Talking about ‘drilling’ in education risks the response that it’s an outmoded concept consisting of mindless, boring, ‘rote learning’. I don’t believe it is, but drilling probably has a bad name, which it wouldn’t have if it were named ‘Practising-stuff-a-lot-so-it-sticks’ – I suspect that few would argue with the latter title, although it’s a bit more of a mouthful!
So, moving on from the title… Done badly, drilling can feel like a pointless use of time, but that’s true of almost any teaching technique teachers might use. We can give feedback badly (Dylan Wiliam makes the point that feedback done badly can actually harm learning), we can ask questions badly (just asking those students who always put up their hand), we can give praise badly (praising everything that moves, thoughtlessly), and we can explain things badly (by using lengthy, complex language that students find inaccessible). But we can also do all of those things really well; and so it is, I think, with drilling.
What is drilling?
By drilling, I mean specific kinds of teacher-led activity designed to ensure repeated practice of key knowledge. Drilling is almost always an oral activity, although it doesn’t have to be (there are plenty of writing drills out there, and physical skills drills in subjects such as Drama and Dance and PE). The key typical elements of a classroom activity that make it ‘drilling’ are repetition, pace and interactivity – getting everyone involved.
An example of drilling
Many people learned the times tables by drilling them. I certainly did. I think back and I remember repeating them after the teacher said them and also saying them myself – a lot! One times two is two; two times two is four, three times two is six; one times two is two; two times two is four… I remember the teacher almost barking it out, fast-paced, and I remember it as a noisy activity with everyone involved. Looking back, I think it was very effective – it certainly appeared to work for me and the vast majority of my Primary school class-mates, if not all of them.
Although it can be very effective, repetition of the times tables is admittedly a fairly basic, unsophisticated activity, but we can easily add more sophisticated layers to drilling as we proceed. For example, in oral work, choral repetition (the whole class repeating in chorus) is at the heart of drilling, but teachers will introduce complexity as they do it:
Choral repetition as drilling (this example assumes no prior knowledge of erosion, including of the word itself)
Teacher says… Erosion (emphasis at the start on how the word is said)
Class says… Erosion
Teacher Erosion, erosion, erosion
Class: Erosion, erosion, erosion
Teacher Erosion is the wearing away of earthen materials
Class Erosion is the wearing away of earthen materials
Teacher Erosion is the wearing away of earthen materials
Class Erosion is the wearing away of earthen materials
Teacher By natural forces
Class By natural forces
Teacher Erosion is the wearing away of earthen materials by natural forces
Class Erosion is the wearing away of earthen materials by natural forces
Teacher By natural forces such as wind and water
Class By natural forces such as wind and water etc…
Once the basics are done, the teacher will add some complexity to the process:
Finish my phrase/sentence
Teacher Erosion is… (teacher pauses, indicating that students should say the next phrase)
Class The wearing away of earthen materials
Teacher The wearing away of earthen materials by…? (teacher pauses)
Class The wearing away of earthen materials by natural forces such as wind and water etc…
For brevity, this is a simple example; in practice, well-done drilling may involve a huge amount of back and forth between teacher and students, including the whole class, groups of students and individual students. And it will certainly be done alongside other activities (in the case of erosion, diagrams are a powerful tool).
Why drilling works
Drilling works because:
– It involves repeated practice, which is essential for the mastery of key knowledge
– It’s hugely interactive – getting everyone involved is very important in teaching; it does of course need to be led by the teacher with a degree of enthusiasm, in order to work well!
– Individual students who may feel anxious or unconfident are encouraged to take part because everyone is doing it together at the same time; they’re just one of ‘the crowd’
– It’s lively and fun – it feels a bit like a game; we like to play games and they can help us learn
– Learners can feel it working in real time – the students in the class above will hopefully find after, literally, one to two minutes that they are able to repeat the definition of drilling. With retrieval practice, over time, the definition of erosion will stick in the long term memory, which is exactly where we want it. Clearly, a lot of other work will be done on the topic of erosion, using different techniques; the drilling is just one part of a much larger teaching and learning event; it doesn’t replace those other things.
Limitations of drilling
Drilling works best with factual knowledge that can be expressed briefly, such as short definitions, equations, formulae, translations of key words in languages and so on – but all subjects include basic concepts and short definitions, so I think it is applicable to all.
Used alongside the raft of other effective teaching techniques, drilling has its place, adding a (hopefully) engaging freshness to the teaching and learning process. It does take a while for students to get into the habit of drilling, but in my experience once they are, they are happy to do it and it pays dividends.
Mark Patterson, Principal, Hinchingbrooke School
