In a world where the average person changes jobs 12 times during their lifetime, it’s more important than ever to have skills that set you apart from your competition. Learning rare skills can give you the edge you need to stand out in today’s workforce. Photo by sloppyperfectionist on Unsplash While some may argue that any skill can be learned with enough time and effort, there are certain skills that are more difficult to obtain. These rare skills often require years of practice or natural talent to master. Some examples of rare skills include: • Mental math: The ability to do complex calculations in your head without the use of a calculator or pen and paper. This skill is useful for fields such as accounting and finance. • Perfect pitch: The ability to identify musical notes by ear without the use of an instrument. This skill is useful for careers in music composition and performance. • Photographic memory: The ability to remember large amounts of information verbatim after only se

For centuries, mathematics has been an indispensable tool in the sciences and engineering, playing a vital role in advances from the Copernican Revolution to the Industrial Revolution. Today, more than ever, mathematics is ubiquitous in modern life, underpinning everything from Google search algorithms to weather forecasting. Photo by antoine1003 on Unsplash And yet many people still view mathematics as a dry, difficult subject that is best left to specialists. In reality, however, mathematics is an exciting and beautiful discipline that can be enjoyed by everyone. This is the era of the mathematician. Here are some reasons why this is the age of Mathematics: 1. The world is more interconnected than ever before, and mathematics is the language that ties it all together.  By studying mathematics, we can develop a better understanding of the world around us and the relationships between different objects and phenomena. Math is often thought of as a dry, boring subject, but its applicatio

Mastery learning is a type of educational pedagogy, originally developed by Karl Mannheim in the early 20th century, which emphasizes that students should achieve a level of mastery in a subject before moving on to more difficult material.  In recent years, mastery learning has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity among educators, as new research has shown that it can be an effective way to help students learn efficiently and retain information over time. Photo by kellysikkema on Unsplash One reason why mastery learning may be particularly well-suited for grading papers is that it can help you focus your attention on those areas where your students need the most help. By identifying which concepts your students are struggling with and providing targeted instruction on those topics, you can ensure that your students are getting the individualized attention they need to succeed.  Additionally, because mastery learning is based on the premise of providing ample opportunities for prac

Mastery learning is an instructional strategy and philosophy that holds students accountable for learning content before moving on. This approach to teaching has been proven to increase student achievement, close achievement gaps, and promote a love of learning in students of all ages.  With mastery learning, students advance to the next level of content only after they have demonstrated proficiency on the current level. This approach can be used in any content area and at any grade level. When implemented effectively, mastery learning has been shown to increase student achievement and engagement while also reducing behavioral problems. Photo by hajjidirir on Unsplash If you're interested in using mastery learning in your own classroom, there are a few things you need to do in order to make it successful. First, you need to clearly define what proficiency looks like for each unit of study.  Next, you need to design engaging and supportive instructional activities that will help stu