Systematically Design Instruction toward a Specific Learning Goal

Abstract

This chapter describes how teachers should systematically design instruction to ensure their students’ learning goals are clearly defined, planned, and sequenced so they can master the desired content before they exit school. The chapter describes how to write clear learning goals for students with extensive support needs, prioritize learning objectives over the course of a student's school career, use strategies for sequencing instruction to increase student comprehension, and assist students to make connections and relationships across the skills they learn. Included in the chapter is information on writing clear instructional objectives; using the preferences of family, students, and general educators to prioritize learning goals; embedding applications of adaptive skills within the context of academic instruction; planning teaching sequences that move from simple to complex and incorporate effective prompting systems; and assisting students in forming connections across content through the use of visual display and meaningful stories related to the content. A checklist is provided to assist teachers in ensuring their lesson plans contain procedures for building background information and incorporating higher-order thinking opportunities.