Why do I have to do so many questions?

I believe in drill and kill.*

I hear this question from my students every year, "Why do I have to do so many?"

Constant repetitive practice is one thing that helps you remember something to the point it becomes automatic.

Think about athletes. How many foul shots do the best basketball free throw shooters take? How many dives, jumps, passes, and so on in order to make an athlete great?

So, for key topics that are fundamental and must be memorized I assign lots and lots of repetitive questions.

I even have a significant problem with a common modification for students who are on Individual Education Plans for some for of educational challenge. We often reduce the number of questions they do. I actually wonder if this hurts them. They get less practice. I suspect that some of them need more questions not less!

So, when you are in my class and you come to one of those assignments where I've assigned 20 of the exact same type of question, dig in. Whatever it is, it must be important.



*Not exclusively! We must pursue balance in all things!