A Study Guide for Guided Instruction: How to Develop Confident and Successful Learners

Most of the questions contained in this study guide are ones you can think about on your own, but you might consider pairing with a colleague or forming a study group with others to discuss the questions.

Pre-Reading

Before reading the book, consider the following terms: guided instruction, scaffolds, intentional instruction, gradual release of responsibility, prompts, cues, questions. Define these terms and discuss what they mean to you.

Chapter 1

1. Describe the "zone of proximal development" to another person. If you can, describe it to a non-educator and see if that person understands the idea.
2. Observe one of your colleague's lessons and identify the times in which students seemed to be working in their zone of proximal development.
3. Discuss the "riding a bike" analogy with a peer. How does teaching a child to ride a bike relate to teaching content? Which types of supports useful in teaching a child to ride a bike would be useful in teaching ideas?
4. Consider the various researchers' definitions of "scaffolds" or "scaffolding." Which of them resonate with you? Why?
5. The concept of fading scaffolds is critical to students' learning. How have you seen teachers fade the support they provide?

Chapter 2

1. Identify the differences between "quizzing" and "questioning."
2. Explain how questions can be used to assess students and check for understanding.
3. Discuss the differences between "feed up," "feedback," and "feed forward." What role does each play in guided instruction?
4. Review the decision-making flowchart in Figure 2.1. Does this reflect or relate to your classroom experiences? What questions do you have about how to implement this flowchart?
5. Using an upcoming lesson, identify robust questions from each of the appropriate categories. (Remember that not all lessons need each of the question types.)

Chapter 3

1. Compare and contrast the terms "cognitive" and "metacognitive." What do these terms mean and why are they both important in teaching, especially in guided instruction?
2. Identify prompts you have used, or have seen teachers use, that fit into each of the following categories: Background Knowledge, Process or Procedure, Reflective, and Heuristic.
3. Identify a task students are having difficulty with and develop a task analysis. Consider the five steps necessary to develop a task analysis (Jonassen, Tessmer, & Hannum, 1999):
   
   1. Classifying tasks according to learning outcomes.
   2. Inventorying tasks—identifying tasks or generating a list of tasks.
   3. Selecting tasks—prioritizing tasks and choosing those that are more feasible and appropriate if there is an abundance of tasks to train.
   4. Decomposing tasks—identifying and describing the components of the tasks, goals, or objectives.
   5. Sequencing tasks and sub-tasks—defining the sequence in which instruction should occur that will best facilitate learning.
4. Compare and contrast forward and backward chaining. Which would be more appropriate for an upcoming lesson you're teaching and why?
5. Develop a number of sentence and paragraph frames that students can use in their interactions with others. Remember to prompt students to use the frames when they experience difficulty.
6. Discuss the differences between productive success and productive failure. Why are both of these important in learning? When should each be used?

Chapter 4

1. Define "cues." How are cues different from prompts?
2. Discuss the role of attention in learning. How and why do students pay attention? Can this be taught? How might a teacher go about it?
3. Identify cues you have used or have seen teachers use that fit into each of the following categories: Visual, Verbal, Gestural, Physical, and Environmental.
4. Choose a graphic organizer that matches your content, and teach students how to create it so that they can use the tool during a guided instruction section.
5. Why is it advantageous for cues to follow prompts?

Chapter 5

1. Why should direct explanations come after prompting and cueing?
2. Discuss the idea of conspicuous strategies and why this is important in guided instruction.
3. Why is guided instruction hard to script in advance?
4. What is modeling? What are the components of effective modeling, and why is this important in guided instruction?
5. Observe a colleague doing a think-aloud. How do the students react? Talk with your colleague after the observation and discuss the planning that went into the think-aloud.
6. What is the role of motivation and encouragement in guided instruction?

Chapter 6

1. Can guided instruction be used with the whole class? What are some challenges with this?
2. How should students be grouped for instruction? How does grouping differ for guided instruction and productive group work?
3. Why does group size matter in guided instruction?
4. Generally speaking, how much time within a given lesson should be devoted to guided instruction?

Post-Reading

Review the terms from the Pre-reading list. How has reading this book changed or validated your thinking about these concepts? What questions do you still have? What might be your first step in implementing guided instruction?

Guided Instruction: How to Develop Confident and Successful Learners was written by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. This 140-page, 7" x 9" book (Stock #111017; ISBN: 978-1-4166-1068-7) is available from ASCD for $16.95 (ASCD member) or $22.95 (nonmember). Copyright © 2010 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.