FIAE+B1+Chapter+2

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Tyler
Chapter two is all about the how to teach students to master a subject. In math, for example, a student may consistently get correct answers and high grades, they may not fully understand the material. Having students show their work and explain how they got the answer better assesses their mastery of a topic. By having students show their work, a teacher can find mechanical or processing errors, and by oral explanation, a teacher can hear where the student is having a hard time remembering a step. If a student can explain, interpret, apply, and identify what they are learning about, then they are mastering that topic.

Teachers must find ways to effectively assess a students mastery of a topic. There are several different ways, such as tests, essays, group projects, songs, videos, and many more. Any of these ways can be effect tools for helping students master a subject, as long as the teacher has clear objectives before differentiating instruction. The book used a geography question as an example of this (pg. 13-14). Those five questions are very good ways to evaluate a students knowledge of a subject, but each question is better suited for different objectives. If a teacher wants a student to simply understand how latitude and longitude works, then he would ask them to label the latitude and longitude lines on a globe, not ask them to write an essay about the history of latitude and longitude.

Ally
This chapter was about mastery, which can be seen in many forms like on a test. Mastery goes beyond just knowing the facts you have to put them into context and really make sure you understand the material. Many students learn materials in order to strictly pass a test, they aren’t actually learning what they need to they are memorizing. If a teacher were to give the test again then the student would most likely not do as well. By mastering the knowledge you fully understand the content. I learned that a big part of mastering is to be able to decide what to master; this is different from person to person. I think for teachers it would be the lesson plan or the content. If you learned the content for strictly that day then you wouldn’t be teaching your students. As a teacher, if you have mastered the content then you know all about it so a student can ask you a question you can answer it properly. This will help me as a teacher because in order to have a successful classroom I need to have mastery of my concentration and also my classroom. This will help my classroom because they will be successful in it, which is the ultimate goal of teaching and school. One of the most lines I think in chapter was “curriculum is subject to a teacher’s interpretation and this is not necessarily a bad thing” (18). This means that teachers can put their own creativity into the curriculum. Instead of teaching a strict lesson, which is why it is important to master, your content so you can then become creative.

Jasmine
Mastery is a complex word. There are a variety of ways to try to explain what this word means in the classroom. Does it always mean getting an A? or does it mean you understand what you are doing but sometimes don’t shine? There is a very gray area between these two sides. Students need to understand. What does that mean? Do they need to memorize what the book expects them to until they test and then forget? Or do they understand and have the ability to retain information beyond a test and apply it in future situations?

The part of the chapter I found most valuable was the “Determining What’s Important to Master” section, because as a new teacher, I will not necessarily have very clear views of the most important content areas to cover in the classroom. Howard Gardner says that understanding involves the appropriate application of concepts and principles to questions or problems posed. Jean Piaget says that real comprehension of a notion or a theory implies the reinvention of this theory by the students. In the chapter there were examples of what it means to express knowledge of a topic. An example of mastering a topic is if the student can hear, read about a situation that requires repeated addition and identifies it as a multiplication opportunity, then uses multiplication accurately to share the solution process.

An example of not mastering something is memorization –- student can repeat the multiplication tables through the 12’s. This is not a good way to show that students understand what the point of times tables are. IT just shows that they can memorize. As a teacher, I will implement more deep meaning and require explanantion with an answer. When I was younger, I hated when teachers made me do this, but it definitely helped me with math later in life.

Abby
When teaching, we need to make sure that our goals are concise. It is easy to get off track particularly with differentiate learning. Why did we do that exercise? How did it help us achieve our overall goal? We need to make sure that it is clear to everyone what is expected from this unit. We need to make sure that students are not simply given a broad and all-encompassing topic, but rather understand the very important details and able to apply them to other areas. Our questions as well as assessments should demand complex responses. What is the point of having one essay or a multiple choice quiz that does not cover the breadth of knowledge and understanding that the student needs? Mastery is more than just knowing the basics of a topic or being able to regurgitate it back to the teacher, but rather understanding it to the degree that they could teach it to someone else, connect it to another aspect of life, or expand upon it.

As a teacher I want to make sure that I do not cram too much into a lesson or simply take fun ideas and incorporate them when they do not directly connect to the topic. It is more important for my students to fully understand something than to have a vague and overarching knowledge of a variety of things. I need to make sure that I plan out my lessons accordingly and am very specific about how each piece helps the student come closer to achieving the goal of mastery.

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Jake
Mastery is a rather interesting thing to discuss, and the questions it creates are even more interesting. How does one know when they have mastered a given idea or subject, and how does when assess the mastery of another. Wormeli says that in order to measure mastery one must look at whether they can explain the idea, interpret it, explore it through a different lenses, empathize with the topic, and identify and reflect upon ones own self-knowledge of the idea (12). Essentially he’s saying that mastery is dependant upon your ability to break down an idea into all it's little parts and piece it back together again with a full understanding of how each piece works and functions.

When trying to teach students about mastery it requires a teacher to implement a variety of dimensions into the lesson in order to create a far more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the topic. If the subject is math, simply throwing an equation on the bored and saying to use it at a certain time does not create mastery of the given idea. The student must be able to understand exactly when to use it and it’s overall purpose. He or she should be able to break it down into all it’s little piece and ultimately be able to define why the equation works the way it does. When assessing this knowledge in our students it is important to incorporate some sort of response, such as an oral response, that will reflect this deeper understanding.

This understanding of mastery will easily translate into the classroom as it will force me to one make sure I am a master of my own subject, and two focus my lessons on a deeper mastery of a subject and not the meaningless surface level.

Dan
Mastery of concepts and gaining true understanding are reoccurring themes in the books we are reading, but for good reason. It is so vital that we teach understanding to students, not monotonous and useless concepts they just memorize and forget the next day. The six facets of understanding are again brought into mind, for they are truly meaningful. In my opinion, these facets are very valuable for students to perform and teachers to utilize. I know for a fact that as a teacher, I will make sure all my students are able to explain, interpret, apply, show empathy, reflect, and provide perspective of the content that I teach when it is appropriate. The concept of unpacking is shown in this book, where a specific standard for teacher is analyzed and the main ideas and focal points are drawn forth to in to better understand what student should master. We have done this activity during class, and it is really effective in developing essential questions and a foundation for a curriculum. But if a teacher is unable to produce a reasonable goal for students to understand, there is still hope. Many resources are at the disposal of teachers, such as veteran teachers, different organizations, and curriculum guides. I am not ashamed to ask for help, and if I ever need assistance as a teacher on what my students should understand, I will make sure that I ask other teachers for their advice as well as consult guides for developing a solid and cohesive curriculum.

Roger
Chapter two of FIAE focuses on the concept of mastery. Mastery can be loosely defined as someone’s ability with given information. A person who has “mastered” a concept can easily apply that concept to others, and use it As far as the classroom goes, mastery is something that would be a final goal. I would expect my students to be able to use the information that I have given them and make something from it. That is what teachers as a whole need to strive for, not random bits of trivia with no purpose. The more concepts students can master, the better they will be served by their schooling experience. That is my goal in teaching. Above all else, I want to give my students the knowledge they will need in the world. If I do any less, than I will have failed as a teacher.

Katie
Chapter 2 of the book //Fair Isn’t Always Equal// discusses the idea that students need to be able to master the content of what is being taught to them. In order for a student to master a unit being taught to them, they must be able to demonstrate that they understand the unit by being able to create what it is about. If the unit they are learning about is grammar, than for a student to be defined as mastering grammar, they must be able to create grammar by breaking down the subject matter and explaining its different components. The student should then be able to use it in new and different situations. For students to be able to master content, the teacher must provide them with the correct material and make it specific for the standard that is being taught. When I become a teacher, I am going to be able to decide what unit I want to teach and then I will create smaller portions of that unit to be taught and focused on in my class. I will talk to other teachers and veteran educators to figure out what content of the unit I should focus on most in order for my students to pass their summative assessment. It is important to not guess what my students should know because I could be wrong and in turn, have my students knowing and understanding the wrong material and thus having them do poorly on their summative assessments. I want my students to succeed in my class and to move on from it, taking the knowledge and mastery of the unit I taught them along with them.

Lizz
This chapter was all about mastery and what that means. To master something in school you are not memorizing the facts just to pass a test. In high school, I was guilty of this, I would memorize just to pass the test then I would forget about it. I never actually learned any of the information and I was just going through the motions of school. I just wanted to get the best grade possible for little as possible and if I had to retake the same test a week or two later I know I would not have done half as well as I did the first time around.  According to the chapter some tools that can convey a student’s mastery but they do not demonstrate mastery themselves are tests, quizzes, models, performances, videos, websites, animations, displays, etc. As a teacher, if I have mastered the information then I should know all about it and be able to teach it. This makes it so students can ask me questions and I can answer it fully. I mastering the content will help my classroom, which is the ultimate goal of teaching and for the school. One part of the chapter that got me really thinking is determining what is important to master. What if I forget to teach the important aspects that are on the state exams or even worse not teach it? This could have a huge effect on my classroom because if I do not teach what I should I could get a warning or worse be fired. I want my students to learn everything they need to for exams but I also want them to have fun doing it.

Brittany
How can you tell if a student has "mastered" a subject? Are tests, essays and projects evidence of mastery? The answer is yes, and no. While tests, essays and projects show that a student understands a subject, putting the information to use actively is how to tell if a student has mastered the subject. In English for example, the book states that a student who has mastered English would be able to be given or point to any word and explain it's function and role based on it's placement in the sentence. A student who has mastered a subject would be able to not only complete a task but then analyze and explain how they came to their conclusion in detail rather than "one-line answers". Students should also be able to explain exactly when and why they would use their mastered skill and give appropriate examples. As a teacher, one should have mastered a subject. I think mastery is difficult for not only the student but the teacher as well in subjects that are ever changing such as science. In these types of subjects mastery would be evident if a student can explain how to complete certain tasks, or explain different methods, terms and functionality. Students would have to be able to adapt their views and ideas to the ever changing world to continue to possess mastery.

Jenn
Chapter two helps define mastery, how it relates to differentiation, and how it affects grades. One of the main ways to determine if students fully understand, or have a mastery of material, is to use the six facets of understanding. I feel like the six facets of understanding are useful in determining how a teacher can assess how much their students understand, but I feel like some of the facets aren’t used as regularly in the classroom. To me, the facets of understanding are more about mastering a subject, which makes sense because that’s what the chapter is about, but that students can still understand a topic, even if they can’t do all six. I feel like this relates to what the chapter was saying about assessment because, when deciding on what assessment to use, or how appropriate an assessment is, it only relates to how the assessment is highlighting the essential questions. In most assessments, the material is presented as an interpretation and, sometimes, how it applies to the outside world. That’s only using two of the six facets. Although I think the chapter is trying to say that in order to properly assess, a teacher needs to understand how to get their students to master the material first, I don’t actually know if assessments are determining if they know all six. Although it’s still slightly vague, the chapter did make a good point in saying, “We have to be clear as to what is evidence of mastery versus evidence of almost-mastery mixed with a lot of hard work.” (18) I hope that the next chapter further explains how to properly assess whether or not a student has mastered the content.

Alex
This second chapter allowed me to draw many connections to the reading we had to do for the UbDi chapter five. This chapter talked of mastery what we had to master to be able to become a good teacher and the UbDi talked about assessment and ways that we had to master to give proper assessment, they just seemed very similar to each other. This chapter taught me that I need to master very specific things in order to become an effective teacher. Out of the list of things that I need to master there were ones that really struck out at me and made me realize that I need to master more than just what my mentor is teaching. Things like professional organization because I struggle with organization and I need to be able to grade work and be effective with it and not loose it. Standards of learning I need to be able to have a high standard that my kids need to reach but also be effective enough to get them all to reach that standard. Posted benchmarks I need my kids to meet all state requirements and i need a basis for knowledge to know if i am doing a good job or if I am just pretending to be a good teacher. All of these things are concerns of mine that I need to master to become of good teacher.

Caleb
Mastery. The first image that comes to mind when I hear this word is a blacksmith being a master at his craft. To master something at least in my mind meant that one was very skilled in the area and performed it quite well. Now, part of this self-definition of mastery is true, but at the same time there is a level that I am neglecting. True mastery would allow this blacksmith to not only produce a quality sword but he would be able to understand ever facet of his work. These facets would go with the facets of understanding. Any blacksmith can make a quality sword but a true blacksmith master would end up making a sword, explain why it works, understand how he did it, compare his sword to others, understand how blacksmith relates to other occupations, and understand how he fits into the blacksmithing world. Looking at blacksmith and it’s mastery makes me think that as a teacher there are more bases that one has to cover before a student understands a subject fully. So when I teach my classroom I need to understand what material they have to master, and more important then that is what part of that material is the most important thing to master. If I teach quadratics I will have to make sure that they have mastery over it but more importantly that they can solve a quadratic in different ways. It’s seeing there is a level of mastery that needs to be taken into consideration.