FIAE+B2+Chapter+2

Abstract by Amanda Fitzpatrick
Overall, this chapter highlighted in various terms what it meant for students to master a topic and how as a teacher it is vital to "test" students on what they are learning by using different and multiple assessments.It was stated that students should be able to do much more than just recite what was handed to them in the lesson. For further understanding the six facets of understanding come into play. These force students to learn deeper than just memory really get what it is that they are being taught. It was shown in the various examples at the beginning of the chapter that commonly written work elicits misconceptions in the learning and therefore should not be the only means of testing whether or not your students have really gained mastery of the topic. Now that the book as mentioned how to see mastery in your students' work it is now important to know what exactly is worthy of being taught. This chapter mentioned various resources that a teacher (especially a new teacher) can tap into with hopes of teaching their students what should be taught. Wormeli highlights resources such as referring back to state and school standards (as they will tell you what is expected to be taught), the textbook that one is teaching from (although they should use this as a minimum, as nothing beneficial gets done from reciting what is stated in the textbook), and the ideas from seasoned colleagues, as they will know what is useful to be instructed and what should and is pushed aside. This chapter also recovered the idea of the [|six facets of learning styles], and how they are not only beneficial but crucial to knowing whether a student has reached mastery of a topic or not, as they should be able to effectively use each facet and apply it to the topic. It was also stated that a concrete way of knowing that a student truly understands a topic is by going back weeks, perhaps months later and bringing up the topic once again. The students who know what you are talking about and can still the apply the information (or perhaps even apply it to the current lesson) are the ones that truly mastered the lesson in the first place.

Synthesis by Amanda Fitzpatrick
Although this chapter discussed how to understand when a student has reached mastery, the book never gave a [|concrete definition] as to what exactly it is. This was a concept discussed in quite a few blog entries as we attempted ourselves to define the word and reflected that perhaps "mastery is more than just knowing the information" (Alicia Kenison). It was decided that if one forced the student to apply the six facets of understanding (explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize, and have self-knowledge) in the unit they are being taught it would most likely shape the student's understanding of the topic, as well as give the students various chances to display that they really know what they are being taught. Multiple [|assessments] were something almost everyone felt was something they will somehow bring into their classroom, for from what Wormeli said it was perhaps the most effective way to assure oneself that a student really does know what is going on. Most related the idea of multiple assessments back to that of differentiated instruction as if gave different students different chances to succeed. Many thought that colleagues were perhaps the greatest source of information when it came to what exactly we should teach, as textbooks would bore the students whereas colleagues would most likely share great ideas that have truly worked in the past for getting students excited about the unit or subject being taught. toc

Sarah McGinley
Fair Isn’t Always Equal Chapter 2: Mastery 1/28/10

I agree when this chapter was talking about finding out if a student has mastered a certain skill through one math problem. This is not enough because sometimes students take an educated guess and end up being the right answer. On the other hand, if the student does one math problem and gets the problem wrong then we still can not conclude that this student has no idea what he/she is doing in the class. These types of assessments can be conducted through a series of math problems and see if the student can repeat that certain skill throughout the exam. This could also mean that the teacher would have to assess the student about his/her skills through a series of assessment tests. These do not necessarily have to be exams that involve asking questions. Where I am planning on using different projects and activities this will help when I am trying to have the student show evidence of mastery. I would like to use all types of learning style activities and lesson plans in order to teach all of my students as well as assessing them to make sure they are understanding the subject matter. It is also important to know what subject matter is important for the students to master.

Alicia Kenison
I always thought that a teacher tested a students’ mastery on a subject or lesson by giving tests, quizzes, etcetera, but through this chapter, we learn that mastery is more than just knowing the information. The six facets (explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge) all are factors in “mastering” a topic. The art of mastery does not come by simply repeating or memorizing the information. The students should be able to take the information and analyze, evaluate and create own material at the end. They should know the topic so well that they could teach to others. To assure that they reach a “mastery” standpoint, we must flood their brains with the knowledge by tracking their process and assigning multiple assignments. This means that we may need to tweak the curriculum for certain learning styles so that we are ensured that they get the best out of what we are teaching. With differentiated learners we must keep in mind of the pace and communication because if we stay in isolation we have a bigger hurdle to jump. Learning is an ongoing process and shouldn’t be dull and droning, it should accommodate to all. I know that this may be hard and take a long time to make my lesson plans “perfect” but I want my students to get the best out of what I’m teaching. I don’t want to teach about the planets and have them take from the whole lesson that “Styrofoam is hard to paint.” They should remember what they learned and not the assignment used for knowledge. Learning about Styrofoam was just the “busy work” of the lesson not the “mastery.” Teachers must know the true definition of “mastery” before they impede on the journey of teaching it to their students.

Jason Malbon
This chapter points to a concern of mine regarding teaching, that is, when are we done? In other words, when will we know when mastery is gained and move on to the next lessons. I have a fear of this nagging feeling of having unfinished business where students haven’t learned. A tool or method I intent to employ is to give multiple assignments and continual assessments. This is not to say I will overburden students with a ridiculous amount of work. Only to allow them more chances to prove their knowledge and gain mastery. I don’t believe every assignment needs to be incredibly difficult and complex. They must however satisfy each student’s learning needs and adhere to the goals of the lesson. It’s always about the big picture. It is also important to realize there are resources available to teachers. We do not have to go it alone. The book mentions many sources of information including: mentors, professional organizations, other teacher’s assessment samples, etc. The importance of seeking help and guidance is paramount to the success of a new educator. I have learned not be shy about asking for help.

Scott Bowden
This was another informative chapter for me as it showed me that there's a difference between what student work tells me and what they have truly mastered. In order to make sure that my students have mastered the work, I have to find ways to make them show me that is different from a typical exam. Even though one way could be through giving them the material again on another test in a "mixed review" type section, the best way is to have them use the material in a different way. Like the first chapter, I can see this done through projects. These are important because they can show me what my students understand by having them apply it to a different medium. If they can do a real-life example of how to use trigonometry or logarithms on a poster or in a technological project, it could benefit them (and myself) by showing their mastery of the subject. These other media can show that they truly understand the topic.

S arah Robinson
Mastery is a very complicated word, and when mastery is used to discuss a students learning it becomes even more complicated. In chapter 2, it can be seen that the opinion on what mastery means in the classroom can be debated. But through out this chapter I have learned that mastery means that a student has actually learned something and can hold it in their brains for a long time. Many believe that if a student can pass a state assessment of a subject than they have mastered that subject but I believe that this is not always true. Many students just take the time to memorize the subject and not really learn the subject. As a teacher we have to make sure that we clearly explain what we expect and what our criteria is to our students mastering our taught subject. This chapter has taught me that I want to give my students test and projects that test many different types of mastery of my subject so I know that my students have learned the subject correctly. In this chapter I have learned that written work can show misconceptions that students have built and as teachers this allows us to fix these misconceptions before it is too late. In determining what is important to master, this chapter has impacted my classroom greatly because I want to make sure as a teacher that confided in other teachers and find out their opinions on the matter. This will allow me to better my classroom and my students learning.

Diana Quinlan
This chapter is all about mastering a subject. There are so many different definitions of mastery, but to me it mean being able to apply knowledge, not just simply recite it like a script of a play. This is something I wish my high school focused on more. Most of my teachers saw that we could spit back information but never helped us to apply what we had learned. The only true way to know if a student has mastered a topic is by assigning multiple assignments then tracking the progress of the student over time. The student should have much less trouble and more understanding by the last few assignments. One of my fears as a teacher is that I will be teaching topics that are not really important to know about. In this chapter however, I have received some ideas as to how to determine in my topics are important. For example, I should look to the state and school standards, ask more experienced teachers, and consult the textbook. I will have to be careful though not to teach directly from the textbook because that would be boring for my students.

Eric Cole
When has a student mastered a subject? For many teachers, this is THE question that plagues them throughout the day, months, and years. If a student has gotten an “A” on an essay, does that mean that they are a master at writing essays, or did they just throw something together at the last moment and get lucky? This is what this chapter describes, and talks about. When is mastery of a subject achieved. Now while this book has a lot of good ideas, and they have an excellent way of determining when a student has mastered a particular subject, I have my own method that I have always believed. It is three simple phrases: See One, Do One, Teach One. Now what do these mean? Lets go through an example: Say I ask my students to write a short story for an assignment. The first thing I would want them to do is to read a few short stories so that they can see how one is written, how to develop characters in a short amount of time, how to develop plot and setting, etc.... That is the “See One” part. Next, I would have my students write a short story. I would have them show me what they learned through discussion, and reading the examples. If a student does well on this part, “Do One”, then they move on to the last part. If a student needs to rewrite the story, then that is fine too. “Teach One” involves going to a lower class (For High School Students they would go to a Middle School, and for Middle School students they would go to an elementary school) and getting paired up with a student. They would then have to teach the student what they learned, and mentor the student as the lower class student writes a short story. If this story is well, then I know that my student not only understands the concepts of writing a short story, but they can apply, explain, and interpret them correctly to somebody else which in my book demonstrates mastery of the subject. Now this is a very ambitious idea, and I will have to pull a lot of strings to make it happen, but that is my goal.

Mike Lawson
Chapter 2: Mastery

It’s true that grades are simply momentary references to how a student is learning. So it’s really interesting to look at what mastery of a subject really is. Knowing what that is will help both students and teachers. Teachers will look to see how well the kids are doing via work, conversation, projects and whatever else the teacher uses for assessment. It will also allow teachers to see what needs to be focused on in class or for homework. I have mixed feelings about bringing the word mastery up with my fellow teachers in my earlier years. I feel like the more veteran teachers would think I was questioning their ability, or make them feel as if I think I’m better than them. Hopefully I will read more about colleague interaction. Looking at what mastery is actually comprised of (creating grammar, etc.) is cool to look at. Seeing what actually constitutes mastery will allow me to analyze where my kids are in the learning process. I think I will keep these books in my classroom in my personal libraries. These are filled with little situations that could help me at the most random time. I just think it would be amazing to whip out this little book in the most uncomfortable moment of my teaching and be able to work around it. Knowing that I will have reference points as a young teacher is encouraging. I hope that I will have a couple of professors that I can talk to throughout my teaching career. Basically mentoring me and giving me positive encouragement as I move along.

Amanda Fitzpatrick
This chapter started right off the bat clearly explaining the difference between true mastery of a subject and a pseudo-mastery which was conveyed in the examples at the beginning of the chapter. I think that too often teachers (especially the ones that I have had) cop out or are lazy when it comes to assessing their students; they believe mastery is completing a set of math equations (like example one) and if they student turns in satisfactory homework the student must understand what they have been taught--for many reasons (the biggest being **who** actually is doing the homework) this assessment is not accurate. An aspect of the chapter that I believe made a good point, and I hope to use it in the classroom, is during spelling tests sing works that are similar to the ones they studied to test, that way the students demonstrates mastery of the rules of the English language rather than mastery of memorization.

Jared Merrifield
Chapter 2: Mastery

Once again, I appreciated the connections to previous readings that this chapter provided. It delved into the concept of mastery, which is much more than just “knowing” something; it is understanding every component of a particular field enabling the “master” to explain, interpret, and apply the information. Of course, this is exactly where the Six Facets of Understanding come into play, which I now know will be extremely helpful in the classroom, once I begin assessing my students. Apparently, this chapter has basically everything in common with the chapter in the //UbD// book, in that it stresses that the only way to identify a student’s mastery of a specific subject is to give out a myriad of assignments that range in difficulty and depth, and that revolve around that subject, and to keep track of the student’s progress (or, heaven forbid, stagnation). This only makes sense, for if you tell a student to solve a single math problem and s/he gets it right, you do not automatically assume that the student has mastered math (just like in the example at the very beginning of the chapter). I am not sure what to think of the teacher “guides” that are mentioned at the end of the chapter. On one hand, I feel as though I would be the kind of person who would find it helpful; on the other hand, I do not want to become restricted by such a guide, in that I cannot go off on a related tangent to further establish a main idea.

Susanna Cooper
This chapter was all about the mastery of the information. It described evidence of mastery as having a clear understanding of the information. Students can understand the info enough to retell it in their own ways, elaborate on the basic information, and be able to relate the information to real life concepts or ideas. Ways to see that the students have mastery of a subject is to see a long term pattern of success on work they have done, as well as understanding the lesson beyond the week, or month that it was taught. Teachers must make their objectives clear, in order for a student to understand what they need to master. I really like the quote on page 12 stated by McTighe and Wiggins: “True understanding manifests itself by spontaneous application.” So if students can apply the information almost immediately to something without having to put much deep thought into it, then they have mastered that content. I think this is really true. I can spontaneously add 3 plus 3 and know it is 6. I don’t have to spend time thinking or adding the numbers together. The big question is, how can I create this mastery to take place in my classroom. I think that the big key is constantly having the students engaged. If the class is board with what we are doing, they won’t pay attention or learn from it. Or if it is too hard, it will go right over their heads. I think I really need to find ways to make what I teach engaging yet still challenging in order to see this spontaneous mastery within the classroom. A big question that applies to me and that I ask myself is, how will I know I am adequately providing mastery material? The book answers this question nicely; communicate with your colleagues when you are a first year teacher. This will help me know if I am properly addressing the standards I am teaching.

Jared Boghosian
Mastery is loosely defined from teacher to teacher. Howard Gardner explains mastery as "the appropriate application of concepts and principles to questions or problems posed" (11). So by this definition a student who has mastered a subject is a student who can easily apply ideas and rules toward various problems. I find it a little funny that this book mentions the six facets of understanding that were brought up in UbD. For proper assessment of mastery it is important to have more than one assessment and a close watch of progress over time during an assessment. Standards are the key to discovering mastery. However, the standards are rather wordy and need synthesis or paraphrasing, this is referred to as unpacking the standards. A couple things that I thought were important to master for myself: curriculum guides, benchmarks, other teachers' tests and assessments, listservs, personal reflections.