Drill and practice

Drill and practice is a software that provides practice exercises to students. The software also provides immediate feedback on the students' correctness. The feedback can be simple as a text display or as elaborate as verbal explanations. Some programs are designed to go directly to the next item providing that the student enters the correct answer.

 

Types of drill functions include:

c
Flash card activity

    This function is the most basic. It allows students to answer questions one at a time, the students then get a positive or a negative feedback depending on their answer. If the answer is correct then the feedback will be a positive one, if it is wrong or incorrect then the feedback will be negative.

 

c
Branching drill

    The software is consisted of questions that are in different levels. The software takes students from the lower levels to the more advanced ones. This takes place only if the students are successful at each level. After successfully completing a level the software might allow the student to choose their next activity.

 

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  Extensive feedback activity
  

This function allows students to know exactly where they went wrong and why they got the problem wrong. This function is often mistaken for a tutorial, which provides instructions, but the drill is not a software designed for instruction but for practice.

 

A well designed drill and practice program should:

    c Allow students enough time to answer and to read and examine feedback before proceeding to the next question. The software should allow students to select the next question by pressing a key when they are ready to move on.

 

c It should allow the students to enter their opinions in the form of short answers rather than selecting an answer that the software provides. This will encourage critical thinking.

 

c The feedback must be appropriate since some drill software gives feedback that is too amusing when the answer is incorrect. When the software does this, the students deliberately answer the questions incorrectly so that they will be able tom see the amusing feedback.

 

The benefits of using drill and practice

1. The software allows students to receive immediate feedback whether or not the answer is correct. The feedback will help the students to identify where they went wrong and how to correct the mistake.
   

   
    

2. The software also motivates students to do the necessary practice that they may really need. The students might get demotivated when they have to write practice questions on paper but the computer tends to be creative and motivational. The students will enjoy working on it and the computer will not get impatient when the students consistently get the questions wrong. This will encourage the students to work harder and they will be allowed to work at their own pace.
   

   
    

3. It also saves the teacher time since the teacher does not have to correct the questions, the drill software automatically corrects the questions. The teacher can use this time to address other students' needs.
   

   
    

Limitations and problem

Some teachers use this software to introduce new topics rather than to practice the skills of the topic.

 

Source: M.D. Roblyer, 2006. " Integrating Education Technology Into Teaching"