In 1994, Paramount Pictures released the movie, Forrest Gump. At the end of the awards season, this incredible movie racked up 74 nominations and 51 wins. Rarely does this movie come up in conversation that someone does not pull a favorite or memorable quote from the film. For today’s blog, we want to call your attention to the first time Forrest describes his relationship with Jenny. He describes their relationship as, “Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.” Today, we want to unpack the peas and carrots of teaching and learning: clarity and practice.
Clarity and practice are like peas and carrots.
In our last blog, we unpacked the latest research on clarity and how the four essential components of clarity form the cornerstone of effective learning. When our learning experiences, explanations, examples, and plan for generating evidence is clearly articulated, there is a greater potential that we engage in deliberate practice—a focused, systematic approach to accelerating learning. This peas and carrots relationship between clarity and deliberate practice creates powerful learning environments where students thrive. Let’s explore how clarity enhances the way we foster, nurture, and sustain practice that transforms student learning.
So, what is deliberate practice?
Deliberate practice is not merely repetition; it’s purposeful, structured, and designed to improve learning (Ericsson et al., 1993). Unlike simply going through the motions, deliberate practice requires focused attention, specific learning intentions and success criteria, effective feedback, and continuous opportunities to refine the learning based on that feedback. According to Ericsson and Pool (2016), deliberate practice involves “pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and continuing to refine your technique with the help of a teacher [coach or mentor] who can provide feedback to correct your approach” (p. 98). This approach has been demonstrated to develop expertise across domains from music to mathematics.
When our learning experiences, explanations, examples, and plan for generating evidence is clearly articulated, there is a greater potential that we engage in deliberate practice—a focused, systematic approach to accelerating learning.
Yet, research that demonstrates this powerful approach to practicing is not worth the paper it is written on if we can’t translate the conclusions into our classrooms. This means we must not only ensure our practice opportunities are truly deliberate, but we must ensure learners will engage in those practice opportunities. In other words, they must eat the peas and carrots.
Let’s start with the peas, clarity.
For our learners to engage in deliberate practice effectively, clarity is a must. When learning intentions, success criteria, and feedback mechanisms are clearly communicated, students can direct their practice with precision.
Learning Intentions. Research continues to show that when students understand the what and why of their learning, their practice becomes more focused and effective. Clear learning targets provide the “what” of deliberate practice—the learning that is expected. Furthermore, the “why” provides a sense of relevancy that potentially improves motivation to practice. But we cannot stop there. We need to ensure that learners have a clear understanding of what success looks like in the learning experience.
Success Criteria. Clarity extends beyond objectives to include concrete descriptions of what success looks like. Success criteria come in many different forms from “I-can statements” to providing exemplars and rubrics that help our learners visualize the target, allowing them to compare their current work against the standard and adjust and refine the learning based on practice and feedback. When success criteria are transparent, students can self-assess more accurately during practice sessions. This clarity transforms learning intentions like “learning about photosynthesis” into specific targets like “explain the role of energy in photosynthesis”.
Pulling together learning intentions and success criteria, there are a few strategies we can do tomorrow to enhance the potential for power practice in our classrooms.
- Ensure we have learning intentions and success criteria for each learning experience AND share it with our learners. Marzano (2017) once said, “I’m continually amazed at how even a small increase in clarity can dramatically improve student focus during practice activities (p. 36).”
- Utilize worked examples. Providing step-by-step demonstrations of expert performance creates clarity around processes and standards. Research by Sweller et al. (2011) shows that worked examples reduce cognitive load, allowing students to focus their practice on specific elements rather than the entire complex task at once.
- Check the quality of your rubrics. Rubrics that clearly articulate quality levels provide students with navigational tools for their practice. Andrade (2000) found that students who received and discussed clear rubrics before practice sessions produced higher quality work and demonstrated greater metacognitive awareness.
- Use technology to enhance clarity. Digital tools have expanded our ability to provide clarity in learning. For example, video tutorials allow students to revisit demonstrations, enhancing clarity around procedures. Learning management systems make learning targets and success criteria continuously accessible. And finally, digital feedback tools provide timely, specific guidance for practice refinement. Research by Wisniewski et al. (2020) indicates that technology-mediated feedback can be particularly effective when it provides clear guidance for improvement rather than just evaluative information.
Feedback That Fuels Practice. If you recall at the start of this blog, deliberate practice is highly contingent on feedback. Feedback leads to refinement. Clarity in feedback is perhaps the most crucial element connecting clarity to deliberate practice. The seminal work of Hattie and Timperley’s (2007) indicates that the most powerful feedback answers three questions: Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next? This clarity creates a roadmap for practice. “When teachers provide clear, criterion-referenced feedback, students can engage in deliberate practice with purpose rather than blindly repeating the same mistakes,” explains Wiliam (2011, p. 127). Effective feedback must be:
- Timely enough to influence the next practice session.
- Specific to the learning intention and success criteria.
- Actionable for the student (i.e., answer the question, where to next?).
Let’s go back to our metaphor of peas and carrots. Remember, putting peas and carrots together and on the plate of our learners does not guarantee that they will eat them. So, our final topic of conversation in this blog is getting our learners to eat the peas and carrots. How do we increase the possibility that our learners will engage in deliberate practice. Again, clarity is at the root of this answer. See what we did there? Carrots…a root vegetable? Anyway.
Beyond the practical advantages, clarity provides psychological benefits that enhance deliberate practice including upping self-efficacy and increasing motivation. Let’s look at each one separately.
Increased Self-Efficacy. When students clearly understand what they’re working toward, their confidence in their ability to achieve it increases. Bandura’s (1997) research demonstrates that self-efficacy is a powerful predictor of persistence during challenging practice sessions. Clarity promotes self-efficacy by establishing clear learning intentions and achievable success criteria, reducing uncertainty that can cause anxiety. When students understand what they’re working toward and how to get there, they feel more capable and confident. This increased belief in their abilities motivates them to engage in deliberate practice, knowing their efforts will yield meaningful progress.
Notice we used the term achievable success criteria. The criteria must be just right. Not too hard, not too easy, but just right.
Enhanced motivation. Ryan and Deci’s (2000) self-determination theory suggests that autonomy, competence, and relatedness drive intrinsic motivation. Clarity supports all three by giving students agency in their practice (autonomy), a clear path to improvement (competence), and shared understanding with teachers and peers (relatedness).
“The uncertainty that comes from unclear expectations creates anxiety that inhibits effective practice,” notes Dweck (2006, p. 193). “Clarity creates the psychological safety necessary for students to stretch themselves.”
So, what can we do tomorrow to enhance self-efficacy and motivation? And no, it doesn’t involve the airplane game or covering the peas and carrots in cheese just get learners to eat their peas and carrots. Instead, try these strategies out in your own classroom:
- Focus on relevancy – Connect practice activities directly to the learner’s personal goals or authentic applications.
- Chunking – Divide complex concepts, skills, and understandings into smaller, achievable chunks that provide regular wins and visible progress.
- Create accountability – Establish consistent check-ins or practice partners to maintain momentum and commitment.
- Celebrate growth – Regularly acknowledge and highlight improvements, no matter how small, to reinforce the value of consistent practice.
Pulling It All Together.
The relationship between clarity and deliberate practice creates a powerful combination that has the potential to accelerate learning. When we have clarity about the day’s learning and share that clarity with our learners, we equip students with the tools needed for effective deliberate practice. Literally, this clarity transforms random repetition into purposeful action.
Our commitment to clarity isn’t merely about communication—it’s about creating the conditions where deliberate practice can flourish. This means we are not just putting peas and carrots on the plate. We are creating the conditions for our learners are eating them.
References
Andrade, H. G. (2000). Using rubrics to promote thinking and learning. Educational Leadership, 57(5), 13-18.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363-406.
Ericsson, A., & Pool, R. (2016). Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.
Marzano, R. J. (2017). The new art and science of teaching. Solution Tree Press.
