THE ROOTS OF ACE – Individualization and Mastery Learning

1. THE ROOTS OF ACE – Individualization and Mastery Learning Module 3 School of Tomorrow, China Distance Learning Program Some slides adapted from Bloompres.ppt for training purposes

2. I Peter 3: 15 - 17 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and always be ready to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience;

3. So what are ‘our’ challenges? What defence do we need? • 1. Comment on the School of Tomorrow Curriculum inferring that it is not suitable for today’s students. • 2. ‘Questionable’ reputation, based on ... • The ignorance of the critics, • unwise rhetoric, • lack of courage to confront the critics, • and even ... • Lack of information & understanding to articulate our educational practice!

4. Some historical developments in educational philosophy

5. Where does the A.C.E. School of Tomorrow system originate? Not new! Not just a Christian idea! Based on more than 100 years of educational research in Behaviorist theory Based on more than 40 years of proven results in educational research in 2 major approaches to learning and teaching –ML & PSI. A.C.E works!

7. Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) (Fred S. Keller) Education needs a new form of delivery that is appropriate for each individual.

8. “Good-bye, Teacher…”. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Spring 1968. (Based on his previous research) Keller Plan (1974 etc) to implement PSI.

9. Distinguishing Features of PSI over conventional teaching procedures. (1) Go-at-your-own-pace, a student can to move through the course at a speed appropriate to his ability and other demands upon his time. (A.C.E. uses individualised daily goal setting) (2) The unit-perfection requirement for advance, lets the student go ahead to new material only after demonstrating mastery of that which preceded. (A.C.E. uses 88% for model schools) (3) The use of lectures and demonstrations as vehicles of motivation, rather than sources of critical information. (A.C.E. uses mini classes) (4) The related stress upon the written word in teacher-student communication; and, (A.C.E. uses PACEs) (5) The use of proctors, which permits repeated testing, immediate scoring, almost unavoidable tutoring, and a marked enhancement of the personal-social aspect of the educational process. (A.C.E. has supervisors & monitors)

10. Mastery Learning (Benjamin Bloom) Almost any child can master almost any subject given enough time and a variety of instructional methods

11. Benjamin Bloom (1913 – 1999) ‘an American educational psychologist who made significant contributions to the classification of educational objectives and the theory of mastery learning’. The instructional pedagogy was considered a non-standard instructional model allied to Bloom’s work in the 1950-1960’s within group and individualised / personalised learning structures. Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives, 1950s by Benjamin Bloom, provides a way to organise thinking skills into six levels, from the most basic to the higher order levels of thinking. ‘The taxonomy is hierarchical (levels increase in the difficulty / sophistication) and cumulative (each level builds on and subsumes the one below)’. Dr Howard used these for the curriculum design of the PACE system. Bloom’s “Learning for Mastery” 1968 has become the foundation for Mastery Learning. “Most students (95%+) are able to master most material given enough time and a variety of instructional methods. The average student should be A or B.” 1990’s - 2001 – Anderson, Krathwohl, etc revised the taxonomy Anderson, L. W. and David R. Krathwohl, D. R., et al (Eds..) (2001) A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Allyn & Bacon. Boston, MA (Pearson Education Group)  Bloom, B.S. and Krathwohl, D. R. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals, by a committee of college and university examiners. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. NY, NY: Longmans, Green 

12. Domains BLOOM’S 3 DOMAINS OF LEARNING Each domain should be intentionally and systematically developed through a range of learning activities. Then this learning must be measured (5 laws of learning) through appropriate assessment.

13. A.C.E Application of the Instructional Objectives • Cognitive Domain • Bloom’s ‘higher order thinking skills’ • > Critical Thinking Skills (e.g. Parent Accelegram, 1996/7) • ‘To a large degree, the success of students in mastering critical thinking skills depends upon how effectively the curriculum is implemented. PACEs are tools. A gardener or mechanic may have the right tools: but until the tools are used skillfully, there will be no beautiful flower bed and no operational vehicle. Critical thinking must be encouraged and challenged.’ A.C.E. School of Tomorrow: Parent Accelegram (1996/7) • Affective Domain • addresses interests, attitudes, opinions, beliefs and values • > Bible-based / Christian Character Traits • Psychomotor Domain • Motor-skill development, manipulative and performance skill development • > Convention, PE, etc

14. BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMYCreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.EvaluatingJustifying a decision or course of actionChecking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judgingAnalysingBreaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationshipsComparing, organising, deconstructing, interrogating, findingApplyingUsing information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executingUnderstandingExplaining ideas or conceptsInterpreting, summarising, paraphrasing, classifying, explainingRememberingRecalling informationRecognising, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding Higher-order thinking

15. Back

16. Planning chart http://www4.uwsp.edu/education/lwilson/curric/newtaxonomy.htm?1352164962 http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html

17. Bloom Meets Gardner – Planning Activity

18. Remembering The learner is able to recall, restate and remember learned information. Recognising Listing Describing Identifying Retrieving Naming Locating Finding • Products include: • Quiz • Definition • Fact • Worksheet • Test • Label • List • Workbook • Reproduction • Vocabulary

19. Understanding The learner grasps the meaning of information by interpreting and translating what has been learned. Interpreting Exemplifying Summarising Inferring Paraphrasing Classifying Comparing Explaining • Products include: • Recitation • Summary • Collection • Explanation • Show and tell • Example • Quiz • List • Label • Outline

20. Applying The learner makes use of information in a context different from the one in which it was learned. Can you use the information in another familiar situation? Implementing Carrying out Using Executing • Products include: • Photograph • Illustration • Simulation • Sculpture • Demonstration • Presentation • Interview • Performance • Diary • Journal

21. Analysing The learner breaks learned information into its parts to better understand that information. Comparing Organising Deconstructing Attributing Outlining Finding Structuring Integrating • Products include: • Graph • Spreadsheet • Checklist • Chart • Outline • Survey • Database • Mobile • Abstract • Report

22. Evaluating The learner makes decisions based on in-depth reflection, criticism and assessment.   Can you justify a decision or course of action? Checking Hypothesising Critiquing Experimenting Judging Testing Detecting Monitoring • Products include: • Debate • Panel • Report • Evaluation • Investigation • Verdict • Conclusion • Persuasive speech

23. Creating The learner creates new ideas and information using what has been previously learned. Designing Constructing Planning Producing Inventing Devising Making  Can you generate new products, ideas, or ways of viewing things? • Products include: • Film • Story • Project • Plan • New game • Song • Newspaper • Media product • Advertisement • Painting

24. More Key Verbs

25. Classroom Roles A good teacher makes you think even when you don’t want to. (Fisher, 1998, Teaching Thinking)

26. Potential Activities and Products 1

27. Potential Activities and Products 2

28. Lower and Higher Order Questions Lower level questions (remembering, understanding and lower level application) are usually appropriate for: Evaluating students’ preparation and comprehension Diagnosing students’ strengths and weaknesses Reviewing and/or summarising content Higher level questions (complexapplication, analysis, evaluation or creation) are usually appropriate for: Encouraging students to think more deeply and critically Problem solving Encouraging discussions Stimulating students to seek information on their own More at www.oir.uiuc.edu/Did/docs/QUESTION/quest1.htm

29. SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR LOWER ORDER SKILLS

30. SAMPLE HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONS

31. Bloom References Recommended reading James W. Keefe & John M Jenkins (2008)Personalized Instruction 2ndEdition. Rowman & Littlefield Education Some slides in this ppt adapted from Tarlinton, D. 2003, ‘Bloom’s revised taxonomy’, PowerPoint slide presentation downloaded from http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/thinking/Bloom/bloompres.ppt Resources on Bloom's Taxonomy Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview from Family Education Network's TeacherVision Learning Skills Program: Bloom's Taxonomy from University of Victoria – Major Categories in the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives by G. Krumme, University of Washington, Seattle Critical and Creative Thinking - Bloom's Taxonomy Free Brainstorming Training - Learn basic and advanced techniques for brainstorming. Mission: Critical from San Jose State University - provides an advanced look at critical thinking and specifically analysis of arguments and persuasion. http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic69.htmHas an overview of critical & creative thinking as well as how Bloom’s domains of learning can be reflected in technology-rich projects. Has other links to Internet resources, and research and papers on Thinking Skills. • www.tedi.uq.edu.au/Assess/Assessment/bloomtax.html • www.acps.k12.va.us/hammond/readstrat/BloomsTaxonomy2.html • www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm • www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm • www.quia.com/fc/90134.html • www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/handouts/1414.html Model questions and keywords • http://schools.sd68.bc.ca/webquests/blooms.htm • www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html • http://caribou.cc.trincoll.edu/depts_educ/Resources/Bloom.htm • www.kent.wednet.edu/KSD/MA/resources/blooms/teachers_blooms.html • www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/questype.htm • www.nexus.edu.au/teachstud/gat/painter.htmQuestioning Techniques with reference to Bloom’s Taxonomy. • http://scs.une.edu.au/TalentEd/EdSupport/Snugglepot.htm • Mastery Learning Presentation at GRU 2010, Kathleen Carins

32. Misinterpretations of Mastery Learning ‘Some early attempts to implement mastery learning were based on narrow and inaccurate interpretations of Bloom’s ideas. These programs focused on only low-level skills; ... Teachers in these programs were regarded as little more than managers of materials and record keepers of student progress.’ Guskey, Thomas R. 2007. Closing Achievement Gaps: Revisiting Benjamin S Bloom’s “Learning for Mastery’. (p.21)

33. SAMPLE RESEARCH EVIDENCE … research evidence shows that positive effects of mastery learning are not limited to cognitive or achievement outcomes. The process also yields improvements in student’s confidence in learning situations, school attendance rates, involvement in class sessions, attitudes toward learning (the ‘multiplier effect’) and a variety of other affective measures. (Guskey, 2007)

34. The future…is individualised. Life is mastery based! http://schoolofone.org/http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9435AD08-90F3-42AA-838C-6372C3B5D2E6/0/SchoolofOneBrochure_FINAL.pdf

35. CONCLUSION One main strength of the School of Tomorrow system is that it allows the development of character focused, Biblically-based knowledge. However, it is also useful to see from the history and development of educational philosophy that the individualised learning approach is widely supported (in spite of some criticism) by research findings (particularly as implemented in the context of a well-rounded extracurricular programme). We can use this information to A) Confidently defend the learning system B) Implement research and development projects to ensure optimum use of the system in our varying contexts

36. Module 3 Objectives See handout