The process of forming practical abilities and skills in training situations through the control of the assimilation process is described, and an experimental application of this process for the instruction of machine operators is reported. Six references are included. (CHC)

Presents a rationale for using a Mastery Learning approach to competency-based education in public speaking. Identifies assumptions and applications of such an approach and describes procedures for teaching public speaking competence on this basis. (JMF)

Reviews the advantages of teaching reading through a mastery reading program and examines the role of the mastery teacher. (JM)

During the past five years, East Islip (New York) School District has developed an outcome-based curriculum and instructional format focusing on student mastery of thinking skills. Connecting mastery learning with thinking skills provides a framework allowing students to make their own connections between instructional fragments, classroom…

Discusses the effects of mastery learning and criterion-referenced grading schemes on student memory and motivation to succeed. Indicates that such programs are effective in college level developmental education programs. Provides suggestions for establishing criterion-referenced grading schemes, including several variants of mastery grading…

Mastery learning techniques were improved through mathematics instruction based on a validated learning hierarchy, presenting tasks in a sequence consistent with the requirements of the hierarchy, and requiring learners to demonstrate achievement before being allowed to proceed. (Author/GDC)

This paper discusses how the role of instructors changes as young learners advance along a mastery continuum, or a process of transition from an initial novice to an eventual expert status in the learning of a skill. Four stages along this continuum are: (1) acquisition, in which the learner does not know the task; (2) early consolidation, in…

According to Benjamin Bloom's (1981) concept of of mastery learning, most students--given the appropriate instruction and learning resources, adequate time spent learning, and perseverance--can learn a particular academic skill. Because a classroom often does not provide enough time or resources for developmental students to master necessary basic…

Maintains that instructional programs have overemphasized knowledge acquisition at the expense of skill development and affective learning. Recommends careful planning of instructional programs to include primary skills (needed for emotional and physical well-being) and secondary skills (without which one can still survive). (Author/AV)

A comparison of three instructional methods (frontal lecture strategies, mastery learning strategies, and experiential mastery learning strategies) in a paramedical course showed that frontal lecture produced the highest scores on the lower mental process subtest while experiential mastery learning produced the highest scores on all measures of…

A strategy called "jigsawing" is described for promoting group work, while ensuring that individual needs of pupils with severe learning difficulties are met. A group activity is broken down into smaller components and each child or group is assigned tasks toward achievement of the overall activity aims. (PB)

Five elements in a lesson will motivate students to become and remain engaged in learning: (1) teachers must ensure that students see some value in the content of the lesson; (2) students must believe that they have the potential to be successful in the activity; (3) teachers must communicate to their students that they care about them as…

Three treatment groups were used to examine the effects on general reading comprehension of teaching and testing four subskills related to the identification of the main idea in prose materials. Subjects were 157 tenth-grade students. Besides a control group, two experimental approaches were used, consisting of subjects who were both taught four…

The items in this report represent the proceedings of a national conference that explored ways in which community colleges can serve the nontraditional student. The report contains the program for the two-day conference, a list of the participants and their addresses, and excerpts from speeches on the following topics: assessing past performance…

A Brooklyn (NY) district superintendent rebuts arguments against the Chicago Mastery Learning Reading (CMLR) program that appeared in an article in Learning (November 1982). Based on his district's experience with CMLR, the superintendent points to improved reading scores, teacher enthusiasm, and renewed student interest in reading as indications…