Mastery Learning Systems developed a visionary approach to helping all children succeed in math. It is similar to learning one’s way around a new city.

The more traditional approach, has the teacher, in the classroom, explaining some basic turns and landmarks and modeling on the board how to get to a specific location. Then the car keys are handed out to find someplace specific for homework.

In this approach, separated from the actual experience of the city, the teacher is pulling on past experience, and the explanations and modeling are a short-hand for that experience. The student needing extra help (intervention) has no or at best a mixed experience to make accurate sense of the short-hand.

In a second approach, the teacher and student get in the car together with the teacher driving, pointing out the turns and landmarks he or she already knows, again asking student to find a specific location for homework. As in the first approach, we are learning more about the teacher’s competence than observing and developing the student’s ability.

The approach Mastery Learning Systems takes is to have the student drive with the teacher in the passenger seat not telling where or when to turn. But the student (or students, this works equally well one-on-one and in the classroom) is not left to wonder aimlessly around the city, possibly but not probably, finding a desired location!

In their approach, the teacher first orients the student to a map of the city to be experienced. With good questions, the student notices landmarks on the map and is able then to begin making connections between the map and what is experienced while driving, “Oh this turn on the map is coming up right here.” “Good,” says the teacher – - and that’s it – - no lecture on the history and use of gazetteers. The teacher keeps the student in the driver’s seat.

If the student makes a wrong turn, the teacher simply asks the student to show on the map what they did and where they wanted to go. The student retraces the steps and notices that a left turn was needed not a right turn. “Good,” says the teacher and the student turns left. The city is internalized as it is experienced, guided by the teacher and the map.

Mastery Learning Systems develops easily understood and remembered graphic representations of mathematical concepts and procedures. They are very effective for all students, but especially the “please don’t explain it to me again” learner. And this approach works equally well at home, in one-on-one tutoring, and in the classroom.

They integrated their approach throughout the math needs of K-8 students from adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing, fractions and decimals, geometry and negative numbers to developing understanding and fluency with equations. The teacher or parent orients and guides the student through the graphic, the map, of the math and the student internalizes the experience of that math moving naturally from intervention to Math Mastery.

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