Mastery Learning Folders ... for lessons worth remembering.
Hi, I’m Nicola. When tutoring, do you find that some students return seven days later having forgotten a lot of what you'd covered the week before? This is frustrating, however, it is exactly what cognitive psychologists tell us will happen unless we establish the right practice conditions!
One hundred and thirty years ago, memory researcher Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that he rapidly forgot many learning item he had memorized within days–this led to his famous “forgetting curve”. Thankfully, he later discovered that he could halve the time it took to learn and retain them if he incorporated spaced retrieval practice1. Mastery Learning Folders incorporate spaced, retrieval, interleaved and elaboration learning strategies and make a huge difference to student progress.
Mastery Learning Folders will organise and systematise the practice of the content covered in your tutoring sessions. I have just completed post-graduate study to ensure the folder process reflects current research in cognitive psychology practice strategies. My results were examined by Robert Bjork (Desirable Difficulties learning strategies), John Hattie (Visible Learning) and John Sweller (Cognitive Load Theory), world leaders in their fields.
When I enrol new tutoring students, their set-up fee includes the cost of a Mastery Learning Folder. I explain to parents that their child’s progress will be greatly enhanced if they’re willing to conduct three 5-minute practice sessions during the week. Parents who participate see their child progress before their eyes and word spreads in conversations at the school gate! The Mastery Learning Folder strategy holds the potential to boost the reputation of your tutoring business well beyond your expectations!
I encourage you to join the Flashcard Club to view the free foundational learning content available for use with the Mastery Learning Folder strategy. Please note, if the back arrow isn't available, check your window tabs as flashcard sheets open in a new page.
Start Here
The tutoring context is very similar to the use of individual education plans by teachers in the school context. I have created a large collection of free resources to support the management and implementation of individual education plans that I highly recommend for tutors. Follow the IEP Management link below and you'll find a training video and every resource you need to make a start with your students.
Free Resources
teacher training video
parent brochure & training
student video
screeners
templates & black-line masters
Reference
1 Weinstein, Y., Madan, C. R., & Sumeracki, M. A. (2018). Teaching the science of learning. Cognitive research: Principles and implications, 3(1), 1-17. https://bit.ly/37ZWrD9
Mastery Learning Folders ... for lessons worth remembering.
Cardboard Mastery Learning Folder Kit
Mastery Learning Folder
Customisable Front & Back Covers
Mastery Learning Folder Teacher's File