In sailing, among other disciplines I would think, there is the concept of “one degree.” The idea that if you are off by one degree here, in 60 miles (or some distance/amount of time) you will be off your target by 1 mile. That’s huge.
Now, how can we apply that in professional development and skill development?
What is we could be 1 degree better now, not trying to right the whole ship right now, but getting it on a track toward a desired goal, just by a bit at a time.
In my undergrad class, I’ve taken to asking them to rate themselves after a practice session. For example, I ask them to rate the level of accuracy from 1-5 (1 being inaccurate and 5 being 100% accurate) and then to rate themselves on completeness from 1-5 (1 being incomplete and 5 being complete).
As we debrief and prepare for the next round of practice, I encourage them to think about how to improve their practice by half to a full point on the rating scale. We won’t solve it all at once, but we can make progress toward it little by little.
Thoughts on “1 degree better?” How does it apply to your students? How does it apply to you? As a practitioner and/or teacher/mentor?
(originally published in Amanda’s Museletter, Volume 1, Issue 2, Feb 2023)
Amanda's Musings 
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