Although we are amidst the technological age, the best APP can’t be purchased at the App Store or on Google Play. They are learned from others who are already experiencing success.

So what is this amazing App? It’s actually an acronym. APP.

Attention, Participation, and Practice.

Attention

How many times have we heard our teachers asking us to please pay attention? Sustained attention is a fundamental building block of academic success.

Sustained attention means many things. The biggest distraction to academic success is the smart phone. Successful students leave it turned off in a backpack or locker.

Participation

Known by academicians as cognitive engagement, participation is really just “plugging in” while giving sustained attention to a lecture, activity, group work, etc.

A willingness to sustain attention naturally leads to cognitive engagement. Or physical engagement if that’s what the lesson dictates.

Practice

I don’t view math as a subject. It is actually an acquired skill. And like all acquired skills, it improves with practice. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell explains the 10,000-hour Rule. In a nutshell, if people are good enough, the number of hours of deliberate practice is what differentiates the dabblers from the masters.