Mastery Learning
What is Mastery Learning?
The Principles of Mastery Learning
Mastery learning is based on principles of instruction developed by Benjamin Bloom. Using Bloom's strategies, teachers organize specific skills and curriculum into units and incorporate formative assessments as checkpoints to determine students' difficulties. If students master the checkpoint would complete enrichment activities and then move on to the next topic. Those students that demonstrate lack of understanding receive corrective instruction for those topics they have not fully mastered. Those students would take another parallel assessment with different questions to see if students have mastered the topic.
Students have shown that Mastery Learning produces more cooperation among students and increased self-assurance.
The Core Elements
- Diagnostic testing and pre-teaching
- High quality, differentiated instruction
- Progress Monitoring using formative assessments
- Corrective instruction
- Parallel formative assessments
- Enrichment activities
Frequently voiced concerns
- Scope and sequence
- Time management
- Mixed levels of preparedness
- Work load