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Mastery-based skills are about Transfer

“The mastery-based skill [must be] valuable ten years from now, even if the content knowledge has changed.”

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-Chris Sturgis, CompetencyWorks, “The Art and Science of Designing Competencies”

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  • Articulated as a single skill
  • Observable (can be demonstrated)
  • Transferable (has relevance beyond the immediate context)
  • Transdisciplinary
  • Learner-centered

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Essential Elements of a Mastery-Based Skill

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Example from Lord of the Rings, 2019:

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The student communicates & empathizes with people who have perspectives different from your own.

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Brainstorm • Organize • Act • Feedback

2 minutes

TASK: What does the “ideal student” DO in a Harkness Discussion?

Write out descriptors on sticky notes that capture the “ideal student” in action.

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Brainstorm • Organize • Act • Feedback

2 minutes

TASK: Of all of your ideas, choose your best ONE idea, the one your teammate wants to explore and work on more deeply.

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Brainstorm • Organize • Act • Feedback

5 minutes

TASK: Transform your idea into a mastery-based skill. Write it on a new sticky note.

Communicate & empathize with people who have perspectives different from your own.

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Active, Concrete Verb

Specific object of action

Written with YOU the learner in mind

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Brainstorm • Organize • Act • Feedback

2 minutes

TASK: Show your mastery-based skill to a team close to you. Ask that team:

What image comes to mind when you read this skill? What do you picture people doing when they demonstrate this skill?

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If you’re having difficulty picturing something, what clarification questions do you have?

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