Educational Leadership - October 2010

approaches that accommodate differences in students’ learning styles, learning modalities, or types of intelligence (Sternberg, 1994). Some teachers engage students in peer tutoring or cooperative learning groups. Others use paraprofessional instructional aides.

In mastery learning classes, corrective activities typically add about 10–20 percent more time to initial learning units (Block, Efthim, & Burns, 1989). For a unit of a week or two in length, for example, corrective instruction might last one or two days. Bloom (1974) argued, however, that intense, individualized assistance offered early in an instructional sequence would drastically reduce the time needed for remediation in later units. Because corrective instruction guarantees that students have the learning prerequisites for subsequent units, initial instruction in later units can proceed more rapidly, allowing teachers to cover just as much material as they would using more traditional methods (Guskey, 2008).

Providing instructional alternatives based on differences in students’ learning styles or modalities is the basis of differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, Brimijoin, & Narvaez, 2008). In the RTI model, mastery learning’s corrective instruction may be referred to as Tier 2 intervention or secondary prevention (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006). Like corrective instruction, this intervention usually takes place in the general education classroom but may be directed by another teacher or instructional aide.

Both corrective instruction and Tier 2 intervention emphasize the use of small-group instruction with individualized assistance organized according to the needs and skill level of the students involved. Both also stress that instruction at this level must be qualitatively different from the initial instruction, offering students an alternative approach and additional time to learn.

“Reteaching” too often consists simply
of restating the original explanations
louder and more slowly.

Second, Parallel
Formative Assessments

In mastery learning, assessments are not a one-shot, do-or-die experience; instead, they are part of an ongoing effort to help students learn. So after corrective activities, mastery learning teachers give students a second, parallel formative assessment that helps determine the effectiveness of the corrective instruction and offers students a second chance to demonstrate mastery and experience success. RTI similarly requires frequent assessment of student learning progress to check on the effectiveness of intervention strategies.

Mastery learning teachers make a point of recognizing those students who do well on the initial formative assessments. But they also acknowledge that students who do well on the second formative assessment have learned just as much and deserve the same grades as those who scored well on their first try.

The driver’s license examination
offers a comparable example. Many
individuals do not pass their driver’s
test on the first attempt. On the second
or third try, however, they may reach
the same high level of performance as
others did on their first. Would it be
appropriate to restrict these drivers,
for instance, to driving in fair weather
only? In inclement weather, should
they be required to pull over and park
until the weather clears? That would be
ridiculous. Because they eventually met
the same high performance standards
as those who passed on their initial
attempt, they receive the same privileges.
The same should hold true for students
who engage in corrective activities and
eventually show that they, too, have
learned well.

Enrichment or Extension Activities

Mastery learning teachers also offer effective enrichment activities that provide valuable, challenging, and rewarding learning experiences for learners who have mastered the material and do not need corrective instruction. These activities should enable successful learners to explore in greater depth a range of related topics that keenly interest them but lie beyond the established curriculum. Many teachers draw from activities developed for gifted and talented students when planning enrichment activities, including challenging academic games and exercises, various multimedia projects, and peer tutoring (Whiting, Van Burgh, & Render, 1995). They are also a part of classrooms implementing differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, 2006).

Students engaged in enrichment activities gain valuable learning experiences without necessarily moving ahead in the instructional sequence. This makes it easier for other students who have been doing corrective work (or Tier 2 intervention in an RTI model) to resume their place in the regular instructional sequence when they are done. Otherwise, they would be placed in the impossible situation of having to remedy problems from the past while trying to keep up with the new concepts and skills presented in subsequent units.