Waterford Adaptive Sequence Engine
A core strength of Waterford Institute’s programs is the way research-based content is systematically delivered to the student. In earlier versions of Waterford’s curriculum, the programs presented good, research-based material to the student, but the curriculum did not require the student to demonstrate understanding of that material. In some ways the programs did not take full advantage of the power of technology to individualize curriculum for each student. By design, later Waterford programs behave more like a tutor by responding immediately and appropriately to each student’s interaction.
After researching the order and interrelationships of the content, Waterford researchers and designers determine how the instruction should dynamically respond to each student’s curricular needs by focusing on four key areas:
- Targeting mastery of learning objectives
- Instructing to each student’s needs
- Responding to student performance and fostering retention
- Ensuring balanced instruction
While students experience Waterford programs as a seamless flow of games, songs, and activities, Waterford’s powerful sequencer is individualizing instruction for each student.
In early versions of the Waterford Early Reading Program™, students progressed through a defined sequence of activities. Periodically, students were assessed and remediation was available. However, every student was taught in essentially the same way. With the sequencer, each student experiences a unique sequence of instruction because the sequencer is able to monitor student responses and determines what the student will work on next based on performance with current material.
The Waterford sequencer recognizes that each student needs a unique combination of instruction. Some students will require explicit instruction, and others will need to only practice applying the skill.
The presentation of instruction within objectives and activities is organized based on the work of Robert Gagne, an American educational psychologist who pioneered the science of sound instruction. The Waterford sequencer provides a way to organize a more effective sequence of instruction following Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction that activates processes needed for effective learning (Gagne, et al.,2005, p. 205).
Each objective within the Waterford sequencer is made up of a combination of activities from the following categories. These activities provide the needed context and content outlined in Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction.
- Pre-assessment: Measures the student’s background knowledge to determine level of instruction needed for an objective or a set of objectives
- Song: Engages students with music and memorable lyrics to teach and re-teach concepts
- Introduction: Provides a brief overview of the learning objective or provides quick hints on what will come next and how to be successful with that skill
- Instruction: Explicitly teaches the target learning objective
- Book: Provides students experience applying their developing literacy skills, particularly the target skill for the objective, to a book
- Practice: Applies instruction through repetition, usually in a game format
- Extended Practice: Offers students ways to explore the concept beyond the lesson, often in a game format
- Application: Focuses on using information, methods, concepts, or theories in new situations, and solving problems using the target skills or knowledge.
- Post-assessment: Measures mastery at the end of an objective or unit and determines whether the student needs remediation
While demonstrating the best practices in instructional design, the Waterford sequencer also aligns with the increasing national focus on educational mastery and on mastery-focused programs that accompany legislation like No Child Left Behind.
