The Instructional Hierarchy: And Piano Teaching

The Instructional Hierarchy has four stages: Acquisition, Fluency, Generalization, and Adaptation.

Piano Teaching has many Moving Parts, so it helps that teachers have a framework to provide direction and flow to be more efficient in Instructing. It is useful to think about these stages when we teach so that we meet the students where they are.

I will be using a Piano Teaching Example of Teaching Alberti Bass to illustrate the Stages of Instruction.

Acquisition. The student has begun to learn how to complete the target skill correctly but is not yet accurate or fluent in the skill. The goal in this phase is to improve accuracy.

Exit Goal: The student can perform the skill accurately with little adult support

Example : Using Alberti Bass as an Example, the teacher would build on student's knowledge of Blocked Chords and demonstrate the arrangement of notes when playing Alberti. Student learns to play accurately

Fluency. The student is able to complete the target skill accurately but works slowly. The goal of this phase is to increase the student's speed of responding (fluency).

Exit Goals: The student

- has learned skill well enough to retain

- has learned skill well enough to combine with other skills

- is as fluent as peers.

Example : Using the same Alberti Bass as Example, the teacher would now get the student to build fluency by playing Alberti using different Chord Functions

Generalization. The student is accurate and fluent in using the target skill but does not typically use it in different situations or settings. Or the student may confuse the target skill with 'similar' skills. The goal of this phase is to get the student to use the skill in the widest possible range of settings and situations, or to accurately discriminate between the target skill and 'similar' skills.

Exit Goal: The student

- Uses the skill across settings, situations

- Does not confuse target skill with similar skills

Example : Continuing with the Alberti Bass example, the teacher would now get the student to Generalize by playing Alberti in different Keys, and also playing several pieces that use Alberti Bass. Also the student is very clear about the difference between Alternating Intervals and Alberti Bass Accompaniment Styles

Adaptation. The student is accurate and fluent in using the skill. He or she also uses the skill in many situations or settings. However, the student is not yet able to modify or adapt the skill to fit novel task-demands or situations. Here the goal is for the student to be able to identify elements of previously learned skills that he or she can adapt to the new demands or situation.

Exit Goal: The Adaptation Phase is continuous and has no exit criteria.

Example : Here the teacher would now get the student to Adapt the Alberti bass in modified arrangements, such as those seen in Romantic or Modern Styles.

These Stages of Instruction can be applied to a wide variety of Skills that we teach. I personally believe that the Phase to build Fluency is crucial and time needs to be spent there.