It’s obvious to anyone who has ever been around children that not all kids learn at the same pace. There is no known task that is universally mastered in the same amount of time by all people. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about potty-training, speaking, riding a bicycle, playing a musical instrument, or catching a ball. The amount of time it takes for humans to learn and accurately apply a skill in a consistent manner will always depend on the specific individual. This fact is accepted by everyone, yet many teaching models used today still disregard this reality.
In our Skills Based Classroom, we accept this obvious truth as something we can’t change. Consequently, we feel like no topic (or skill) should ever be left behind and no final grade should be rendered unless all students have been given every opportunity to learn the material at their own pace. A skill can be revisited and multiple attempts can be made to show mastery of a topic even after the teacher has moved on to another topic. In fact, our students are allowed to utilize their tier 2 and tier 3 support time to help them fill in gaps that may have developed due to a slower learning rate.
Certainly, no teacher has ever knowingly stopped students from learning previous material once the class has moved on. But very few teachers actually encourage and invite students to go back through the term and relearn old topics as an integral part of their classroom objective. Occasionally, some teachers may offer a “Retake” on an assessment where a student had a low test grade. But this may become a second chance cram session that doesn’t create a deep or sustainable understanding.
In reality, grading terms DO have deadlines and there is a final day of the quarter (or semester). However, we shouldn’t be putting arbitrary limits on specific skills within that term. These arbitrary deadlines are built for the convenience of teachers and only restrict students from garnering the true depth of learning they deserve.
Think about the following scenario. You take on the responsibility of teaching your daughter to ride a bike. After a week or so of instruction and practice, you think she’s ready to go out and take off on her own down the street. You’ve practiced it with her and you’ve seen her have a couple of decent startups and short rides down the driveway. Maybe you predetermined, based on your time constraints and schedule of other important things you need to teach her, that Saturday will be her big test. Finally, the day has come and you turn her loose on her own. But she has a bad start and ends up failing to even make the first turn. If you follow the format set forth in a traditional teaching classroom, you would tell her she fails and move on to the next life skill. Sure, she can go back and practice on her own, but there’s no reward or benefit from you (her teacher) in doing so. Moving forward, you will officially label her as someone who failed at riding a bicycle. It doesn’t matter if she became great at it a week or two later and could do tricks that no one else her age could do. Your arbitrary deadline to learn how to ride a bike has passed, and she is officially listed as “Failed” on that skill. Credit for mastering the skill after the test date is not admissible.
Obviously, a classroom full of students and a curriculum full of standards doesn’t always have time to wait for the slowest learner. Or does it? Skills Based Instruction provides time in class for enrichment for students who are further along as well as remediation options for those who need more time. All students are incentivized by a flexible schedule that allows students opportunities to take assessments on their topic of choice. These extra (and sometimes late) attempts are just as valued and are just as relevant to their grade as when assessments were taken as a whole group the first time around. We’ve witnessed a remarkable increase in motivation from students when they know they will never be left behind, and there is always an opportunity to catch up to their peers. Students who once viewed chapter tests as a hopeless cause with unattainable expectations are now driven to learn AFTER the class has moved on. Teachers and students can fully utilize the time available to them in a more productive way.