In the famous episode of I Love Lucy titled “Job Switching,” Lucy and Ethel are working in a chocolate factory as part of a job exchange with their husbands, Ricky and Fred. The factory line speeds up, and the women struggle to keep up with wrapping the chocolates. As the chocolates come faster and faster, they start stuffing them in their mouths, clothes and even their hats to hide the evidence. Eventually, the entire scene becomes a hilarious mess, with Lucy and Ethel trying to hide their mistake while the men catch on to what’s happening. It’s one of the most iconic and slapstick moments in TV history!
It’s also how many of us feel in the classroom daily. As a teacher, you are responsible for a class full of learners with different needs. Welcome to Tier 1 Universal Instruction — the everyday teaching that happens for all learners. It’s the magic that lays the foundation for student success.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why Tier 1 Universal Instruction is essential, and we’ll give you a step-by-step guide for implementing it in classrooms.
What is Tier 1 Universal Instruction?
Do not think of Universal Instruction as “teaching to the middle.” It’s about designing learning experiences that are high-quality, inclusive and responsive to the needs of all learners. Effective Universal Instruction refers to high-quality teaching practices that are designed to meet the needs of all students in a classroom, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or learning styles. It’s often discussed in the context of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) or Response to Intervention (RTI) as Tier 1 Instruction.
Universal Instruction is what “all” learners receive in the form of academic and social-emotional instruction and supports. It focuses on the implementation of state standards and your district’s core curriculum. It is also the first intervention for all learners and is our largest opportunity to have an impact on student achievement.
Characteristics of effective Tier 1 Universal Instruction
Here are just a few characteristics of effective Tier 1 Instruction:
- Standards-aligned: Lessons and instruction are aligned with grade-level standards and learning objectives.
- Data-driven: Instruction is informed by frequent assessments and observations to monitor progress and adjust teaching as needed.
- Evidence-based: Uses teaching methods and strategies that are proven through research to be effective.
- Differentiated: Teachers adapt content, process, and product based on student readiness, interest and learning profile.
- Engaging and Interactive: Uses active learning strategies to keep students engaged and involved in the learning process.
- Clear and Consistent: Expectations, routines and instruction are clearly communicated and consistently implemented.
Strategies for providing Tier 1 Instruction daily
How can you provide rock-solid Tier 1 instruction daily to your diverse learners? In quoting the late, great Toby Keith in the song “Somewhere Else,” you must plan “’Cause if you don’t know where you’re goin’, You might end up somewhere else.”
The A-Team also put it best when using their popular catchphrase, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Our plan consists of creating objectives or learning targets, as well as learning goals and success criteria.
Learning targets should always be grounded in the academic content standards required by your state. The first step is to analyze your standard and chunk it into knowledge and skills, also called “knows and shows.”
Here is an example of a Texas math standard organized by knowledge (what learners need to know) and skills (what learners need to be able to do). (You can also use AI to help with this task as well.)
Often, you can rewrite the standard into “I can” statements for learners. For example, a generic reading objective might say “students will be able to use strategies before, during and after reading to aid in the construction of meaning.” This can easily be reworded to an “I can” statement and posted for learners.
🎥 Here is an idea for sharing via Google Classroom and Freeze Tabs