Deliberate Practice
Angela Duckworth's concept of "deliberate practice" emphasizes a structured, focused, and effortful approach to skill improvement. It involves principles that distinguish it from mere repetition or casual practice:
- Clear Goals: Each practice session targets a specific, well-defined aspect of the skill, allowing the practitioner to focus on measurable improvement.
- Full Concentration: Deliberate practice requires intense focus and avoids distractions. It is mentally taxing because it pushes beyond one's comfort zone.
- Immediate Feedback: Continuous and constructive feedback, whether from a coach, teacher, or self-assessment, is essential for identifying mistakes and refining techniques.
- Focus on Weaknesses: Instead of reinforcing strengths, deliberate practice intentionally targets areas of weakness, helping to overcome specific challenges.
- Repetition with Refinement: While repetitive, the emphasis is on high-quality repetition that incorporates learning from feedback and strives for gradual improvement.
- Sustained Effort Over Time: Improvement requires persistence and sustained effort, often over years, to develop true mastery.
Duckworth connects deliberate practice to her broader theory of grit—a combination of passion and perseverance—arguing that deliberate practice is a key driver of exceptional performance and long-term success. It is not just about working hard but working smart with a clear focus on improving the most challenging aspects of a skill.
Deliberate Coding Practice
Deliberate Practice may be easy to picture in fields such as athletics, spelling, or other tasks where perfection can be imagined and incremental gains toward that goal can be measured. But what about coding? What does perfect coding look like? We can imagine that perfect coding would go from concept to finished product without any checking, proofing, or debugging. Furthermore, it would be fast.
Of course, no one can code that way, but anyone can improve their skills through practice. Start by viewing the Sample Page. Then, in the form below, complete the HTML and CSS needed to recreate the sample page. When you believe your are finished, submit and see what your page looks like. How similar is it to the original? What mistakes did you make? How can you avoid making those mistakes again?