Ensuring students master their basic facts is a shared priority among teachers, parents, and administrators. As a result, the number of available resources for basic facts instruction, from concrete to virtual, is vast and continues to grow. Basic fact fluency has always been of interest to elementary school teachers and is particularly relevant…

Deeper learning is great for exploring a topic in great depth, but it will fail if student motivation isn't taken into account. Researchers Eric Anderman and Adriana Calvit discuss how to align your deeper learning curriculum with motivational strategies for successful lessons.

Professional learning strategies often rely on the belief that teaching and learning outcomes are best when teachers have a clear understanding of students' thinking. This may seem like common sense -- after all, students are active participants in the learning process, so their thinking impacts the outcome. But does research support the…

Math fact fluency involves the quick, accurate retrieval of basic arithmetic combinations and the ability to use this fact knowledge efficiently. Math fact retrieval is typically considered fluent when performed accurately within 2 to 3 seconds, and "efficiency" refers to students' ability to apply fact knowledge to more complex…

Too often, professional development (PD) sessions consist of little more than delivering lists of things teachers should know and should be doing. There is little to no follow up. There are few opportunities to think about how to adapt and apply the learning to fit your own classroom context, or to try it out and compare outcomes with fellow…

Vocabulary is the gateway to knowledge that unlocks the doors of sublime ideas to the readers. The competency on the lexical items of language plays a significant role in learning a new concept. Any learner who has excellent command over the use of vocabulary excels in his/her study of different subjects. Vocabulary learning is one of the…

Scientists, science teachers, and serious students recognize that success in science classes requires consistent practice--including study at home. Whether balancing chemical equations, calculating angular momentum, or memorizing the steps of cell division, students must review material repeatedly to fully understand new ideas--and must practice…

How can history teachers structure learning pathways through historical content in ways that engage and challenge all pupils, that enable them to work at an appropriate pace and that also encourage pupils to self-assess and monitor their own progress? Stainer reports and reflects on classroom experiments in "Mastery Learning" that aimed…

Because of the rapidly changing nature of chemical instrumentation, students must be trained in how to learn and understand new instruments. Toward this end, students are asked to create small instrument manuals, or instrument profiles, for the major pieces of equipment studied during an instrumental analysis course. This writing-intensive process…

Traditionally, learning basic facts has focused on rote memorization of isolated facts, typically through the use of flash cards, repeated drilling, and timed testing. However, as many experienced teachers have seen, "drill alone does not develop mastery of single-digit combinations." In contrast, a fluency approach to learning basic addition…

When students are taught to mastery, they become smarter, acquire information faster, and develop efficient strategies for learning. Teachers must have an understanding of what mastery is and how to achieve it in their students. However, teachers cannot teach to mastery without referencing the performance of their students. In addition, teachers…

This paper describes the elements that most clearly identify and are most critical to a mastery learning program. Ways in which teachers can easily and efficiently implement these elements in their teaching and practices are outlined, along with procedures for evaluating their effectiveness in improving student learning. A discussion is presented…

The role of the arts in general education as a possible remedy to the current problems in the public schools is explored. (DF)

According to recent research, when teachers focus on higher mental processes (problem solving, application of principles, analytical skills, and creativity) within a mastery learning format, students' thinking skills and knowledge levels improve. Baltimore County (Maryland) and East Islip (New York) School Districts have programs integrating…

Describes Baltimore County (Maryland) Public Schools' integration of a mastery learning project for third and fourth graders begun in 1980 with a subsequent thinking skills project. The basic premises of each program (that students will learn well, given time and appropriate instruction) were similar. A sidebar illustrates the divergent…