| Abstract: | This paper presents two theoretical conceptualizations of mastery. The first, based on an information-processing approach, emphasizes hierarchically structured knowledge and its linear application to solve problems. The second, an intuitive approach, considers mastery as the elaboration of knowledge of situations. This knowledge is defined in terms of understanding the patterns of critical relationships present in situations, and in which appropriate behavior is an integral part of the pattern. Empirical findings comparing novices and experts in various domains, including teaching, are briefly reviewed. A summary follows of two conceptual models of the progression from novice to expert, those of Anderson, and Dreyfus and Dreyfus. The author proposes a scale of mastery of teaching based on a synthesis of the above models. |
