In education we strive to provide our students with authentic learning experiences; opportunities to apply skills and knowledge to synthesize and demonstrate understanding.

At Almond, we’ve recently had some exemplars of authenticity:  the LASD Film Festival, 5th Grade “To Sail or Not to Sail” Project Based Learning Project (PBL), 1st Grade Weather Reports, the Almond Drama Program and our musical performances.

In the ASCD article, “How Good is Good Enough?,” Grant Wiggins offers many salient points about the definition of mastery (in relation to learning) and how it might be demonstrated or measured.  Mastery is defined as “the effective and graceful transfer of learning to meet authentic performance challenges.”  

Wiggins contends that John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach, was “The Mastery Master.”  Rather than focusing solely on isolated drills, he deliberately brought those parts together even during practice.

At the LASD Film Festival, students had to apply executive functioning skills to plan, organize, and execute this event.  In the 5th grade PBL, students created products, have been marketing and selling them, and are garnering profits to purchase materials to build boats that they will construct and sail.  First graders wrote their own weather reports and worked as a team of newscasters to inform viewers of the treacherous conditions coming our way.  And through the Almond Drama Program and the CSMA/LAEF musical performances, students have had to master the reading of music, memorization of lines pronounced with purpose, and how to tame the butterflies that surely took flight in their bellies.

The most amazing part to watch in all of this though...how in every single instance above, students were required to adapt and adjust to unforeseen turns in their path.  One way to get better at responding to the unexpected is to have the chance to perform.

Thank you to all the staff and parents who continuously make these learning opportunities available to our children.