As we finish up another year, I always look back and see what I could have changed, and what would have been an improvement. I keep coming back to the idea that, if I can get students to buy into the method sooner, they will have better outcomes. I’ve always believed that if students revise their missed mastery problems earlier and more often, they will do better. Plenty of students wait a long time, or miss outcomes over and over again, and still get a passing grade, but does it have to be this way?
Soon I will know! With the assistance of Jillian Downey, we will look for relationships between how frequently students revise their work and how well they perform overall.
Even though not everyone who uses IBL ends up using mastery grading, the two are linked. I find it is key in the IBL classroom to motivate students to get things attempted early. It leaves room to grow and develop as a learner. If anyone has tips for getting students motivated to struggle, email us at ibldynamics@gmail.com and let’s talk about it!