What We Learn To Do, We Learn By Doing

I believe that this quote articulates the value of personal experience when attempting to learn. I also interpret this quote as implying that we are best able to learn through a hands-on-approach. I would like to advance this idea from a coaching perspective, rather than from a classroom teacher’s perspective. As a football coach there is not a truer statement than, “what we learn to do, we learn by doing” when it comes to teaching. First, let me explain our football program’s teaching progression:

1. Verbal Introduction
2. Chalkboard
3. Film
4. Walk Through with Adjustments
5. Individual Drill Work
6. Group
7. Team
8. Scrimmage
9. Game

Due to the effectiveness of this type of instruction I have attempted to implement
this type of progression into my classroom teachings. What I have noticed when it comes to teaching is that you can talk about what you are supposed to do all day, you can watch all the film in the world and draw as many pictures as you want, but players (students) will not truly learn without doing. And doing it through mass repetition. It is steps 4 through 9 that play the biggest role in learning.

Once students have done their assignment, and done it many times, then their processing speed begins to increase. As I have heard many players explain through their own testimonies, the game begins to slow down once they have experienced their assignment again and again. I believe this is true regardless of what environment you are attempting to learn in.

I think Mr. Kommer’s very interesting lecture on the brain also reinforces the idea that we learn by doing. The more stimuli that you present to the mind and the more you emphasize the piece of information that you are trying to learn, the more likely you are to incorporate that fact into short term memory and soon after long term memory.