Instructional Hierarchy: Linking Stages of Learning to Effective Instructional Techniques
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The Instructional Hierarchy: Linking Stages of
Learning to Effective Instructional Techniques

When mastering new academic skills or strategies, the student learner typically advances through a
predictable series of learning stages. At the start, a student is usually halting and uncertain
as he or she tries to use the target skill. With teacher feedback and lots of practice, the
student becomes more fluent, accurate, and confident in using the skill. It can be very useful to
think of these phases of learning as a hierarchy (See chart below). The learning hierarchy
(Haring, Lovitt, Eaton, & Hansen, 1978) has four stages: acquisition, fluency, generalization, and
adaptation:

1. Acquisition. The student has begun to learn how to complete the target skill correctly but is
not yet accurate or fluent in the skill. The goal in this phase is to improve accuracy.
2. Fluency. The student is able to complete the target skill accurately but works slowly. The goal of
this phase is to increase the student’s speed of responding (fluency).
3. Generalization. The student is accurate and fluent in using the target skill but does not typically use it in
different situations or settings. Or the student may confuse the target skill with ‘similar’ skills. The goal of this
phase is to get the student to use the skill in the widest possible range of settings and situations, or to accurately
discriminate between the target skill and ‘similar’ skills.
4. Adaptation. The student is accurate and fluent in using the skill. He or she also uses the skill in many situations
or settings. However, the student is not yet able to modify or adapt the skill to fit novel task-demands or
situations. Here the goal is for the student to be able to identify elements of previously learned skills that he or
she can adapt to the new demands or situation.

When the teacher accurately identifies a student’s learning stage, the instructor can select instructional ideas that are
more likely to be successful because these strategies match the student’s learning needs.

Reference
Haring, N.G., Lovitt, T.C., Eaton, M.D., & Hansen, C.L. (1978). The fourth R: Research in the classroom. Columbus,
OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co.
Jim Wright
jim@jimwrightonline.com
http://www.interventioncentral.org

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Instructional Hierarchy: Linking Stages of Learning to Effective Instructional Techniques 2

Instructional Hierarchy: Matching Interventions to Student Learning Stage (Haring, et al., 1978)
Learning Stage
Student ‘Look-Fors’…
What strategies are effective…
Acquisition:
• Is just beginning to learn • Teacher actively demonstrates target skill
Exit Goal: The student can
skill
• Teacher uses ‘think-aloud’ strategy-- especially for thinking skills that are otherwise
perform the skill accurately with • Not yet able to perform
covert
little adult support.
learning task reliably or with • Student has models of correct performance to consult as needed (e.g., correctly
high level of accuracy
completed math problems on board)
• Student gets feedback about correct performance
• Student receives praise, encouragement for effort
Fluency:
• Gives accurate responses to • Teacher structures learning activities to give student opportunity for active (observable)
Exit Goals: The student (a) has
learning task
responding
learned skill well enough to
• Performs learning task
• Student has frequent opportunities to drill (direct repetition of target skill) and practice
retain (b) has learned skill well
slowly, haltingly
(blending target skill with other skills to solve problems)
enough to combine with other
• Student gets feedback on fluency and accuracy of performance
skills, (c) is as fluent as peers.
• Student receives praise, encouragement for increased fluency
Generalization:
• Is accurate and fluent in
• Teacher structures academic tasks to require that the student use the target skill
Exit Goals: The student (a)
responding
regularly in assignments.
uses the skill across settings, • May fail to apply skill to new • Student receives encouragement, praise, reinforcers for using skill in new settings,
situations; (b) does not
situations, settings
situations
confuse target skill with
• May confuse target skill with • If student confuses target skill with similar skill(s), the student is given practice items
similar skills
similar skills (e.g., confusing
that force him/her to correctly discriminate between similar skills
‘+’ and ‘x’ number operation • Teacher works with parents to identify tasks that the student can do outside of school
signs)
to practice target skill
• Student gets periodic opportunities to review, practice target skill to ensure
maintenance
Adaptation:
• Is fluent and accurate in skill • Teacher helps student to articulate the ‘big ideas’ or core element(s) of target skill that
Exit Goal: The Adaptation
• Applies skill in novel
the student can modify to face novel tasks, situations (e.g., fractions, ratios, and
phase is continuous and has no
situations, settings without
percentages link to the ‘big idea’ of the part in relation to the whole; ‘Thank you’ is part
exit criteria.
prompting
of a larger class of polite speech)
• Does not yet modify skill as • Train for adaptation: Student gets opportunities to practice the target skill with modest
needed to fit new situations
modifications in new situations, settings with encouragement, corrective feedback,
(e.g., child says ‘Thank you’
praise, other reinforcers.
in all situations, does not
• Encourage student to set own goals for adapting skill to new and challenging situations.
use modified, equivalent
phrases such as “I
appreciate your help.”)
Jim Wright
jim@jimwrightonline.com
http://www.interventioncentral.org

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Document Outline

• The Instructional Hierarchy: Linking Stages of Learning to Effective Instructional Techniques
  • Reference

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