Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Outliers & the 10,000 Hour Rule

Haley Scholar Reading Groups

Readers have found the ideas that Gladwell raises in chapter two of Outliers quiet fascinating. In particular, they have been drawn to Gladwell’s discussion of the “10,000 hour rule,” that is, the notion that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice for a person to gain a truly remarkable mastery of a given skill. In other words, people would have to work on perfecting their skills for approximately 20 hours a week over the course of 10 years in order to acquire and display exceptional degrees of expertise.

Gladwell cites the early careers of computer whizzes Bill Joy and Bill Gates and The Beatles as examples of people who had achieved success in large part because they had achieved their 10,000 hours of practice. It’s worth noting that those who gain those 10,000 hours of practice have unique resources and vital networks of support and opportunity.

What’s a useful or creative way that we could start thinking about the 10,000 hour rule or at least something comparable in terms of an extended commitment to a field of study or talent here at SIUE? Is something comparable (hundreds of hours as opposed to ten thousand) even possible given the demands and perhaps distractions of a general college education?

30 comments:

Stephanie M said...

A way in which we could start thinking about the 10,000 hour rule or at least something comparable is to maybe put forth 30 minutes of extra studying a day not including Fridays. So, with this extra thirty minutes, students would get an extra 2 hours of studying a week and within the 15 or so week semester could lead to an extra 30 hours of studying. Although this is not a rigorous as the 10,000 hour rule, it could lead to better understanding and knowledge of the material. With the college lifestyle, it is nearly impossible to put in the 10,000 hours while attempting to balance family, school, friends, and relationships.

Beau Butzirus said...

The 10,000 hour rule is comparable to being a college student. Every hour you spend in the classroom, you should spend at least three hours outside of class studying. When you put in the extra study time you will eventually become a master at whatever you are studying. It is not possible for the typical college student to get the 10,000 hours of practice because they have extra curricular activities and social life to attend to.

Cara C. said...

The 10,000 hour rule can be compared to being a college student quite easily. To be able to succeed in college, one must spend hour after hour studying to be successful in their classes. Finding this much time to study can be difficult to do while considering other parts of life. You may not spend 10,000 hours studying in your college career, but you do have to spend many hours studying to successfully get through college.

Cara C.

neir said...

The 10,000 hour rule is simply stating to master anything you have to practice for that many hours. As a student I understand that when I get to my 10,000 hour i will have mastered my career field. Professional Athletes have all applied this rule to get where they are now.

Rachael Obernuefemann said...

I personally believe that the 10,000 hour rule is very creditable. People who spend their due amount of time, work, and effort on a certain skill, should gain success from it. The same routine could be applied at SIUE but in a different context. Everyone say that for every hour someone spends in the classroom, they need to spend three hours studying the material in depth. If every student followed this rule religiously, they would me masters in their field of study.

Ridge Lin said...

The 10,000 rule is a very interesting theory. This explains that is one person spend 10,000 plus hours on something such as studying or practicing, they will become masters of that subject. Its very interesting, the way they presented the facts and how they are saying that one must have talent, hard work, and series of lucky events unfold before them for them to become successful. While reading the chapter, it made me want to spend more hours studying for college because I am driven to graduate. This new theory helps drive my will of studying and preparing mentally for the exams that I will later encounter.

Christina Rojas said...

It's probably nearly impossible to apply the 10,000 rule to a college student. However, students can at least attempt to reach some other goal that's just as rigorous but realistic. Perhaps a student can attempt to study for an extra hour every day. Though it can be difficult to find any time to study during the day, I'm sure it's possible to find that extra hour in the day at least 6 days a week. Through this, I'm sure a student can become a real expert in their area, especially after 4 years of studying.

Robin Huang said...

It is clear that success does not come easy. Though a lot of people think that you are either born smart and talented or you are not, hard work is the real key to achievement. As the book Outliers notes, the people who go far in a certain field are the ones who dedicate the most time and effort towards their goals. Also, another important point that the book says is that there was not one person who achieved the 10,000 hour mark and did not perform as well or become as successful as the others. Even though success comes in many different forms, hard work and dedication will always lead to a brighter future.
All of this can be applied to life as an SIUE student. Everyone knows that college demands for a lot time and effort. But if you are not willing to put in the amount required, it is quite possible that you will not get as far in life as the people who are more than happy to give up a bit of fun time for study time. And though it might seem like a dead end road when the studying seems impossible and the work just keeps piling up, hard work always pays off. This is why I think that it is very important when the book mentions that there is not one person who met the 10,000-hour mark and did not succeed. No one is born with the ability to excel through college and make a very ideal lifestyle for himself, it all comes from work and effort. At SIUE, the 4,3,2,1 outline is basically the 10,000 hour mark. It sets the goals and standards for success and anyone willing enough to take that challenge and achieve these will come out knowing that they will have a brighter future.

Dylan P said...

For every profession, there is a certain amount of required training involved. In order for one to achieve the 10000 hour rule, this individual certainly must devote a vast majority of their time to this field. I, as a Chemistry major, have found it particularly useful to ask the questions of "why" when learning about science. This sparks me to do my own independent research, and therefore I unintentionally learn something new from my endless curiosity. People do not need to view school as a chore. Instead, we should view school as a place of discovery. After all, the world's greatest scientists discovered because of curiosity.

GF said...

I feel that if you are truly committed to your field of study, you would be trying to get in as many hours as possible studying. Eventually, 10,000 hours will be achieved. Whether it is sooner or later depends on the person.

A general college education may not lend a hand in such a goal. However, a dedicated person could work there way around it.

Charris Wells said...

Something that's not as massive as the 10000 hour rule but is comparable would be study time. If students would study an extra half hour a day per class, and assuming that most students have 5 classes a week, that would be an additional 6.5 hours of studying per week. This extra time would help students to retain more information.

Anonymous said...

Hard work, devotion, and passion always pay off with achievement. If a student is willing to commit to extra hours of studying, (s)he will be able to master whatever (s)he is striving for.
I spend an average of three hours a night studying and retaking notes for my classes. Lately, after reading chapter two, I've been trying to add as much time possible into studying. Even though it's hard to manage at times because of extracurricular activities, socializing, and volunteer work, I believe the extra time studying will benefit in the long-run. I think the "10,000 hour rule" is tangible if one is dedicated enough.

Vanessa C said...

The 10,000 hour rule can very well be applicable with college but in a tamer manner. Success requires hard work. If a student wants to succeed in the field of study they are interested in they must work hard. College life can be a very distracting time but if students study extra hard both in the classroom and outside of it they will come a long way.

Vanessa C.

Travontae Williams said...

When comparing the 10,000 hour rule to any activity in a school setting, I immediately think of my major. Theater majors can embody the central idea of this because we not only devote our efforts in class, we also participate in related activities outside of class. I learn the basic technics of performance in class, so about 3 hours a week. Then outside of class, I take part in the plays and performances held by students. This may add another 4 hours a week. Finally I take the extra effort by taking acting classes outside of the educational environment, which make up 4 hours a week. Added together, I devote up to 11 hours of practice towards the talent I want to master. Though I dont meet the rule, I believe it is still very possible for me to master my abilities solely because of the time and devotion I give. This can be said for any commitment.

Megan L. said...

Adding extra time to anything can help improve that skill or ability. Whether it's studying or a sport. When I thought about the 10,000 rule, I thought of my major in nursing. Even before we graduate we are working in hospitals getting those hours of practice in so when we actually get a real job as a nurse we already have experience and can do our job better. It's really tough for a school, but adding more hours of hands-on experience directed toward a major can really help college students in the long run.

Charlene Y. said...

If one really enjoys their major or passionate about it, those 10,000 hours can fly by. Studying one hour or two hours per subject a day adds up after a long time. The more focused we are studying the faster it goes by and again, the hours will add up. Honestly, 10,000 hours compared to just 9,000 hours there is a very large gap there, you won't have the extra one thousand hours that make you more of an expert, but on the other it is close enough, maybe practicing 9,000 hours is the same as 10. But, overall, success does not come easy. It truly does take practice, whether it is 10,000 hours or more.

Anonymous said...

I believe that the 10,000 hour rule could be applied to college education and help students master their given major or skill. If students truly put an extra two hours for every credit hour in school they would have a much better understanding of the material. Although it wouldn't be quite 10,000 hours students would have much more hours studying the material which would lead to more success in class.

Ashley Rosales

Martin Garcia said...

I find the 10,000 hour rule to be a rule that dedicates itself to becoming everything. It may not make sense as I say it in this format, but when it's thought of, 10,000 hours is over 1 year of practice. Out of everything that we do. 4 months are overtaken by school(being that half of the day is taken up on an 8 month schedule), social life would take up around 2 months per year, homework may take up around 3 months, and finally sleep, which would take up 2 months(sleeping approximately 6 out of 24 hours). Leaving 1 months a year of solid practice. One month out of the 13+ months needed to accomplish the 10,000 hours. Indeed it would be an endeavor of the ages. I can picture someone trying to become a master of ANY discipline in one year as a hermit in his/her study, reading book after book, chalkboards of theorems and equations and philosophical problems that very few people would have even thought of. All for the title of "Master". I personally find that if you are a master of any single discipline, you lack in 10,000 more. As such I would rather be a jack of all trades and simply be very good at a variety of disciplines. Balance, of course, is key.

Tiara Y. said...

This is actually not the first time that I have heard of the 10,000 hour rule. One of my previous teachers in high school had explained the concept to me and at first I thought that this was absurd because 10,000 hours is a lot of time. Now that I have gotten to college I some what agree with the rule because I would personally want to be the best at whatever I chose to do. If you continually do things then they become habit once they become habit you naturally become better at doing whatever task you had been practicing. This concept is also applicable to being a college student, because the curriculum in college is more intense than that of high school which means you have to contribute more hours out of the day to studying in order to succeed.Just follows the old saying that practice makes perfect.

Zoe Ramirez said...

Well when people have to go to school for an extended period of time sometimes they can be in school for almost 10 years. Then when they're out of school they have to practice for years before they become an expert. Us students at SIUE are just beginning the 10,000 hour rule. The 10,000 hour rule is a perfect way for college students to look at how often they study. Some students are all about the minimum and only doing what's necessary and not doing more. But in order to be truly successful you need to go above and beyond with their studies.

Brenda W. said...

This chapter was actually extremely interesting to me. I have heard and learned about the 10,000 hour rule a while ago. It took me a while to truly understand and believe it because I had strong beliefs that a lot of talented individuals had natural talent. I feel in education the 10,000 hour rule truly applies. Time and effort are the keys to success in education. I am yet to hear of a genius who does not spend several hours a week studying and mastering their work. Therefore, the possibilities in education would be endless using the 10,000 hour rule. The 10,000 hour rule is comparable to all students that put in extra time and effort to succeed.

ChelseaD said...

As far as achieving the magic number for true expertise, it's practically impossible for most college students. Generally, a student only attends a college for 4 years. I don't believe that the 10,000 hours may only be achieved while obtaining an education in college, but that it also extends into one's career. The hours of practice that one puts into their career also contributes to the magic number of true expertise. But the hours within college are also crucial as it's the jumpstart to that career.

Evan Lawler said...

I think one way we could compare the 10,000 rule would be like many said schooling. If not studying everyday, which should be done, at least consciencely thinking about that subject. This meaning, while in class truly taking in what is being said and out of class, going over what was said. However, the best way to truly learn this is by studying and if there is a way to use it in your everyday life then do it because there is no better way to learn something than through experience and using it every day.

Minh Nguyen said...

The 10,000 hour rule is an interesting theory to start utilizing in college. Although there is no way a student can reach 10,000 hours, you can attempt to commit to it to the best of your abilities. That’s why here at SIUE, if you start thinking about the 10,000 hour theory, you could use it as your drive. It makes sense if you put more time into something that you gain more out of it. But life is not always about studying and studying, it’s more of how you balance things in life like studying or partying. It’s possible to only do one thing but then you lose out on other things in life that you never experienced before. So this theory is perfect way to give an idea of how important time management is in college.

Nikunj Patel said...

The 10,000 rule is very interesting and it is really intriguing to wrap my brain around. I believe, however, that the only way the 10,000 rule would work in college is if we were to actually get 10,000 hours on a field of study or a talent. A few hundred hours or even a few thousand just doesn't cut it. It's like cutting corners, maybe it'll get you somewhere faster but it is not the same thing as doing it the long way- the right way.

Kamrey McNutt said...

A useful or creative way that we could start thinking about the 10,000 hour rule or at least something comparable in terms of an extended commitment to a field of study is to incorporate studies into any recreational activities possible. For example if students run on a daily basis they can record class lectures and listen to lectures instead of music while running. If students like to go to the gym they can bring class notes to look over while on the treadmill, or taking a breather from basketball, or lifting weights. This is possible given the demands of a general college education because studies are being included during the times students typically put studies off. This will actually help with the demands of a general education. Students will likely perform better due to the extra studying.

A useful or creative way that we could start thinking about the 10,000 hour rule or at least something comparable in terms of an extended commitment to a field of study is to incorporate studies into any recreational activities possible. For example if students run on a daily basis they can record class lectures and listen to lectures instead of music while running. If students like to go to the gym they can bring class notes to look over while on the treadmill, or taking a breather from basketball, or lifting weights. This is possible given the demands of a general college education because studies are being included during the times students typically put studies off. This will actually help with the demands of a general education. Students will likely perform better due to the extra studying.

Courtney Johnson said...

The 10,000 hour rule is similar to being a college student. When a student puts in the hours of studying for a class, they start to learn and comprehend the material. If a student studies for at least 45 minutes for 4 days a week would add up to be 3 hrs of studying a week. Students should balance their school work, spiritual life, and social life so that they do not have too much stress.

Jerraco Johnson said...

I think the 10,000 hour rule could be applied here at SIUE, but definitely to a lesser extent. I would shoot for more like 1,000 per school year. My reasoning being that a student should spend an extra 3 hours of studying per credit hour and 15 is the normal credit hours. Over 32 weeks that would be 1,440. So over four years that is about 5,760. That's for a bachelor degree so someone going for their masters or doctoral degree very well may acheive their 10,000 hours!

Michelle E said...

Anything you do that you want to excel in takes dedication. I think unknowingly just as a student, when reaching your full potential 10,000 hours could be easily achieved. Studying, doing projects, typing essays etc. from first grade until post-secondary school.

Wesley Haskins said...

I would use the "10,000 Hour Rule" but definitely to a lower extent; a 1,000 hour rule would be more appropriate if directed toward study hours. If i revolve my schedule around these study hours then the probability of me succeeding is enormous.