Jackie’s blog

Read a fascinating article the other day about Malcolm Gladwell’s new book ‘Outliers: The Story of Success’ in which he talks about hugely talented and successful people not being born as geniuses but rather developing their talents through some very serious practice. He says:

This idea - that excellence at a complex task requires a critical, minimum level of practice - surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is a magic number for true expertise: 10,000 hours.

“In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals,” writes the neurologist Daniel Levitin, “this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years… No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”

I found this hugely reassurring. How often have I heard people say things like ‘It’s okay for them, they were born clever, everything comes easy to them’ and ‘I have never been any good at anything’. Well maybe the reason for that is that you just haven’t devoted enough time to trying to master it. I really do believe that if we want something we have to be prepared to throw some time and effort at getting it. Clearly there are times when we might be barking up the wrong tree (and this is where feedback from others is really helpful) but if we get serious and commit to putting in the hours there is no reason why we cannot become ‘great’ at the things we choose to do!

I have an interview tomorrow for a Learning Fellowship at the university where I work. It’s funny really but you would think that someone who does the sort of work I do would sail through interviews without a single twitch or moment of blankness. Not so. As I prepare for it today I can feel my nerves jangling already. It’s a nice feeling though. Why? Well because I happen to think it is really important to ‘walk the walk’ when you ‘talk the talk’. What do I mean? Well how many people are out their giving talks on how to ace interviews when they haven’t had one in ages. It’s only by doing these things yourself that you get reminded of exactly how it feels to have to sell yourself to a panel of strangers.

One of the things I am going to be asked about (they sent an outline of what is being covered) is what in particular is special about my approach to teaching. One thing I am planning on saying is that as a teacher I have a real empathy for my students and what they are up against when trying to sort out their careers. That is no hollow claim actually. I have spent the last year refocusing my own career and making changes to downsize, learn new stuff and expand into new roles. I have always been very hands on about my own career path. It is all very challenging and, do you know what - I love it. The feeling of being in control of your own career no matter how stormy the employment seas, is quite wonderful. It isn’t easy, I know, but I want my students to have that feeling - in fact I am passionate about my students having that feeling and I bring that to my teaching too. So back to the interview … have I done my preparation? Yes? Am I ready? As I’ll ever be. Will I get it? Yes!

Will keep you posted.