The Mastery Learning Method by Jerome Bruner

 

The Mastery Learning Method by Jerome Bruner emphasizes deep understanding and the development of cognitive skills rather than rote memorization. Bruner, a cognitive psychologist, proposed learning strategies that encourage discovery, critical thinking, and the ability to transfer knowledge across contexts. While Bruner did not specifically frame a "mastery learning method" (a term more commonly associated with Benjamin Bloom), his ideas can align with mastery learning principles when applied effectively. Here’s an overview:

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Key Principles of Bruner's Approach to Mastery Learning

1. Spiral Curriculum:

   • Bruner advocated for a spiral curriculum, where complex topics are introduced in a simplified form early and revisited repeatedly at more sophisticated levels as learners gain mastery.
   • This aligns with mastery learning because it builds on prior knowledge, ensuring students fully understand foundational concepts before progressing.

2. Active Learning (Discovery Learning):

   • Bruner emphasized that students learn best when actively engaged in the discovery process, constructing knowledge for themselves.
   • Mastery in this context means grasping the underlying principles through exploration, experimentation, and problem-solving.

3. Readiness:

   • He stressed that learners must be developmentally ready to acquire certain concepts.
   • Mastery learning aligns with this by ensuring students achieve readiness through incremental steps and scaffolding.

4. Representation of Knowledge:

   • Bruner identified three modes of representation for learning:
     • Enactive (action-based): Learning through physical activity.
     • Iconic (image-based): Learning through visual or pictorial means.
     • Symbolic (language-based): Learning through abstract symbols, such as words or mathematical equations.
   • Mastery involves progressing through these stages, ensuring students understand the material at each level.

5. Motivation:

   • Intrinsic motivation is key. Bruner argued that students are more likely to achieve mastery when they are curious and see the relevance of what they are learning.

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Steps in Bruner’s Mastery Learning Framework

1. Engage Prior Knowledge:

   • Begin by connecting new concepts to what students already know.
   • This ensures a foundation for mastering new material.

2. Encourage Discovery:

   • Allow students to explore concepts through hands-on activities, problem-solving, and experimentation.
   • The teacher acts as a guide, facilitating but not directly instructing.

3. Build Understanding:

   • Revisit concepts through the spiral curriculum, deepening understanding each time by increasing complexity.

4. Scaffold Learning:

   • Provide support (e.g., hints, resources) as students work toward mastering concepts.
   • Gradually reduce scaffolding as they gain independence.

5. Assess and Reinforce:

   • Use formative assessments to check understanding at every stage.
   • Reinforce concepts until mastery is demonstrated.

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Example of Mastery Learning Inspired by Bruner

In teaching fractions:

1. Enactive Stage: Students manipulate objects (e.g., cutting a pizza into pieces) to understand division into parts.
2. Iconic Stage: Introduce visual representations, like pie charts or fraction bars.
3. Symbolic Stage: Move to abstract representations, such as $\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{3}{4}$.
4. Concepts are revisited over time, incorporating new layers of complexity, such as fraction multiplication or solving real-world problems involving fractions.

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Relation to Mastery Learning

Bruner’s emphasis on readiness, scaffolding, and revisiting concepts aligns closely with mastery learning’s focus on ensuring all students achieve a deep understanding before moving forward. However, Bruner’s approach is more open-ended and discovery-driven compared to Bloom’s structured, teacher-guided mastery learning model.