LEARNING PROGRESSIONS: THE “BUILDING BLOCKS” OF DAILY INSTRUCTION +
About the Learning Progressions Workshop
Learning Progressions are the instructional “ladder” that educators will build and then use to teach their students the prerequisite concepts and skills in the “unwrapped” Essential Standards. When educators plan their Learning Progressions, they begin “with the end in mind”, deciding what concepts and skills—from simple to complex—that students must progressively acquire so they can ultimately demonstrate their understanding of the more rigorous concepts and skills on the end-of-unit assessment. The unit’s less rigorous supporting standards often provide the first “rungs” of this instructional ladder. Learning Progressions are arranged in a logical order, or “instructionally defensible sequence” (W. James Popham, 2008), to serve as Lesson-Specific Learning Targets throughout the unit of study.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Learning Progressions Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for designing the sequenced pathway of learning to the rigor, concepts, and skills of “unwrapped” Essential Standards.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Learning Progressions Research
- “Go-To” Experts on Learning Progressions
- Learning Progressions Ensure Instructional Equity
- Steps To Determine the Learning Progressions
- Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Learning Progressions in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity: Plan Learning Progressions—From Simple to Complex—for Single and Multiple “Unwrapped” Essential Standards
Virtual Session: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME THREE: PLANNING THE UNIT INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING TASKS
CHAPTER 14: Detail the Learning Progressions: “Building Blocks” of Daily Instruction
What Participants Are Saying About the Learning Progressions Virtual Workshop
“The Learning Progressions help to narrow down what part of the unit I will want to focus on that day and the Quick Progress Checks are very helpful.”
Autumn W.
“I found mapping out the progressions of learning beneficial as well because it shows how you make sure to go through all the stages of learning and reach your ultimate goal of the learning target. This works well with all the other topics we have covered!”
Robyn P.
“I love that Learning Progressions really helps you to see the exact steps you need to get your students where they need to get, step by step. I used to have a math curriculum that would focus on working from concrete to abstract which is exactly this, and it is so important!”
Julie S.
“I appreciated creating the Learning Progressions to make content learning more successful for the students.”
“I like the analogy of breaking standards into building blocks of learning progressions--that was a big help.”
“I now see learning progressions as a great way to formalize the progression of what kids need to learn, and then we can identify how to assess each of those steps, so kids move along and have less chance of getting lost.”
“It was helpful to go over the learning progressions to map out what students will need to learn in order to get to the essential standard.”
“This helped solidify what we have explored thus far! Great reminders of how to coordinate curriculum and learning.”
“Thank you, Larry. I appreciated the workshop. Will definitely keep learning progressions in mind as I develop units in the future.”
“You're right. Standards only provide the ‘what’ that students need to know/be able to do. When teachers collaboratively do these different steps, it ‘levels the playing field’ (instructional equity). In other words, experienced teachers can discuss with newer teachers what the progression of daily instruction needs to be so that students can scaffold their understanding step by step. Newer teachers will often say they don't know what the learning progressions will be. When teachers do this work collaboratively, it provides helpful support for one another.”