowed on the road.

If you fail the driving test, then you have to practice more, come back later, and try again.

Is that frustrating? Sure, but only in the moment.

It’s a hell of a lot better than advancing to the road without fundamental driving skills, which comes with serious long-term consequences.