DR Madeline Hunter Article1
DR Madeline Hunter Article1
DR Madeline Hunter Article1
Dr. Madeline Hunters research showed effective teachers have a methodology when planning and
presenting a lesson. Hunter found that no matter what the teachers style, grade level, subject matter, or
economic background of the students a properly taught lesson contained eight elements that enhanced and
maximized learning. She labeled eight elements and began two decades of teacher training. The
elements referred to as Lesson Design, Target Teaching, or Critical Teaching, have stood the test of
time still used today in many teacher colleges and as reference for judging teacher effectiveness in
many school districts.
Within each element of Lesson Design, there are many sub-skills, methods, and techniques each
demanding training, practice, and review in order to attain mastery of the Hunter model. Simply knowing
about or reading about Lesson Design will not produce flawless performance, but will form a basis for
decision making.
1. Anticipatory Set
The teacher focuses the students thoughts on to what will be learned (Tie in yesterdays lesson
with todays lesson. Get them interested.)
Anticipatory set is defined as a shot activity or prompt that focuses the students attention before
the actual lesson begins. Uses when students enter the room or in a transition, anticipatory set
might be a hand-out given to students at the door, review questions written on the board, two
short problems presented on a transparency on the overhead, an agenda for the lesson written on
the chalkboard, etc
2. Objective and Purpose
Students learn more effectively when they know what they are supposed to be learning and why.
Teachers also teach more effectively when they have the same information. (Tell
what/how/why/the students are going to learn.)
The purpose or objective of the lesson includes why students need to learn the objective, what
they will be able to do once they have met the criterion, how they will demonstrate learning as a
result. The formula for the behavioral objective is: The learner will do what + with what + how
well?
3. Input
The new knowledge, process or skill must be presented to the students in the most effective
manner. This could be through discovery, discussion, reading, listening, observing, etc.
Input includes the vocabulary, skills and concepts the teacher will impart to the students, the
information the students need to know in order to be successful.
4. Modeling
It is important for the students to see what they are learning. It helps them when the teacher
demonstrates what is to be learned.
The teacher shows a graphic or demonstrates in a concrete way exactly what the finished product
looks like. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
5. Checking for Understanding
It is important to make sure the students understand what was presented. One way this can be
done is by asking the students questions.
The teacher uses a variety of questioning strategies to determine Got it yet? and to reflect on
the pace of the lesson: Should I move forward or back up?
6. Guided Practice
The students practice the new learning under direct teacher supervision.
The teacher leads the students through the steps necessary to perform the skill using a trimodal
approach: hear/see/so.
7. Independent Practice
When the teacher is sure the students understand the new material, they assign independent
practice.
The teacher releases students to practice on their own based on learning that has occurred during
the previous steps.
8. Closure
At the end of each lesson, the teacher reviews or wraps up the lesson by posing a question for the
class: Tell me or show me what you have learned today.
Closure is not necessarily an end point, but more of a final check for understanding used at the
end of a class period. Closure for on-going laboratory activities may not be appropriate.
SUMMARY
Teaching to an objective
(lesson objective - not a step.)
1.
Objectives
2. Set [hook]
3. Standards/expectations
4. Teaching
Input
Modeling/demo
Direction giving {see below}
Checking for understanding
5.
Guided Practice
6.
Closure
7.
Independent Practice
Motivation TRICKS
1. Feeling Tone
2.
Reward [extrinsic/intrinsic]
3.
Interest
4.
Level of Concern
accountability
time to produce
visibility
predictability
5.
Knowledge of results
6.
Success
Ways of monitoring
1. Oral individual
2.
Oral together
3.
4.
Written
5.
Task Performance
6.
Group sampling
Questioning Guidelines
1. Place signal [get their attention], then ask question
2.
3.
Do not repeat nor rephrase the students response. May ask for agreement by class or for others
to respond.
4.
Ask question then wait for 50% of hands [or bright eyes, knowing looks]
5.
6.
If the student is confused or cant answer, calmly repeat the same question or give a direct clue.
Retention, Reinforcement
1. Meaning/understanding (the most effective way to learn)
2.
Degree of original learning. Learn it well the first time. {And dont practice it wrong!]
3.
Feeling tone. [positive or negative will work but negative has some undesirable side effects.]
4.
Transfer [emphasize similarities for positive transfer and differences where there might be an
incorrect transfer.] [See Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives for levels of learning.
Transfer implies all of the higher levels. See Barak Rosenshine re. decontextualizing following
this summary of the Hunter Model which is essential for effective transfer of knowledge and
skills to the real world.]
5.
Schedule of Practice. [Mass the practice at first, then create a regular follow-up schedule.]
Creating Directions
1. Break down into parts/steps.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Plan dignified help for those who dont tune in. [no put-downs]
6.
Give directions visually as well as orally (Visual representation of the task) [cf. Fred Jones VIP]
Giving Directions
Check the students understanding [Any question? does not check understanding.]
If needed, remediate and recheck. [It is essential that students do not practice error.]
The Madeline Hunter Seven Steps lesson design may be used for mort than just direct
instruction in the behavioral mode. It can be used as a shell for any instructional lesson or unit.
Model: talk out loud about the process you are going through.
All of these apply to the teaching of well-structured skills as well but they are specifically indicated for the
teaching of less structures skills: things for which discrete procedural steps are hard to identify. They are
less relevant to the teaching of content because prior/background knowledge is key to the teaching of
content.
Learning takes place in the zone of proximal development [ZPD] where the students development is
advanced enough for the pupil to learn, but will need help to get there.
A scaffold [outline, model, visual instruction plan (VIP), diagram, or figure that provides an image to hand
ideas on] makes it easier for the learner to get it in developmental skills subjects where background
knowledge is no key and so is not applicable for non-progressive content like social studies or literature.
ZPD is not critical for most content in English or social studies but is more so in science or math. [Note:
writing an essay, at least in the initial learning stages, is a less-structured skill that has steps that con be
taught, e.g., start an attention-grabber, then a topic sentence, then a statement followed by supporting
information, then another statement with support, then a third statement with support, then a summary
statement tying the three statements to the topic.]
Most things in math and science, especially skills, are taught in a context. For transfer to broader
applicability it is necessary to decontextualize the learning. One way to do this is in guided practice by
giving attention to decontextualizing the skill by providing lots of varied practice and spaced practice. [Ed.
note: And to have students manipulate the ideas/skills, e.g, Have you ever seen something like this down
town? or How many ways can you think of to use this concept/skill? or Can you explain how you
arrived at that answer (metacognition).]
[ED. Note: It is likely that de-contextualization of learning is the most important and least
practiced
Function of teaching for latter application. The lack of transfer of knowledge/skills to real Life
is likely the main reason why graduates do so poorly on state-wide and national tests [even when
they know the answers: the questions arent asked in the context in which they were learned. It
is important that we present and re-represent the material to be learned in as many different
ways/contexts as we can..and at the higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives.]
Patricia Wolfe
Models
Demonstratin
g
Input/
Information
Mental Set 1*
Sharing the
Objective
and\Purpose
Lesson
Design
Closure/2*
Reflection
Practice
Checking for
Understanding
Ask yourself whether or not you agree with those instructional ideas. We did. WE asked ourselves:
CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES:
(See Examples on Web site)
WHEN USED:
Usually at the beginning of a lesson or to refocus the students after an interruption in the
lesson (e.g., someone at the door).
Remember though, that the learning may be so
intrinsically interesting that you do not need a
Mental Set. This is no different from art. If
you dont need a colour, you dont use it.
WHY USED:
To increase the chances all students are
meaningfully connected and involved in the
learning. We often thins students are not
interested in learning; not true. They are
interested in learning-they are just not
interested in what and how it is being
presented. Remember that students have an
intense and demanding life outside of the
classroom. Other things are often on their
mind (e.g., birthdays, competitions, divorces,
new puppies, deaths, falling into or out of
love). Mental Set must attend to those
competing demands.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Mental Set can occur in a matter of seconds or,
if students dont have the experiences, it may
take as ling as a film, a story, or a field trip
the time needed to create the experiences. At
times the Mental Set can have a complete
lesson embedded inside it. Simply said,
Mental Set is about getting the mind ready to
learn. Mental Set is also a place to invoke the
power of the skills that enhance motivation.
The fascinating aspect of MENTAL SET is
that like a puzzle piece, it has receptor sites.
Those receptor sites allow other tactics such as
Mind Maps and World Webs, as well as other
strategies such as Inquiry, Concept Attainment,
Role-Playing, and Inductive Thinking to
become the Mental Set. The Set can be
pointedly precise or mythically magic.
Regardless of what you do, it will set the tone
for the students
involvement in the lesson.
WHEN USED:
Usually the objective is shared near the
beginning of the lesson unless the objective
is to be discovered through student
involvement in an Inquiry oriented lesson. In
this case, you might want the student to
identify the objective and purpose for the
lesson as part of the summary or Closure to the
lesson.
WHY USED:
If students know where they are going it
increases the chances they will get there
especially if the purpose for the objective has
meaning and interest.
CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES:
(See Examples on Web site)
CONSIDERATION:
As teachers, we often have a passion for our
subject a passion that is not always shared by
the students. Although that passion is useful to
us, we must remember that our students
seldom walk through the door with that same
level of appreciation. Its not that they are not
interested, they are simply not interested in
what we want tem to be interested in. If was as
teachers are not sensitive to the learners
disposition to the content being learned, then
we increase the chances students will not be
sensitive to ours.
Note that an objective might be relevant, but we need to ask if it is also meaningful and
relevant. Is working on worksheets in math an example of brain-friendly learning? If a
learning objective is lacking authenticity and relevance the human brain is more likely to
reject it. The brain is designed for survival, not boredom.
Input or Information:
A Brief Description
Input or information refers to what the students
receive to facilitate the learning. That
information can emerge from a number of
sources.
From other students (for example, in a
Cooperative Learning-lesson)
The teacher
Computer searches
A video, film, slides, pictures
Guest speaker
Field trips
A trip to the library
Books
The students own experiences and
thinking
Activities such as drama or role playing
Other instructional strategies such as
Mind Mapping, Concept Attainment,
Inductive Thinking, Inquiry, Group
Investigations, etc.
Although stated previously, as many of the
senses (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic,
taste, and smell) should be stimulated as
appropriate to accommodate the sensory
strengths and weaknesses of the students.
CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES:
(See Examples on Web site)
CONSIDERATION
Stepping back to other literatures that
inform or guide Input we must also
consider the literature / research on:
Gender
Culture and ethnicity
Learning disabilities
The human brain
Children at risk
Multiple intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Modeling/Demonstration:
WHEN USED:
A Brief Description
CAUTION:
When teachers are encouraging divergent
thinking or creativity, they must be thoughtful
about whether or not to employ Modeling it
can control or encourage students to replicate
the model and work against divergent/creative
thinking.
WHEN USED:
A Brief Description
WHY USED:
A Check for Understanding increases the
chances the students will experience success
rather than frustration or confusion during the
Practice. Successful students are more likely
to be motivated to continue learning
discouraged children are not so apt to become a
management problem because their concerns
are being picked up an resolved.
CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES:
(See Examples on Web site)
1.
WHEN USED:
Practice usually occurs after what has been
learned has been Modeled or Demonstrated
and the students understand what they are to
apply during the Practice.
WHY USED:
Practice is used to increase the chances that
students not only remember what they have
learned, but also that they transfer that learning
to new situation. To know something is to act
on it to act on it is to remember it.
CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES:
(See Examples on Web site)
2.
3.
An Example of Closure
We have finished discussing the effects of the
Industrial Revolution on men and women in the
late and early nineteenth century. I am going to
ask you a question. Think to yourself and be
prepared to defend your answers in about 30
seconds. No hands, Ill randomly invite
responses.
Given what you know about the Industrial
Revolution, can we assume it is over? If yes,
what proof do you have? If no, what proof do
you have?