The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson

The Learning-Focused Instructional Framework: Stage 1

With The Learning-Focused Instructional Framework, teachers have the skills, knowledge and resources for the highest teaching effectiveness and to accelerate learning for all students. Plan and teach lessons you believe in!

The first stage in the instructional framework, The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson, provides the structure. The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson is the road map that connects standards to instruction. The foundation of the High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson immediately increases the effectiveness of all teachers.

“As a team we were given common planning time, but we all planned differently and even used different vocabulary for different lesson components. Our time was not maximized to say the least! I guess you can say without a road map we tended to just wander around and never got anywhere. The Learning-Focused Lesson has totally changed how we think, talk, and interact with each other in our planning meetings. We leave with a sense of accomplishments because we know our lessons really work with our students and we will end up with successful learning.”

The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson

  • provides a framework for planning standards-driven lessons
  • ensures that lessons focus on how students learn and whether students learn
  • purposefully connects research-based strategies to provide maximum achievement gains
  • focuses on engaging and challenging students
  • provides a direct connection between research and application
  • defines a path so teachers can unleash their professional abilities

Learn more about the Increasing the Rigor of Learning-Focused Lessons: Higher Order Thinking, Reading and Writing (stage 2) and Accelerating Learning-Focused Lessons: Catching Kids Up! (stage 3).

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Contact us to discover how Learning-Focused can help you achieve more.

Distributed Professional Development

Our Distributed Professional Development model prevents teacher frustration, allows for rich job-embedded learning, and provides time for mastery of the planning process and teaching using the top learning strategies. After the initial workshop or course, teachers participate in a series of distributed MicroPD sessions that include online courses on specific strategies and practices and support meetings.  This continuous, distributed learning process provides teachers with time to develop knowledge and skills, increasing their success rate for mastery implementation.

How do you use exemplary lessons to increase teaching effectiveness?

School evaluation research has found the biggest difference between typical schools and exemplary schools is how and when teachers plan. Learning-Focused Lessons provides teachers with a framework for planning purposeful lessons that are engaging and challenging for all students. The Learning-Focused Lesson provides teachers with an instructional model for planning challenging learning goals and instruction that intentionally connects the most effective research-based strategies and exemplary practices for maximizing learning. Teachers plan for learning rather than content coverage, which is the method for planning in exemplary schools.

High Performance Learning-Focused Lessons focuses planning and instruction on HOW students learn and WHETHER students learn the concepts and skills they are expected to acquire. Teachers become more effective by purposefully connecting the top research-based learning strategies and exemplary practices in every lesson. Through consistent and pervasive implementation, teachers will accelerate student learning with Learning-Focused Lessons through higher engagement, research-based learning activities, and grade level appropriate expectations.

exemplary lesson plans

How does the High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson
help prepare students to be successful?

The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson immediately increases the effectiveness of all teachers because of the planning process and teaching process the structure provides. Today’s standards require students to have access to high levels of learning expectations and requirements for analyzing and applying thinking skills. The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson equips teachers with a framework and instructional strategies to make that vision a reality for all students.

To be successful in college and careers, all students must be taught complex academic content, taught to analyze content using higher order thinking strategies, and taught to apply what they learn to build new understanding. Learning-Focused is the foundation for planning exemplary lessons that challenge and engage students. With the expectations of the 21st century workplace, students are expected to analyze and apply their learning to real-life situations, problems, and challenges. The learning activities teachers plan in The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson integrate research-based strategies that teach students to recall and represent new concepts successfully, requirements for being able to analyze information and apply their knowledge to solve problems and generate new ideas.

Learn More about The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson 

Resources for The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson

  • The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson Book
  • The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson Flipchart
  • Mapping Power Standards into Lessons Book
  • Teaching in High Poverty Schools Book
  • The School Leader’s Guide to Achieving Exemplary Lessons Book
  • Graphic Organizers that Increase Student Success Book
  • Graphic Organizer Poster Sets 
  • Coaching Teachers Guide Book
  • Training of Trainers Institute
  • Strategies in Action Books and Courses

The High Performance Learning-Focused Lesson provides a framework for planning and teaching purposeful, standards-driven, backward design lessons that are engaging and challenging for all students. The framework provides an instructional model for planning challenging learning goals and instruction that purposefully connect the most effective research-based strategies and Exemplary Practices for maximizing learning. The Learning-Focused Lesson plan ensures that the most effective strategies and practices are used consistently and pervasively, and it provides a framework for frequent formative assessments to ensure that all students are learning. Using this planning framework school-wide promotes collaborative planning and reflection that puts the school-wide focus on effective teaching and accelerating learning for all students. Through consistent and pervasive implementation, all students will successfully master grade level expectations.

Participants Will Be Able To:

  • Use the backwards planning process to plan Learning-Focused Lessons that intentionally connect the top research-based strategies and exemplary practices.
  • Align all lesson instruction to standards-driven Learning Goals.
  • Plan and use lesson assessments aligned to standards-driven Learning Goals.
  • Plan and provide lesson instruction that actively engages all students in purposeful learning

Essential Question: How do you plan and teach High Performance Learning-Focused Lessons?

  • Planning with a Focus on Learning
  • Planning with the End in Mind: Steps in the Process
  • Planning Learning Goals and Lesson Essential Questions
  • Planning Lesson Assessment: Assignments
  • Planning Lesson Instruction (Graphic Organizers, Assessment Prompts, Learning Activities, Collaborative Pairs, Activating Strategies, Explicit Vocabulary Instruction)
  • Using Lesson Plans During Instruction
  • Engaging in Learning-Focused Distributed Professional Development
  • Plan and provide lesson instruction that actively engages all students in purposeful learning

MicroPD Session 1: Classroom Learning Environment
MicroPD Session 2: Learning Goals and Lesson Essential Questions
MicroPD Session 3: Lesson Assessment
MicroPD Session 4: Graphic Organizers
MicroPD Session 5: Assessment Prompts
MicroPD Session 6: Learning Activities
MicroPD Session 7: Activating Strategies
MicroPD Session 8: Vocabulary Strategies

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