There are No Shortcuts to ‘Getting in the Game’ ![]() By: Michelle Rogers-Johnson, Ph.D. Educational Specialist What if the only opportunity Steph Curry ever had to practice his three-pointers was during an actual game? Better yet, what if he never explicitly practiced shooting three-pointers, but just practiced playing the game in general (e.g. running up and down the court, shooting whenever someone gave him the ball)? Would he still be the reigning MVP? I doubt it. While it might seem effortless, Curry, puts in hundreds of hours engaged in deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is focused attention on specific skills authentic to the competence you want to develop. The idea is that it’s much more efficient to become competent at complex skills, when you break down the task into smaller subskills and practice those skills separately (Ericsson, 2004; Ericsson, 2008). Feedback is another critical element of deliberate practice. So, Curry spends hours dribbling the ball, shooting free throws, rebounding, in addition to his infamous three-pointers. He gets ongoing feedback from his coaches and teammates so that he can improve. The game is the assessment that provides Curry an opportunity to demonstrate his skills so that he can identify areas for additional practice. Developing as a healthcare professional is similar to acquiring competence in any field. Practice is critical. And not just any ole kind of practice, but deliberate practice, with feedback. If Curry doesn’t engage in deliberate practice, that has little effect on society. This isn’t the case for health professionals. Are students receiving adequate deliberate practice throughout the curriculum? Is the deliberate practice effective? If yes, great! If not, are there opportunities to collaborate with others on campus to better support student skill development?
References Ericsson, K. A. (2004). Deliberate practice and the acquisition and maintenance of expert performance in medicine and related domains. Academic medicine, 79(10), S70-S81. Ericsson, K. A. (2008). Deliberate practice and acquisition of expert performance: a general overview. Academic emergency medicine, 15(11), 988-994.
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AuthorCenter for Teaching and Learning staff Archives
May 2017
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