See this piece published in Schoolsweek:
http://schoolsweek.co.uk/developmentali ... -the-wall/
Developmentalism vs mastery: Should teachers be flinging mud at the wall?
There are two teaching mindsets. First, there are those teachers that expose children to the curriculum and assume they will learn it when they are capable. They might suggest a child is not developmentally ready to learn letter sounds; that their family circumstances explain their struggle to understand osmosis; they were congenitally incapable of remembering how to conjugate the verb ‘avoir’; or they are just not bright enough to appreciate the causes of World War One.
Do read the full piece - it is not long but it's important.With a “mastery mindset� the teacher asks questions such as:
• What prior knowledge is necessary to understand this new idea?
• Are there smaller steps I can use to build towards this new learning?
• How can I make my explanation clearer?
• Did the students get enough exposure/repetition/practice/testing to ensure they will remember what they have learnt in the long term?
A teacher has countless pressures and constraints that may mean they are unable to provide each child with the necessary knowledge, explanation and practice. However, what is the use of a mindset that focuses on the reasons children can’t learn? I’ve found that when I start asking the questions above, invariably children can learn far more than I previously assumed.
Heather Fearn is education blogger at Esse Quam Videri