back to Year 11 – Class of 2025
‘It’s about doing, not just knowing’.
Anders Ericsson, a psychologists, defines deliberate practice as pushing beyond our comfort zones to practice a specific goal, with the support of expert coaches who provide feedback.
We are all capable of becoming experts but it requires hard work and repeated practice. ‘To be successful requires a relentless consistency and a willingness to change’ – Tiger Woods.
We know practice is important – that’s why we have launched the ‘Passport to Success’.
It makes sense to say that if you don’t do any of that practice outside of the classroom, you won’t perform as well. But some of you might find it hard to work at home, on exam questions, for many reasons, and so we want to provide you with the opportunity to practice in school, where you can get support, if you need it.
Some of you might lack motivation. We can increase our motivation both extrinsically (rewards such as vouchers/prom tickets) and intrinsically (the good feeling that comes from finishing something and seeing yourself improve). The Passport to Success initiative will provide both types of motivation for you.
Extrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation
When you complete a piece of work, you will receive immediate feedback from a subject expert (remember, feedback = 1 grade improvement). Effective feedback over time increases your grade potential by nearly a whole grade. Also, the more practice you have, the more you’ll understand the steps to take with each different type of question, that lead to higher marks. This is known as metacognitive learning. When you do this, your grade potential also increases by nearly a whole grade.
The best thing about the passport to success and ‘Practice for Mastery’ is that it will increase your levels of confidence and change your thinking about your ability to do well. If you have strong self-belief, this has the potential to increase your grade by nearly one and a half!
We hope we’ve convinced you that Practice for Mastery will help you to secure fantastic outcomes and life-long opportunities.
“If you think you can, you probably can. If you think you can’t, well that self-limiting and self-fulfilling belief might well stop you doing something you’re perfectly capable of doing.” – Albert Bandura, Canadian Psychologist
Sign me up!
The Practice for Mastery sessions run each Wednesday and Thursday, from 15.15 to 16.00. Your form tutor will help you sign up to the sessions during tutor time.
The practice takes place in the Sixth Form block.
You will sign up for a two-week cycle for the same subject. The first week will focus on rehearsal and the second week will focus on practice. Remember, you will earn stamps for each session attended. The stamps add up to earn the rewards available.
If you need help, there are teachers on hand and sixth form subject experts who can also give you a hand.
Lastly, don’t worry about being too hungry/thirsty to work, we provide refreshments each night, to keep you going.
We look forward to seeing you there!
