Social Studies Middle School Guide

Canyons School District

Instructional Supports Department

INSTRUCTIONAL HIERARCHY Effect Size 0.58 Implementation Tools

Critical Actions for Educators ------------------------------- ● Explicitly teach a skill to students by explaining, demonstrating, and modeling. ● Build the skill through practice and use, to gain automaticity. ● Provide students with multiple opportunities to apply the skill.

Acquisition, automaticity, and application are progressive stages of the instructional hierarchy. Each stage requires its own set of pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies. Learners follow predictable stages. To begin, the learner is usually uncertain and tentative as they try to use a new skill. With feedback and practice, the learner becomes increasingly accurate, then automatic (fuent), and confdent in using the skill. Once fuency is obtained, the learner is now ready to be given opportunities to apply the skill in varied real-life experiences. Not all learners advance through these stages of instruction at the same pace. Some students need more time in the acquisition phase, while others will advance quickly to the application phase. Teachers utilize formal and informal assessments to help determine which phase learners are in. This feedback from students allows teachers to be agile in their instructional response in order to meet students’ needs.

Acquisition

Automaticity

Application

Accurate at Skill?

Automatic at Skill?

Able to Apply Skill?

● If no, teach skill. ● If yes, move to automaticity.

● If no, teach to automaticity with increased practice. ● If yes, move to application.

● If no, teach application. ● If yes, move to higher level/concept or repeat

cycle with new knowledge.