FIAE+B2+Chapter+2



toc

** Abstract-Nicholas **
Chapter 2 discusses mastery and what mastery actually means. The chapter is quick to point out that mastery is more than knowing the information. It goes even deeper than manipulation and application of that information in other situations. Dictioary.com defines mastery as, “command or grasp, as of a subject”. This chapter also makes reference to one of our books, //Understanding by Design//, to take a look at the six facets of understanding. Which we know consists of explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge. The chapter goes on to give a definition of mastery that is directly related to students: “Students have mastered content when they demonstrate a thorough understanding as evidenced by doing something substantive with the content beyond merely echoing it. Anyone can repeat information; it’s the masterful student who can break content into its component pieces, explain it and alternative perspectives regarding it cogently to others, and use it purposefully in new situations.” It becomes important to know what acceptable mastery is. As a teacher you will need to determine what is important for students to master. Isolation appears to be one of the greatest hurdles when it comes to mastery learning.

** Synthesis-Nicholas **
After reading the responses to this chapter from my peers it was clear to me that there were three big ideas that jumped out to us all. The ideas were defining mastery, the six facets of understanding, and assessing mastery. The first of the three ideas was trying to [|define] mastery. The second idea that was embedded in our responses were the [|six facets] of understanding. The third and last of the big ideas from this chapter was being able to [|assess] mastery. I was also able to find a [|video] that really stresses that the philosophy of learning, plus the mastery of skills, equals great success. This video also had a [|website] that is basically the written form of the video. We, as a group, felt that within this chapter these were the three big ideas when understanding mastery of learning.

Ben
Chapter 2 Along with DI and integrating MIs there is an ultimate goal, mastery of the knowledge. I loved the example from Ben Franklin talking about Tim knowing how to say horse all those different ways, but if he does not know what a horse is it does him no good. If my student knows 4 different ways to do a math problem, but doesn't know why they are doing it; it defeats the purpose of the class. The success of the students is the gateway of school, and the key is mastering the content. This does not mean that my math class will have a high pressure test for a final, that defeats the purpose of giving each student an equal opportunity. Embracing the six facets of understanding in UbD/DI gives each student that equal and fair opportunity. Determining what to master comes from reassessing the standards we are given. Whether that's my previous mentors, or curriculum guides, or standards of learning, etc.; consequently, it is a combination of all the factors that play into the classroom. Using this type of thinking when it comes to mastery of my content area for my students will thus make them more prepared for the final goal: the real world.

Dani
Chapter 2 of FIAE is about mastery and what constitutes mastery of a subject. I learned that mastery can be defined many different ways by many different teachers. It seems the best way to decide if a student has mastered the material is to look at the standards or goals that the teacher set at the beginning of the lesson or unit. It is also good to match the assessment to the goal. This affects me in that this means I will have to constantly redefine what I think it means for a student to master my subject. It affects my classroom because I need to be clear with my students about what is expected of them. If I am expecting them to master a subject they and I, should know what that looks like. That way they will know what they are working for and where their grade comes from.
 * Chapter 2**

Cam
This chapter in the FIAE textbook pertains to a student’s ability to master the curriculum of a class. If a student has mastered the content then the student can link their understanding to the six facets. Students are able to excel their knowledge of a specific topic by breaking it down, rather than just replaying the information back. To determine the mastery of a student a teacher can do two things; multiple assignments and observing the progress of some of the students challenging pieces over time. At the same time, teachers need to keep in mind of the state’s expectations of what students need to know. This might seem overwhelming for some, but there are resources that can help like colleagues, standards of learning, organizers, and personal reflection. These are just a portion of resources that, not first years can use, but veteran teachers as well. Teachers should take into consideration the idea of being open with their subject because it is always changing. They need to be aware and give full attention to not just the students, but the expectations surrounding them. This impacts me deeply because I now understand that it is not only the students that are counting on me, but organizations, states, parents, and most importantly, the future is counting on me. My future scientific students are also deeply impacted by this chapter because I want them to truly understand the world of science. I would die to see all of my students walk out of my classroom and be able to relate my curriculum to the six facets.
 * Chapter 2; Mastery **

Jason
The biggest part of this chapter is to get teachers to think about what true mastery is and how to “test” for it. The chapter reinforced my knowledge that a single test or quiz will not tell you if a student is learning, or mastered a subject. Its impact on me is that I am use to understanding information rather quickly and being able to process it; unfortunately, this at times prevents me from seeing that other people may not understand. I have to remember that what may be simple for one person may not be easy for everyone else. In my classroom, I would like to maybe give quizzes once a week during each unit so that I can see where the students are; I can then review the areas that are weak before I give a test. As I have said before, the most important thing is that the students understand the material no matter what it is.
 * FIAE Chapter 2: Mastery **

Marcy
This chapter was about how to measure the students’ mastery of the material. The two suggestions were to have multiple assessments and to track a couple of big projects over time. The best way to know what the students should master is to check the standards of the state. Also consulting colleagues, list-serves, curriculum guides, and the textbook are a few suggestions. This impacts me as a teacher by setting the goals of the lesson by the standards and developing a way to assess the students’ mastery of the material. This impacts my students by making them more prepared to meet the standard if I have taught them with the standard in mind.

Nicholas
Chapter 2: This chapter focused on Mastery. I learned that mastering the concepts within a subject delves deeper than recitation. Mastery from my understanding is when a student is able to convey back to you how they interpreted the knowledge that was just learned. As a teacher I need to be able to give students multiple opportunities for them to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject back to me. The key is to be sure that they are not just reiterating what I said back to me. In my class I want to give my students a large variety of ways that they can demonstrate the knowledge. I want my students to be engaged and their learning meaningful.

Lindsey
There are many definitions of what it means to master a topic, thus it is interesting to evaluate the varying professional views on the matter. As discussed in class, the six facets of understanding are explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy and self-knowledge. However, it is necessary to expand upon this very general definition by contemplating what this means to the individual student. Mastery of content goes beyond merely being able to repeat an explanation, as well as simply being able to choose the correct choice when given options. Instead, mastery involves understanding every element of the concept individually, and then being able to explain the concept to others. If a student can do this, it is evident that they have a mastery of the subject. It was nice to have an explanation of ways to evaluate mastery of a topic, those being Nolan and Taylor’s explanation: multiple assignments to prove mastery, and tracking the progression of work done over time. Therefore, we must know our own objectives (possibly through backwards design) in asking students to complete a task. Another interesting aspect was the concept of how to test whether students truly understand a concept. While oral explanations are theoretically accurate, students may attempt to gloss over trouble areas when verbally explaining their explanation. Instead, they should be asked to write out a process and how they arrived at their answer. Just as the student is working to find meaning in their learning, it is the teacher’s responsibility to understand school and state standards, and there are many ways for the teacher to do so. As discussed in various other books, it is essential to incorporate the assistance of other professionals, thus the new teacher should consider the lesson plans and assessments of other faculty members of the same content area. Likewise, those who have been teaching for years must still reexamine the importance of the content they are teaching, and the ways they are assessing students. While this may be difficult for some students, the primary focus must be on mastery rather than effort.

Jenna
Chapter two of __Fair Isn't Always Equal__ explains how an educator can measure the students' mastery of material. According to the chapter, there are two ways in which teachers can obtain evidence of mastery: multiple assignments and tracking the progress of a few works over time. In order for educators to truly assess whether or not students understand the curriculum, teachers need to know the important objectives, essential understandings, and enduring knowledge. If teachers are clear in their objectives before they assess the students, then the assessments will result in more accurate depictions of whether or not the students mastered the material. To determine whether or not a student does have mastery of a subject, they must be able to perform the six facets of true understanding. Always keeping the end in mind and always making sure that my goals are clear will ensure that I will assess my students' mastery accurately. This chapter was valuable to me because as a first-year teacher, I am going to have difficulty in determining what is important for the students to master. I could attempt to determine this by myself; however, I will not be as effective. The most effective way to check what is important would be to look at the state's standards. I could also consult with my colleagues, check the curriculum guides, observe other teachers' tests and assessments, etc. If I keep the standards in mind, then my students will come away with not only meeting the standards, but also mastering the material.

**Andrew D**
This chapter is all about mastery and how we know if students have actually mastered what we are teaching them. Mastery of something is more than just knowing the information of a subject, it is being able to use and apply that information in other areas and situations successfully. According to Nolen and Taylor there are two ways to master something. The first being multiple assignments and the second tracking the progress of a few important works over time. The second part of this chapter is trying to decide what information is important for students to be able to master. There are a number of different references listed which can guide teachers to try and figure out what exactly is the best information to provide to students. This chapter impacted me because it gives good examples of what to do and what not to do in trying to help students master the subject. It will impact my classroom because I will be able to better decipher whether a student really knows what I have just taught them.

Lizzie
This chapter helped me to understand mastery, not only what it is but why it is important. Mastery is more than just knowing the information, it is manipulating and applying that information to other situations and understanding it. There are two ways to accomplish or collect evidence of mastery: multiple assessments and tracking the students’ progress of a few works over a period of time. As a teacher, you must be clear about the objectives before you can use differentiated instruction and adequately assess the students’ understanding of these objectives. The teacher must be open to the students’ unique way of learning and understanding. In order for the student to master any piece of material the teacher must utilize all tools they posses, including being open to new ideas from the student, in order to fully help. To look at ones’ own teaching approach each year is far from too much. An annual focus on mastery for every topic in the classroom can help to decipher between mastery and almost mastery mixed with hard work. As a teacher, you are always looking to what facts or points to emphasize as well as what to prune and what to keep. Looking to other colleagues and their ideas can really help to structure and keep focused. Sharing ideas and opinions is the best way to improve you teaching as well as the overall outcome of your classroom. From a student perspective, I can see that it is important to really know and understand what I am doing. From a teacher perspective, it is crucial to help guide and coach not push and force, a student towards mastery. I believe that no matter the material a student should be open to new ideas and styles of learning just as the teacher must enter a new classroom open to new ideas and styles of teaching. The best teaching and learning process occurs when both parties can relate to each other and help the overall outcome of the class become a positive one. Understanding newfound knowledge can lead to a better future utilizing these new tools of learning.

Andrew F.
Chapter two was a section on how we as educators have to measure our students understanding of the content in which we are presenting in our classrooms. It talked about the six facets of true understanding (which is a reference to the author of our other text, Jay McTighe) as a way for a student to demonstrate their knowledge on a certain topic. The book also recommends the use of multiple assignments to see how a student progresses over time, as recommended in Understanding by Design.

The last big mention in this chapter is when the student takes the content and brings it to the next level to apply what they learn through some sort of assessment. Using multiple mediums such as models, drawings, making videos or web sites are just some of the many ways in which students take what they have learned. They do this by showing proficiency in learning the ideals of particular content and by expressing this content in a way that other people can physically see. The other big thing is that after the assessment students complete a formal elaboration, whether written, or vocally presented, to show how the student came to his/her conclusions. This chapter was the jump-start into what I will be facing as a new teacher in terms of assessing my students, what to look for, what to watch out for, and how to be the most fair in terms of grading each student within a differentiated classroom.

T ed
Chapter Two and its focus on mastery of subject was immensely helpful to me. I have always thought about the ambiguity of exactly where a student was supposed to be in understanding of subjects by the time a unit was over. The definitions that the chapter compiled were helpful, but I can see this as something I need to define for myself in my school. My high school always had some infatuation with students reaching mastery, but I’m not certain the teachers ever discussed the definition of mastery in the teachers’ lounge. Again, the table on page 13 was invaluable for me to see examples of mastery.