Texas Mathematics Academies

During the acquisition stage, students act as beginners, developing an accurate understanding of a new concept and related skills. After accuracy stabilizes, the instructional emphasis shifts to fluency. To develop fluency, students engage in practice that supports becoming more efficient and automatic while still maintaining correctness. As fluency increases, instruction increasingly targets the generalization and adaptive use of skills. At this point, they apply what they’ve learned flexibly, transferring their skills to new types of problems and situations.

Viewed through this lens, the instructional hierarchy represents the progression of skill development, rather than a pacing guide. Based on that progression, the teacher should match instructional strategies to the students’ current level of performance.6 This understanding provides the foundation for informed instructional decision-making, including the selection of tasks, instructional approaches, and assessments that align with students’ current readiness levels.

This assignment is an opportunity to share information about your first coaching session and to provide space for your cohort leader to respond. Coaching sessions may occur before or after instruction with students. While this is written in an assignment format, it is not graded. It should be completed fully so you receive credit for your coaching session and can incorporate feedback into your instructional practice. Your cohort leader will mark your submission as complete or incomplete.

In a paragraph of no more than 150 words, or in an audio or video recording of 1–2 minutes, respond to the questions below.

For a strong application:

If you have already taught the lesson, practice your action step in the classroom and reflect afterward.

If your coaching session occurred before instruction, reflect on how you practiced or planned the action step during the coaching session and how you plan to implement it with students.

1. What was your action step for this coaching session? Be specific in naming the “WHAT” and “HOW.”
2. How did practicing or planning the action step during your coaching session influence your confidence and readiness to implement it in instruction?
3. If you have taught the lesson, how did students respond? What was one challenge, and how will you prepare for it next time?
4. If you have not yet taught the lesson, what challenge do you anticipate students may experience, and how will you plan to address it?

https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-elementary-math-fact-fluency/