When great teaching doesn't lead to great learning, the problem often lies in fragmented planning—not teacher performance.
This book introduces the Instructional Coherence Model, showing educators how to align curriculum, instruction, assessment, and support into unified learning progressions. It includes ready-to-use templates for immediate classroom implementation, offering practical frameworks that help educators integrate principles of coherence, inclusivity, and disciplinary rigor into daily lesson design. Readers will learn to:
- Design learning journeys that build deep understanding over time
- Connect standards to classroom experiences
- Implement High-Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) alongside disciplinary thinking
This isn't another initiative—it's a practical framework for creating educational experiences where every component works together, empowering K–12 educators to shift from improving instruction to designing coherent learning systems that ensure all students succeed.
When great teaching doesn't lead to great learning, the problem often lies in fragmented planning—not teacher performance. This book introduces the Instructional Coherence Model, showing educators how to align curriculum, instruction, assessment, and support into unified learning progressions.
Part I: Diagnosing the Disconnect Why Strong Instruction Isnt Enough
1. What If It's Not the Instruction? Rethinking the Plan for Real Learning
2.
The Mirage of Good Instruction
3. Designing for Learning, Not Just Delivery
Part II: Designing for Coherence From Fragmentation to Framework
4. The
Instructional Coherence Model
5. The Learning Plan: Why Stage 3 of
Understanding by Design Is the Engine of Coherence
6. Aligning the What, the
How, and the Learner Part III: Designing Assessment for Learning
7. Rubrics
and Feedback for Growth
8. Designing for Depth Tasks That Reveal Thinking
Part IV: Inclusive and Responsive Instructional Design
9. Inclusive Design
Planning for Belonging and Variability
10. Data-Informed Design Using
Evidence Without Losing Purpose Part V: Sustaining Coherence Through Systems
and Culture
11. From Planning to Practice Building Professional Learning
That Supports Coherence
12. From Curriculum Reviews to Instructional Reviews
Reflecting on What We Teach, How We Teach, and Why It Matters
13. Leading
with Insight Systems That Learn
14. Sustaining the Work Building Cultures
That Hold Coherence
Erma Anderson is an internationally recognized mathematics and science education expert who has transformed teaching practices in over 150 international schools worldwide. She is the lead consultant for Project AERO, has served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellow, and contributed to the National Science Education Standards. She is also a former physics and mathematics teacher.
