Our recent discussions about Brain Targets 3, 4, and 5 (Hardiman, 2003) have engaged me in thinking about the extent to which I have a “mastery” orientation in teaching.
• Our work in creating a concept map for BT-3 was extremely helpful; in the past I have developed essential questions as a lesson focus, but have not used a visual representation to clarify the relationships between lesson objectives.
• Readings and discussions about BT-4 have strengthened my focus on providing repeated rehearsals of learning that incorporate a range of perspectives or types of activities that include arts integration.
• This week’s work on BT-5 has refocused my attention on the need to have students get to the place where they can apply new learning. Honestly, I still have questions about how BT-5 fits between BT-4 and BT-6. I think mastery requires application and I realize I have often viewed application as a lens for evaluating mastery. Is it truly a separate stage? I’m still mulling that one.
All of this has supported my own development of a stronger “mastery orientation” in teaching. But is that “mastery orientation” something that students need, too, to enhance their active involvement in learning and their ownership of the learning as long-term memory? And if so, I can I foster it?
I think the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. I think students, especially as they get into the intermediate grades and above, need to be actively involved in the process of creating learning. The more they know about how they learn and what helps or hinders the process can only help them become more self-directed and more successful over time. I spent a great deal of time this week working on my research connections paper linking Habits of Mind with BT-4 and that model is also about students taking more control of understanding and applying thinking skills (Costa, 2000). I think awareness about how content is best absorbed and integrated into learning networks is equally useful.
During the last few weeks I believe I have already started to foster this awareness – more explicitly -- in students. I created concept maps for two new units that we are starting this week and have prepared copies for all students as well as large copies for posting in the classroom. My plan is to refer back to these as we begin and close each lesson so students can see how the learning fits into the larger picture.
In terms of varied practice, in my class we have already started a process – separate from this class – to better understand the non-verbal strengths that are so prevalent. Ninety percent of students in my classroom have non-verbal strengths identified on advanced learning plans and we are working to understand what that means for accessing and demonstrating learning. Within that context, it makes sense for me to specifically talk to students about the range of learning activities I have planned for them, noting which are designed to support non-verbal learning and which, to support other types of learning. I already build a lot of choice into lessons, but I have not been as specific in talking with students about what the choices represent in terms of varied gateways to understanding. Armed with discussions from this course, I am convinced that knowing more about that will help students make better choices about actively engaging in a range of activities.
Finally, a stronger focus on “teaching for application” will lead me to talk about it more explicitly with students. Again, I think I have frequently looked for application of ideas, particularly in an assessment mode, but I am not sure that I have been as explicit as I should be about what it is and why it is important. I have even started to mull the idea of having more open conversations with students about how they think they can apply learning. They may have some great ideas I haven’t thought of that lead us to deeper learning and/or more interesting cross-curriculum connections.
I definitely think this will be motivating to students. As I write this, I am realizing to what extent that I believe that control leads to increased motivation, and giving students more information about why they are participating in classroom learning activities definitely should give them a greater sense of control. From a teacher perspective, the risk of this is that students may ask reasonable questions about why they are “having” to do certain things and…their questions may reveal that there are better ways to develop mastery and apply learning. This might scare some teachers off, but honestly, I find it very exciting. Helping students understand why they are learning the way they are – fostering a “mastery orientation” – is an exciting next step for me in the classroom.
Costa, A.L. (2000). Habits of Mind. In A. Costa (Ed.), Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking (3rd Ed.) Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Hardiman, M.M. (2003). Connecting Brain Research with Effective Teaching: The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model. Rowman and Littlefield Education: New York.
