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The Five Stages of Mastery Learning

03 APR 2016 JON BERGMANN

Mastery learning is not a complex idea. In a mastery learning environment, students are
expected to learn certain objectives, or competencies, and then they progress when they
learn the competency.

The Four Stages of Competence (Mastery)

One way to summarize the four stages is to think about the process of learning to drive:

Stage 1: Unconsciously Incompetent Non-driver

Stage 2: Consciously Incompetent Beginner

Stage 3: Consciously Competent Just Passed the Driving Test

Stage 4: Unconsciously Competent Driver who gets to work without remembering the drive*

*This analogy comes from Alan Chapman

Stage 1: Unconsciously Incompetent

In this stage learners don’t know what they don’t know. During this stage it is the job of the
teacher to get learners to understand that they need to learn a specific skill or objective.
Learners need to know why they should learn something. To use the driving analogy:
Somebody has to want to learn how to drive before they enter into the journey of driving.

Stage 2: Consciously Incompetent

In this stage the learner is aware that they need to learn something. They know they are
weak and need to learn. One of the reasons that much teaching fails is that many teachers
assume their learners are at Stage 2 when in fact they are in Stage 1. I have seen this
mistake in technology training of teachers. For too many years we have been showing
teachers how to use technology and not telling them why they should use technology in
learning. We have assumed they were in stage two when in fact they were still in stage one.
This also happens with students. We have shown them why learning some concept is
important and we jump to stage 2 too quickly. Back to our driver example: The learner is
just learning where the pedals are, what they do, the rules of the road, and they are
overwhelmed with the task of driving.
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Stage 3: Consciously Competent

In this stage the learner understands the objective or can perform the selected skill, but it
requires great concentration. Learners may still need a guided practice and the help. In this
stage, learners can fall into the trap where they think they know how to do something but
because they either have not practiced enough, or have some underlying gaps in their
learning, they can make mistakes. In our driving analogy, the new driver can think they are
really good and in fact can often be a danger on the road. Sadly, many new drivers are a
hazard on the roads.

Stage 4: Unconsciously Competent

In this last stage, the learner has practiced the objective or skill and can do it almost
automatically. The learning has become hard-wired into the person. My guess is that most
of you reading this post drive to work and you are at stage 4. You went through the process
and you don’t have to think about how to drive at all.

The Danger of Stage Four Learners and the need for a Fifth Stage
Their is a danger for educators if they are Stage 4 learners. The danger is that they
understand the concept or skill so well that they have a hard time helping new learners
move through the stages. Not every expert makes a good teacher. I remember a specific
Physical Chemistry professor I had who was a well known researcher and yet he really
struggled with communicating the basics with his students. My classmates and I needed
somebody who could enter into our minds and help us move through the stages.

The Fifth Stage: Master Teacher

Thus, the fifth stage is the master teacher. Some have called this stage Reflective
Competence. This person recognizes which stage each learner is in and is able to help each
learner move from stage one to stage four.The master teacher is able to personalize
learning for each student.
I feel that this model has significant implications for K-16 learning. We fall into the two
traps mentioned above. We assume that students are in stage 2 when if fact we have not
done the hard work of giving students the why of learning. And the other mistake we make
is that since we have become masters at our topics and are stage four learners, we fail to
enter into the messiness of learning where students who are at varying stages.
What are your thoughts? How does the competence model help you to understand your
students, your staff, or your own learning? Please comment below.

If you would like to learn more about the Four Stages of Competence model the best article
I found was written by Allan Chapman and can be found here.
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JOHARI’S WINDOW
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https://www.slideshare.net/competents2011/mastery-learning-7354062

What is behaviour modification model ?

 Changing the external behaviour of the learners and describe them in terms of visible
behaviour rather than underlying behaviour.
 Skinner is the chief exponent of this model.
 Based on B.F.Skinner's theory of Operant Conditioning and Bundara's theory of Social
Learning.

CHARACTERISTICS
 Break down the learning task into series of small sequences of behaviour.
 Learner actively respond to the situation to and geis reinforcement and feedback.
 Each behaviour; is so designed that success is ensured.
 "Re-programming" on acquired behaviors of learners.
 Old behavioural pattern is replaced by new bepavioral patterns.

MASTERY LEARNING
 Is an instructional strategy
 Based on the idea that the majority of students carl master any topic if it is broken
down into small chunks and if they are given enough time to learn at their own pace.
 Individualized instruction
 Assumes that almost all students can and will master a great deal of what is taught, if
instruction is approached systematically; if the students are helped when and where
they have learning difficulties; if they are given sufficient time to achieve mastery.

CHARACTERISTICS
 Small learning segments
 Presentation of Instructional Objectives
 Individual attention
 Personalized instruction
 Self-pacing
 Criterion referenced test
 Diagnostic, formative & formative evaluation
 Focus on process of mastering of content not on content
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MAIN FOCUS OF MASTERY LEARNING

Behavioural Objectives:
The specific objectives for learning a study unit are made clear to the learner, so that he
knows what is expected of him from the course of study.

Small Learning Segments:

The subject matter of a study unit is broken in to several blocks each followed by self-
assessment questions which work as learner's own evaluation checks.

Self-pacing:
The learner learn the study unit at his own speed. The time for learning a study unit is
different for different learners while the degree of mastery is the same.

Individual Attention:
When a student is unable to understand a portion of the unit, he takes the individual helps
from the instructor.

Criterion-referenced Testing:
A minimum level of performance is specified which indicates the mastery of the study unit
and readiness for learning new material.
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HOW TO INSTRUCT FOR MASTERY?

Enough time means:
Time required for demonstrate mastery of objectives.

Appropriate instruction means:

 Break course into units of instruction
 Identify objectives of units.
 Require students to demonstrate mastery of objectives for unit before moving on to
other units.
 Clearly state the objectives representing the purposes of the course.

The curriculum is divided into relatively small learning units, each with their own
objectives and assessment.
Learning materials and instructional strategies are identified; teaming, modeling,
practice, formative evaluation, re-teaching, reinforcement, and summative evaluation
are included.
Each unit is preceded by brief diagnostic tests, or formative assessments.
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ADVANTAGES
 Students have prerequisite skills to move to the next unit
 Requires teachers to do task analysis, thereby becoming better prepared to teach
each unit
 Requires teachers to state objectives before designating activities
 Can break cycle of failure (especially important for minority and disadvantaged
students)

DISADVANTAGES
o Not all students will progress at same pace; this requires students who have demonstrated
mastery to wait for those who have not or to individualize instruction
o Must have a variety of materials for remediation
o Must have several tests for each unit
o If only objective tests are used can lead to memorizing and learning specifics rather than
higher levels of learning.