I had the opportunity to watch a Talk Talk from Sal Kahn, creator of Kahn Acadamy, and listened to his view on Mastery Learning. He started his talk by discussing how gaps in a student’s learning can cause them to eventually believe that they are not capable of reaching a higher level in whatever academic area their gaps were located. Kahn then talked about being in a position where at the end of a unit, a student’s assessment should that they did not master 25% of the foundational skills, yet they are still expected to move on to the next unit, that ends up being more advanced. This type of non-mastery framework will just continue to widen the gaps, and eventually, there will be a moment where learners will hit a wall, and disengage. This really got me thinking. How are we expecting students to continue to learn more advanced material if they were not able to master foundational skills that they will need to master the advanced material? I think that Mastery Learning is really important, and it is something I would like to focus on, particularly in math. I teach the on-level math class, and students really struggle with foundational skills that they should have mastered years prior. I believe if I can slow down, and allow them to master some of those foundational skills, they will feel more confident, and find greater success once we continue to move on.
In the article, Mastery, from Instructional Design, it states that “Mastery Learning suggests that the focus on instruction should be the time required for different students to learn the same material.” We have so many tools readily available to us in order to help students reach mastery like on-demand video explanations, adaptive exercises available for students. I think that because we are in a world with technology at our fingertips, helping students reach their full potential and mastering concepts is possible and should be something we focus on. It is especially possible to differentiate when we have 1:1 iPads, and lots of apps and resources to help students practice concepts to mastery.
Mastery Learning will not only benefit students knowledge on particular topics, but when holding students to mastery learning, they really have ownership in the process, it develops grit and perseverance, and lots can come out of this for the child. Students can interact with each other, dive deeper on concepts, project-based learning, the list goes on. Mastery framework teaches students to embrace what they don’t know, and focus on it, so that they can grow in that area.
“If you let people tap into their potential by mastering concepts, and by being able to exercise agency over their learning, that they can get there.” - Sal Kahn
Justine,
ReplyDeleteI also focused on Mastery Learning and am excited about the possibilities. You mentioned that you wish you had more time to work on foundational skills with your students. Wouldn't it be great if we had that time? I believe all of our students would be better off with extra time instead of following a pacing guide.
Justine, I absolutely agree that students should spend more time working on mastery of foundational skills! A potential issue with our current trajectory in math is that when students skip large amounts of content, it creates gaps and holes in learning that compound over time. I hope that our bridge courses help to address this! I think focusing on mastery learning in math is a great idea to help ensure your students' foundational skills are mastered.
ReplyDeleteJustine, I agree as well. Mastering certain skills is crucial to development later on. I love using Khan Academy in class to help students master some foundational skills. It also allows students to work on what they need as individuals. Not everyone needs practice on the same skills at the same time.
ReplyDeleteJustine, I don't think the gaps in learning were ever more evident than this year. Having 5th grade students reading at 2nd and 3rd grade levels was truly a challenge, especially with our S.S. and science curriculums. And yes, the gaps continue to get wider as they move on to middle school, despite our efforts to close them. The same goes for math. You and Julie do such a phenomenal job of differentiating and working with support staff to help solidify those foundational skills, but sometimes, students need more time to master those skills. It's difficult to find the time to support those students when we're tied to pacing guides :( We just have to do our best, and I know you definitely do!
ReplyDeleteJustine,
ReplyDeleteThat Ted Talk sounds awesome! I think I need to go check it out, even though I didn't pick Mastery Learning for my blog post.
Teaching first-grade, Mastery Learning is something that I really, really strive for because I know that if students leave with gaps in the primary grades, they're only going to keep getting wider from year-to-year. I agree with you that math is a good place to start. Because we have so much content to cover, I think more and more students are falling through the cracks and moving on before they're ready. I really wish Mastery Learning could be a priority in our district!