Imagine the journey of an expert in any field.
- They begin their first year in a giant group of beginners.
- As they moved forward, those groups get smaller.
- They work closer and closer with teachers and coaches.
- Eventually, they work one-on-one with a guide.
- Perhaps they even have multiple coaches helping them get better.
As we gain expertise, we work closer with experts in smaller groups.
Experts Need Guidance
The best in the world need hands-on guidance!
- Yo Yo Ma didn’t become an expert cellist just by playing his cello alone in the corner. His instructor (aka his dad) purposefully led him through Bach suites two measures at a time as a kid.
- Damian Lillard, basketball star for my own Portland Trailblazers, learned to shoot from half-court (!) under the guidance of two instructors – not just by practicing on his own.
- My cousin, who has a master’s degree in piano performance, still takes private piano lessons! I asked him, “What the heck do you practice?” And he named three weaknesses his tutor had identified. My cousin wouldn’t have spotted these problems had he just practiced on his own.
The more advanced the learner, the more advanced the content, and the more careful the guidance needs to be.
When I went to college, I was put in an honors program. My college did not say, “Wow, this kid has potential. He should work independently in the corner!” Quite the opposite! They partnered me up with a professor to guide me — we met every week in his office and constantly exchanged emails.
Whether they’re athletes, artists, builders, or university students, as people advance, their teachers pull them closer to offer more guidance.
Yet, Ian Did The Opposite
So why did I do the exact opposite with the most obviously advanced students in my class?
In my class, the more advanced the student was, the more likely you’d find them skipping instruction and working by themselves in a corner.
- You are a brilliant writer! Go write a story by yourself in the corner. I’ll (maybe) read it when you’re finished!
- You have a knack for science! Go do an independent research report. Come up with your own questions!
- What a fantastic mathematician you are! Look through this book and find a math project to follow on your own. I’ll come by later to check in.
When my students showed great potential, I let them work by themselves, run their own research projects, and be as independent as possible. That is the opposite of what happens in every other domain!
My students’ “research projects” were these self-guided independent projects that had little structure and were rarely finished. But my own research project at college was the one time I sat with a professor by myself every single week!
Why was my class so different from even my own experience as a student, musician, and athlete?
The Truth
To be honest, I was overwhelmed by these advanced kids! I didn’t know what to do with them. They finished the worksheet, so I sorta pushed them to the side and let them fend for themselves.
So consider again how real experts get better:
- Yo Yo Ma’s dad worked with him two-measures-at-a-time to learn Bach suites on the cello.
- Damian Lillard’s two coaches gave him specific feedback to improve his half-court accuracy in basketball.
- My cousin hired a tutor to find specific holes in his piano playing, even after earning a master’s degree.
There are three things I pull out here:
- Students need tasks that will make them stretch. That means designing high ceiling, low floor tasks.
- Students need attention. Tasks with a high ceiling give me a reason to spend time each week purposefully working with my advanced students in a small group, because small group instruction is not just for struggling kids.
- Students need useful feedback. With an appropriately interesting task, I can say to my highest-ability kid, “This is great so far, but here’s something you can keep working on” rather than my typical, “Wow! Perfect again! Now, uh, go read by yourself in the corner…”