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Practice, practice, practice

I am a product of the old Indian education system. This system laid a lot of emphasis on practice. Therefore, we have practiced a ton of writing, a ton of maths (including tables) and a ton of writing in regional languages. We have practiced by recitation and by learning.

Therefore, the net result of it is that today if you ask me (or most of who have learnt this way) many of our concepts are clear in our head. Like multiplication for example. And a few other things that are now 'unconscious competence'.

But somewhere along the way, someone came and changed the system to what it is today - which is bit wishy washy in some ways and very good in some other ways.

But interestingly, something called Kumon (the history is worth reading) has come up - which to me, looks like the stuff we did in school - and that is repeating a concept until it is 'unconscious competence'.

So, what the government and academics disposed off thinking is not good for kids has now come back in the form of a foreign methodology (and at a premium price) and it looks like it has many takers - markets rush in where schools fear to tread.

And btw, this is exactly what coaching classes do - practice until you get something down to the level of 'unconscious competence'. And who said that is bad to do. Every athlete, every singer, everybody who is somebody at something has got there with practice.

Talent is overrated, discipline is underrated.

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