The importance of practice

Quiz item

Practice is a fundamental principle of learning, but it is often overlooked. Some teaching consists only of presenting information to be remembered. The problem is, without practice, it will not be remembered well or contribute to skill development.

Practice takes learning further by asking learners to use and reinforce their understanding. Participating in discussions, answering questions, solving problems, preparing reports, and engaging in cases or simulations are all forms of practice. The learning outcomes associated with these practice activities are at high levels, appropriate for taking with us to our work lives. 

If you expect learners to be able to perform tasks that are more complex than simply recalling information--like understanding, application, analysis, or evaluation--you will want to use these and other forms of practice in your training.