On Mastery

Since becoming a coach, I've spent much time thinking about failure and mastery and student achievement. Teachers work hard to "cover" their standards and curriculum. Teachers feel end-of-course tests breathing down on them and thoughts of merit-based pay don't help.


So what is mastery? According to Rick Wormelli in Fair Isn't Always Equal, mastery is more than knowing information. Mastery is applying information, manipulating information. Howard Gardner says that true understanding involves the appropriate application of the concepts and principles to questions or problems posed. In other words, knowing what to do and when to do it. Not only knowing x equation and y equation, but knowing which one is appropriate for z problem. Knowledge implies the reinvention of new knowledge by the student.


So how do we achieve mastery in our classes? How do we know when students fully understand the new concepts?

One way is to expect students to elaborate on how they arrived at their conclusion through writing. Written responses reveal misconceptions that oral retelling cannot. Students can gloss over their insecurities through voice inflections and body language and they make it easier for us to believe that they understand the concepts. They can't do this to you in writing. It is either there or it isn't.

Remember that mastery and recitation are not the same. Mastery involves application and manipulation. Students can recite and remember and fool you good, but they may not have achieved mastery yet. Have them write it out--see where the confusion lies.