Collins – mastery

One of the interesting I think developments in our work recently, particularly around mathematics, we’ve been doing some studies, where children are spending more time not being stretched to learn new things but being encouraged to go deeper with what they know. Now this is sometimes wrapped up in a classic bit of education fashion language known as mastery. But you might also talk about it in terms of the concept of roaming in the known where children are going deeper to spend more time in what they already know too – and I think in early education it’s very important that you secure for children confidence in what they know and knowing and not constantly driving them through an arbitrary curriculum that’s been set to meet the needs of something much later. And I think we’re beginning through the research to understand the value of that mastery that deep knowing and that time, spending time in what you know to build, understand – you know, to secure the pathways that are being laid and to build a deeper appreciation of what knowing feels like as a generalizable concept not only for the child most importantly but for all others around it. So that’s an interesting area of development for me which I am increasingly examining and looking at through our studies.