HLP 21

The ability to maintain and generalize newly acquired knowledge and skills requires explicit instructional approaches that are specifically designed and implemented to address this need (Markelz et al., 2019).  Effective instruction that promotes maintenance and generalization includes intentional and deliberate utilization of evidence-based strategies during lesson planning, teaching, and assessment (Snyder & Cagliani, 2022).  Proactively addressing how students use new skills and apply them in a variety of situations ensures all students have an opportunity to maintain and generalize learning across time and settings for improved outcomes.

Instructional methods that lead to maintenance and generalization include maximizing reinforcement through instructional feedback, response prompting, training loosely, and providing opportunities for repetition of trials especially when used in conjunction with authentic experiences or within natural environments (Markelz et al., 2019).  Educators can build these strategies into the instructional process beginning with planning and with assessment in mind (Alber-Morgan et al., 2023).  Maximizing reinforcement through instructional feedback increases learning of new knowledge and skills. Specific feedback that is coupled with praise and other rewards have been shown to maximize maintenance and generalization (Wisniewski et al., 2020). Educators can engage in response prompting which are systematic instructional approaches built on principles of applied behavior analysis (Collins, 2012; Collins et al., 2018). When implementing response prompting, educators provide a cue (e.g., pencils down if you are ready to…), instructional stimulus (e.g., directions, modeling, scaffolding), response, and consequence (e.g., praise, reward) (Collins et al., 2018). As students engage in the desired instructional behavior, the prompts fade. Teaching loosely promotes generalizing by varying the stimuli that prompts the student to engage in the behavior. For example, during phonics-based reading instruction educators can explicitly teach students how to decode words in one setting and prompt the use of decoding strategies in other settings and with other instructors (e.g., decode unfamiliar words in science, social studies, or other content areas) (Alber-Morgan et al., 2023).  Another strategy educators can implement to promote maintaining and generalizing is providing opportunities for repetition of trials especially when used in conjunction with authentic experiences or within natural environments. As students gain new learning, educators can provide multiple opportunities for students to practice their new learning in a variety of contexts. Repetition is an effective instruction and intervention method for promoting maintenance and generalization and advances the student’s ability to become more proficient in the skill (Adroin et al., 2018; Skinner & Daly, 2010).

In order to successfully promote generalization, educators need to incorporate CIPP. This is in part because students from varying intersectional backgrounds may have unique ways of interacting, problem-solving, or even navigating social situations, which can significantly affect how students apply their skills and knowledge across settings. This understanding will help students develop capacity to generalize their learning and skills more effectively.  Educators can assess the success of skill generalization and decide on adjustments to their teaching approaches for enhanced cultural inclusiveness by gathering and analyzing data.  Therefore, by integrating CIPP into their teaching strategies and using data-based decision making, educators can more effectively facilitate the generalization of skills and knowledge to ensure that students are equipped to apply their learning in a diverse range of contexts.