In a mastery learning program, there should be no issue of failing at the end of the class, because all problems have been corrected along the way. In a scuba class, by the time the student reaches the OW checkout dives and has to clear a mask, he or she has done it many times successfully already, and that is even if the student was successful on each occasion. If not, the student got the extra help needed to be able to be successful.
According to whose definition of best? If you understand instructional theory, you will realize that the worst instruction possible happens in colleges and universities. There you will find almost no effort being made to help students succeed. The idea there is to present information and then test to see who got it despite the miserable instructional techniques.
I taught in an experimental program in the Colorado School of Mines, one the the best engineering schools in nation. I was part of a team of instructional experts brought in to try to improve their struggling writing program. When we tried to introduce mastery learning techniques, we were rebuffed. They wanted nothing to do with that sort of stuff, and the program ended. I am going to reproduce their argument below, and I swear to you there is no exaggeration. I am sure they would agree with what I am writing in the way I am writing it.
- If we used those methods, many more students would be successful in reaching the standards of the class.
- If many more students reached the standards of the class, we would have too many students getting good grades, and it would look like we were being too easy.
- It is important to see if students can succeed and get good grades without good instruction, because that tells prospective employers who the true self-directed learners are.
- It is very important that a good percentage of these highly qualified students fail the class, even if their work met all standards, so that we can look like we have very high standards. There is therefore no good reason to provide extra help to struggling students, because they help maintain a good failure rate.
So, is that your idea of ideal instruction? To have as many people fail as possible so you look tough?