After reading James Paul Gee’s work, one of the learning principles that I can connect most with would be the practice principle. This learning principle explains that with more practice and experience with the things that interest you most, you can succeed. This principle works best with me in numerous ways, including school, work, and almost everything in my life. With school, if I do not understand a topic or something going on, I would just continue practicing different problems or ask others for help until I completely understand what I am learning. The learning process can be challenging and take time, but constant practice can help you understand. With a lot of practice with things that interest you, you can provide a better outcome than a topic with no interest. For work, I would pursue as much practice as possible to try to level up at the establishment. Without trying and putting in the effort, there will not be a successful outcome; however, more effort and practice put into the job can entail a better future with something I enjoy. Also, learning something can open your mind to new ideas that may not have been thought of, and more practice and experience can help you pursue what you enjoy. We continuously learn whether we are interested or not, but with more practice, a better understanding of something can provide a successful outcome.
Tag: practice
Practice Makes Perfect
James Paul Gee’s practice principle highlights that it is significant to practice things you are interested in. Gee indicates that those spending lots of time on certain tasks that they enjoy and consistently practicing things that do not bore them will ultimately lead to their success. The practice principle resonates with me the most because I use it most frequently in my everyday life. I would like to say all the skills I have acquired are through practice. I believe everything I have gained a deep sense of knowledge on I have done so through thorough practice over a prolonged time. When practicing something boring or of little interest to you, staying motivated and wanting to advance in the task becomes hard. I enjoy drawing and painting. However, this skill did not come to me overnight. It took consistent practice and redos to finally achieve pieces of art I am satisfied with. My interest in getting better motivated me to continue making sketches, whether they came out how I wanted them to. This artistic literacy takes time and practice but allows me to understand the necessity of “trial and error.”Gee also mentions the ongoing learning principle, which, in my opinion, is necessary to ensure success. Our minds and ideas constantly grow as we grow; thus, we never stop learning. Personally, an example that relates to my daily life would be trends and social media in general. As time moves on, social media and trends continue to change, which, in turn, we adapt to. When social media evolves, and new media is created, I grow with it and unlearn old habits to get used to new ones. Developing a mastery of a certain skill by using ongoing learning and practice goes hand in hand. You need both to be successful, and both consist of working on something that gives you purpose and redefines what that purpose means to you.
