Bloom's research highlights the importance of varying instructional methods and time to cater to individual student learning needs, promoting a strategy called mastery learning. This approach not only improves cognitive achievement but also enhances students' confidence, attendance, and attitudes towards learning. Practical examples, such as using mastery learning folders, demonstrate how to effectively differentiate content and time for students struggling with specific academic skills.

2. “ Bloom observed that teaching
all students in the same way
and giving all the same time to
learn – that is providing little
variation in the instruction –
typically results in great
variation in learning.

3. Students for whom the
instructional methods and
amount of time are appropriate
learn well, and those for whom
the methods and time are less
appropriate learn less well.

4. Bloom believed that all students
could be helped to reach a
higher criterion of learning if
both the instructional methods
and time were varied to match
students’ individual learning
needs.

5. In other words, to reduce
variation in the achievement of
diverse groups of students and
have all students learn well,
Bloom argued that educators
and teachers must increase
variation in instructional
approaches and learning time.

6. Bloom labeled the strategy to
accomplish this instructional
variation and differentiation
mastery learning.

7. Research evidence shows that
the positive effects of mastery
learning are not limited to
cognitive or achievement
outcomes.

8. The process also yields
improvements in students’
confidence in learning
situations, school attendance
rates, involvement in class
sessions, attitudes towards
learning and a variety of other
affective measures.”
Guskey, Thomas R. (2007) Closing Achievement Gaps: Revisiting Benjamin S.
Bloom’s “Learning for Mastery” Journal of Advanced Academics Vol 19 Number 1

9. Free content and task flashcards
based on foundational learning skills
are available from The Flashcard
Club

10. The Mastery Learning Folder is
one tool available to classroom
teachers to differentiate both
the content and time needed for
individual students to master
the learning concepts being
presented in the classroom.

11. A classroom example using mastery learning
folders …
A Year 1 class began the year revising the basic
phonics sounds and is moving on to the
alternative sounds. A small selection of students
did not yet have fluency with all the basic
sounds. After testing, each student received
remediation flashcards in their Mastery
Learning Folder for individualized homework or
learning activities with an education assistant.

12. The folder consists of a series of pockets. In this
case the sound flashcards are placed in the first
pocket (the “Hive”) and are revised. Each day
the sounds are first tested, then revised through
simple exposure, games or other learning
strategies. The context for learning is still the
classroom – what is in the folder is remediating
or extending prior instruction.

13. Unknown or incorrect flashcards remain or
return to the Hive. Students revise their set of
sounds one-on-one and the flashcards cycle
through the folder until, through repeated
success, they arrive at the Test pocket. Correct
sounds are placed in the “Mastered” pocket.
(These can be re-tested at a later date to confirm
retention if desired.)
New material is then transferred into the Hive
pocket and the mastery learning process
continues.

14. The amount of material, the type of material
and the time required to learn it, are all
differentiated. This learning tool provides the
student needing remediation with the best
possible conditions to achieve the classroom
learning outcomes, in this example, mastering
all the first phonics sounds.