{"id":349496,"date":"2021-08-19T12:47:50","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T16:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/spiral-vs-mastery-math\/"},"modified":"2021-08-19T12:47:50","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T16:47:50","slug":"spiral-vs-mastery-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/spiral-vs-mastery-math\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiral vs Mastery: The 1 Essential Difference You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Spiral vs Mastery.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Saxon Math vs Horizons vs Singapore vs Math-U-See&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And so many more!<\/strong> If you have homeschooled or even considered it you\u2019ve probably heard various people talking about any or all of the various math styles and curriculums.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But knowing a brand has a good reputation and understanding what to expect throughout a homeschool year or career are two very different things!! I\u2019ve heard a lot of questions about this lately, so let&#8217;s spend a little time on getting this figured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of what you need to know hinges on what method the curriculum teaches. There are two basic schools of thought in math curricula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding what people mean when they say Spiral vs Mastery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today we\u2019ll look at the differences and why they matter by taking a look at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#sec1\">Defining Terms<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#sec2\">Some Common Traits of the Spiral Method?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#sec3\">What are Some Common Traits of the Mastery Method?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#sec4\">How to Know Which Might be a Good Choice for your Child<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-IGFB-Spiral-vs.-Mastery.jpg\" alt=\"spiral vs mastery\" class=\"wp-image-349497\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-IGFB-Spiral-vs.-Mastery.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-IGFB-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-IGFB-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-IGFB-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-IGFB-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sec1\"><strong>DEFINING TERMS: Spiral vs Mastery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A Note: It\u2019s important to note that BOTH concepts aim for general mastery of all covered math concepts. Just because people use the term \u201cmastery\u201d and phrase it as \u201cspiral VS mastery\u201d does not mean your kid won\u2019t \u201cmaster\u201d math concepts if they use a spiral curriculum!&nbsp; The spiral method is not going to leave your kid hanging!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, the definitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spiral Method: \u201cHow do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The spiral method focuses on the introduction of concepts in small, bite-size chunks. This is followed by continual review of the skills. Meanwhile, new information is introduced in similarly small pieces.\u00a0 Picture a penny in one of those science <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C2awnAeuFbc&amp;t=29s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">museum centripetal force exhibits<\/a>. It starts slow and wide and gets faster and faster as it hits the sides of the container until it\u2019s going very fast at the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a spiral method your child gains math momentum as they hit concepts over and over and deepen their knowledge.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mastery Method: \u201cKeep at it till you\u2019ve got it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mastery method approaches concepts in a more sequential way. A student may work on one concept exclusively for days or weeks before proceeding. They\u2019ll work on many similar problems and take tests to see if they have \u201cmastered\u201d the concept, then move on to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sec2\">Spiral vs Mastery: <strong>What are Some Common Traits of the Spiral Method?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Incremental skill development<\/li><li>Lots of practice<\/li><li>Wide variety of questions<\/li><li>Practical results<\/li><li>Continual review<\/li><li>Development of skill and knowledge happens over time<\/li><li>Students may find new concepts less frustrating<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/the-baby-scientist\/201907\/why-children-repetition-and-how-it-helps-them-learn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Information may be retained longer-term<\/a><\/li><li>Focus on memorizing facts, learning concepts and techniques as well as \u201cdoing\u201d math<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sec3\">Spiral vs Mastery: <strong>What are Some Common Traits of the Mastery Method?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Focus is on mastery of a single concept before moving on<\/li><li>Mastery may sometimes be called sequential or skills-based<\/li><li>Topics are explored deeply and more exclusively. Lots of theory and concepts.<\/li><li>Pre-tests and post-tests are utilized to make sure mastery has been gained.<\/li><li>Mastery of concepts may mean your child enters a program at different levels than \u201cgrades\u201d<\/li><li>Mastery may take time; students move on when a certain proficiency is reached<\/li><li>Less repetition<\/li><li>Less review<\/li><li>Gaps can occur if not caught and fixed early on<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sec4\"><strong>Spiral vs Mastery: How to Know Which Might be a Good Choice for your Child<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Spiral vs Mastery continues to be a debate because there are good curriculums under each category. Obviously, I believe strongly in Saxon math, a spiral curriculum. One of the main reasons is that I believe the spiral method builds a strong foundation that isn\u2019t easily forgotten. When concepts are repeatedly re-visited over the course of a year or years, it becomes deeply ingrained in the brain. It also minimizes gaps in learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, those who find a lot of problems to be time-consuming or frustrating may balk at the number of problems that must be done to ensure repeated exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mastery method learning, however, is often popular with those who feel that constant repetition will be boring over time. Those who like to consider a concept completed (like checking a box) will like mastery-method math. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are some who may not take to the frequent tests that help gauge mastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with so many things in homeschooling, what\u2019s right will be a combination of what helps your child learn, what a parent can handle teaching, and what supports a family\u2019s lifestyle and their academic goals for their kids. Perhaps that\u2019s a spiral method, with its deep foundation and slowly-over-time style. Or perhaps its mastery, with long periods of time devoted to one concept. You\u2019ll figure it out, and hopefully, this Spiral vs Mastery primer will help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have more questions about spiral vs mastery? Drop them in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to you soon,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nicole the Math Lady<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Like the idea of spiral method math, such as Saxon? See what it\u2019s like to get the help of an on-demand teacher and online grading with a seven-day FREE trial. Check it out now at <a href=\"https:\/\/nicolethemathlady.com\/free-trial\/\">https:\/\/nicolethemathlady.com\/free-trial\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spiral vs Mastery.&nbsp; Saxon Math vs Horizons vs Singapore vs Math-U-See&#8230; And so many more! If you have homeschooled or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,26],"tags":[17,6,44,21,46],"class_list":["post-349496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-saxon","category-schooling-at-home","tag-homeschool-math","tag-saxon-math","tag-saxon-math-questions","tag-saxon-videos","tag-spiral-vs-mastery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1.jpg",1922,1080,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1-1024x575.jpg",1024,575,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1-1536x863.jpg",1536,863,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/081821-Header-Spiral-vs.-Mastery-1.jpg",1922,1080,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Nicole Thomas","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/author\/nicolethemathlady\/"},"uagb_comment_info":22,"uagb_excerpt":"Spiral vs Mastery.&nbsp; Saxon Math vs Horizons vs Singapore vs Math-U-See&#8230; And so many more! If you have homeschooled or [&hellip;]","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":853120,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349496\/revisions\/853120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}