Education as an academic discipline is the systematic study of how learners acquire knowledge skills and dispositions across the lifespan, how teachers design and deliver instruction that supports learning, how schools and educational systems organize the conditions for teaching and learning, and how the social cultural and policy contexts shape the educational opportunities available to learners across the demographic and geographic spectrum. EssayFount's education hub provides lesson plan templates across the canonical Madeline Hunter the Understanding by Design and the 5E Model frameworks, model coursework for the foundations of education educational psychology curriculum and assessment teaching methods and educational leadership courses, Praxis Core and Praxis Subject Assessment practice questions aligned to the current Educational Testing Service blueprints, classroom management case studies grounded in the contemporary research on positive behavior interventions and supports, and assessment design templates for the formative and summative assessment across the K-twelve and higher education contexts, all written by credentialed education writers holding accredited Master and Doctor degrees with K-twelve teaching experience or higher education faculty appointments.
Authored by Dr. Clara Bennett, PhD Behavioral and Social Sciences, Social Sciences and Business Editorial Lead. Peer-reviewed by Dr. Henry Whitfield, PhD Comparative Literature and Writing Studies, Humanities Editorial Lead. Last reviewed April 2026.
How students use the EssayFount education hub
In the last twelve months, eighty-six verified credentialed education writers holding a Master of Education a Master of Arts in Teaching a Doctor of Education or a Doctor of Philosophy in education with classroom teaching experience or higher education faculty appointments contributed to this hub. They drafted three hundred fourteen annotated lesson plan examples across the canonical undergraduate teacher preparation curriculum and the alternative certification pathways, ninety-seven worked educational psychology case studies that apply the cognitive social-emotional and developmental theories to classroom scenarios, seventy-eight Praxis Core and Praxis Subject Assessment practice question sets across the canonical content area certifications, and sixty-three classroom management plan templates that integrate the contemporary positive behavior interventions and supports framework. Traffic peaks at predictable points across the academic calendar: the August through September window before the new school year when prospective and new teachers prepare lesson plan portfolios, the four to six week window before scheduled Praxis exam dates, the spring student teaching evaluation period when candidates assemble the teacher work sample, and the second week of every term when first-year teacher preparation students calibrate the documentation expectations of the new course.
Every example passes a two-tier editorial review. A subject-credentialed educator drafts the response against the source rubric the relevant state and Common Core or Next Generation Science Standards alignment and the contemporary research evidence; a second senior reviewer verifies the pedagogical accuracy the standards alignment the assessment validity the citation format and the alignment with current educational professional standards before publication. The approach mirrors the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation standards on responsible scholarship and the American Educational Research Association code of ethics on educational research conduct. Read more about our writers essay help and the credential verification process behind every byline.
The hub works as a study resource, not a credential substitute. Teacher candidates must complete their own student teaching sit their own Praxis exams and earn their own state license. When the lesson plan structure breaks down or the educational psychology framework feels uncertain, the annotated example shows exactly what an entry-level competent response looks like in context. For format-specific writing skills, see our discussion post format guide academic resources, case study format guide writing guide, argumentative essay format guide coursework support, literature review format guide essay help, and annotated bibliography format guide essay help. For the special education context, see our IEP goals hub. For a fully written model assignment with current research-based citations, see our homework help desk writing services. Capstone candidates and EdD-level researchers should review our dissertation writing service essay examples for proposal and methodology support.
Foundational learning theories
The foundational learning theories provide the theoretical scaffolding that the teacher candidate uses to interpret learner behavior to design instruction and to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices. The behaviorist tradition associated with John Watson and B F Skinner frames learning as the change in observable behavior produced by the systematic arrangement of stimuli reinforcement and consequence and underlies the contemporary applied behavior analysis the direct instruction the precision teaching and the token economy classroom management approaches. The cognitive tradition associated with Jean Piaget Lev Vygotsky and Jerome Bruner frames learning as the construction of mental representations through the interaction of the learner with the environment and underlies the contemporary constructivist pedagogy the inquiry-based learning the project-based learning and the formative assessment approaches.
The sociocultural tradition associated with Lev Vygotsky James Wertsch and Barbara Rogoff frames learning as the participation in the cultural practices of the community of practice and underlies the contemporary scaffolding the cognitive apprenticeship the funds of knowledge and the culturally responsive pedagogy approaches. The information processing tradition associated with George Miller Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin frames learning as the encoding storage and retrieval of information across the sensory short-term and long-term memory systems and underlies the contemporary cognitive load theory the worked example research and the spaced practice and retrieval practice instructional strategies. The contemporary educational psychology integrates across these traditions to produce the evidence-based practice that the teacher candidate must master in the foundations course and apply in the methods courses and the student teaching experience.
Lesson planning frameworks and templates
The lesson plan template is the structured document that captures the teacher planning of an instructional episode and supports the alignment of the learning objectives the assessment evidence the instructional activities and the differentiation provisions for the diverse learners. The lesson plan template format varies across the teacher preparation programs and the school district expectations but typically includes the standards alignment the learning objectives the assessment plan the instructional sequence the materials and resources the differentiation provisions the assessment of student learning and the reflection on the lesson effectiveness.
The Madeline Hunter lesson plan format developed by Madeline Hunter at UCLA in the nineteen seventies remains the most widely used direct instruction template across the K-twelve teacher preparation programs. The Hunter format organizes the lesson into the seven elements of the anticipatory set that captures student attention and activates prior knowledge the objective and purpose statement that communicates the learning target the input that presents the new content through teacher modeling and explanation the modeling that demonstrates the application of the content the checking for understanding that evaluates the student grasp through the formative assessment moves the guided practice that provides the supported student application and the independent practice that provides the autonomous student application. The Hunter format suits the direct instruction lessons for the procedural skills and the foundational content knowledge but adapts less readily to the inquiry-based and project-based instruction.
The Understanding by Design framework developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe organizes the lesson and unit planning through the backward design process that begins with the desired results and works back to the assessment evidence and the instructional activities. The backward design template includes the stage one identification of the desired results with the established standards the transfer goals the meaning goals including the understandings and essential questions and the acquisition goals including the knowledge and skills, the stage two determination of the assessment evidence with the performance tasks and the other evidence aligned to the desired results, and the stage three planning of the learning activities aligned to the assessment evidence. The Understanding by Design framework suits the unit planning and the conceptual learning that requires the deeper student engagement with the essential questions.
The 5E model developed by Roger Bybee organizes the inquiry-based science lesson into the five phases of engage that captures student attention and surfaces prior conceptions explore that provides the hands-on investigation that produces the data and the puzzlement explain that introduces the formal scientific concepts that account for the investigation findings elaborate that extends the application of the concepts to new contexts and evaluate that assesses the student understanding through the formative and summative assessment. The 5E model suits the inquiry-based science instruction aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards three-dimensional learning across the disciplinary core ideas the science and engineering practices and the crosscutting concepts.
Standards, alignment and curriculum design
The standards-based instruction requires the teacher to align the lesson and unit objectives the assessment evidence and the instructional activities to the relevant academic content standards. The Common Core State Standards adopted by the majority of states establish the canonical English Language Arts and Mathematics standards from kindergarten through grade twelve. The Next Generation Science Standards developed by the National Research Council and Achieve organize the science standards around the three-dimensional learning that integrates the disciplinary core ideas the science and engineering practices and the crosscutting concepts. The College Career and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards developed by the National Council for the Social Studies organizes the social studies inquiry around the four dimensions of developing questions and planning inquiries applying disciplinary tools and concepts evaluating sources and using evidence and communicating conclusions and taking informed action. The state-specific content standards in the disciplines beyond the national framework standards establish the additional alignment requirements the teacher candidate must address.
The standards-based unit design typically follows the backward design process that begins with the standards selection identifies the priority standards that the unit will address selects the supporting standards that the unit will reinforce develops the unit-level enduring understandings and essential questions designs the culminating performance task that provides the principal assessment evidence and sequences the daily lessons that build toward the culminating task. The standards-based assessment design includes the formative assessment moves that provide the actionable feedback during instruction and the summative assessment evidence that documents the student attainment of the standards. The standards-based grading approach reports the student progress against the specific standards rather than the aggregate course grade and provides the more diagnostic feedback to students families and subsequent teachers.
Classroom management and learning environments
The classroom management research framework that the contemporary teacher preparation programs emphasize is the positive behavior interventions and supports framework that organizes the classroom and school behavioral support around the three-tier prevention model. The tier one universal supports provide the positive behavioral expectations the explicit teaching of the expected behaviors the systematic acknowledgment of the appropriate behavior and the consistent response to the inappropriate behavior across all students in the classroom. The tier two targeted supports provide the additional structured intervention for the students who require more support including the check-in check-out programs the small group social skills instruction and the structured behavior contracts. The tier three intensive individualized supports provide the comprehensive functional behavior assessment and the behavior intervention plan for the students with the most intensive support needs.
The CHAMPS framework developed by Randall Sprick and the conscious discipline framework developed by Becky Bailey provide the comprehensive classroom management approaches that integrate the proactive behavioral supports the social-emotional learning and the trauma-informed practices. The Responsive Classroom approach developed by the Center for Responsive Schools integrates the morning meeting the rule creation through the student involvement the academic choice the guided discovery and the interactive modeling into the comprehensive elementary classroom community building approach. The teacher candidate should master the multiple frameworks and adapt the approach to the specific classroom context the developmental level of the students and the school-wide behavioral expectations.
Assessment, formative feedback and grading
The assessment in education spans the formative assessment that occurs during instruction to inform teaching and learning the interim assessment that monitors the student progress across the unit or marking period the summative assessment that documents the student attainment at the conclusion of the instructional period and the diagnostic assessment that identifies the specific learning needs to inform intervention. The formative assessment moves include the checking for understanding through the questioning techniques the exit tickets the think-pair-share the cold call the wait time and the no opt out responses, the observation and conferencing during student work time, the analysis of student work and the actionable feedback that supports the next steps in learning. The Dylan Wiliam framework for formative assessment identifies the five strategies of clarifying sharing and understanding learning intentions and success criteria engineering effective discussions and learning tasks providing feedback that moves learners forward activating learners as instructional resources for one another and activating learners as the owners of their own learning.
The summative assessment design follows the backward design alignment with the desired results and includes the selected response items including the multiple choice the matching and the true-false items the constructed response items including the short answer and the extended response items and the performance assessment items including the essays the projects the presentations and the portfolio submissions. The assessment quality criteria include the validity that the assessment measures what it intends to measure the reliability that the assessment produces consistent results across administrations and raters the fairness that the assessment provides the equitable opportunity for all students to demonstrate learning and the practicality that the assessment is feasible to administer and score within the available time and resources. The grading practices research increasingly emphasizes the standards-based grading the separation of academic achievement from work habits and behavior the limited use of zero scores that distort the average grade and the multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery as the practices that more accurately communicate student learning.
Differentiation and culturally responsive teaching
The differentiation framework developed by Carol Ann Tomlinson organizes the responsive instruction around the three dimensions of differentiating the content the process and the product based on the student readiness interest and learning profile. The differentiation by content adjusts what the student learns including the prerequisite knowledge the depth of content engagement and the additional enrichment content. The differentiation by process adjusts how the student engages with the content including the instructional grouping the scaffolding the pacing and the choice of learning activities. The differentiation by product adjusts how the student demonstrates learning including the choice of format the choice of audience and the level of complexity in the demonstration of learning.
The culturally responsive teaching framework developed by Geneva Gay and Gloria Ladson-Billings frames the teaching practice as the systematic incorporation of the cultural strengths backgrounds and experiences of the students into the curriculum and instruction to support the academic achievement and the cultural identity affirmation. The culturally responsive practices include the cultural validation through the affirmation of the student cultural backgrounds the cultural mediation through the explicit bridging between the home culture and the school culture the cultural competence development through the intentional engagement with the cultures of the student community and the cultural critique through the engagement with the systemic inequities that shape the student experience. The culturally sustaining pedagogy framework developed by Django Paris extends the culturally responsive teaching to emphasize the active sustaining of the cultural and linguistic practices of the community alongside the academic content learning.
Praxis Core and Praxis Subject Assessments
The Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators known as the Praxis Core is the basic skills examination administered by the Educational Testing Service that the majority of states require for entry into the teacher preparation programs and the initial teacher certification. The Praxis Core consists of the three subtests of reading writing and mathematics each administered as a separate computer-based test and reporting the separate scaled score. The Praxis Core preparation strategy combines the diagnostic assessment of the candidate baseline performance the focused study on the weakest content areas the daily practice question blocks and the timed full-length practice tests in the final weeks before the scheduled exam date.
The Praxis Subject Assessments are the content-area specific examinations that the majority of states require for the initial teacher certification in the relevant content area. The Praxis Subject Assessments span the canonical content areas including the early childhood education the elementary education the English language arts the mathematics the sciences the social studies the world languages the special education the school counseling and the educational leadership. The current Praxis Subject Assessment for elementary education includes the multi-subject assessment with the four subtests of reading and language arts mathematics social studies and science. The candidate should consult the state-specific Praxis testing requirements through the Educational Testing Service Praxis state requirements page to confirm the required tests and the passing scaled scores.
Special education and inclusive practice
The special education in the United States operates under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act that establish the legal framework for the identification evaluation and service delivery for the students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides the free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for the eligible students with the thirteen disability categories of autism deaf-blindness deafness emotional disturbance hearing impairment intellectual disability multiple disabilities orthopedic impairment other health impairment specific learning disability speech or language impairment traumatic brain injury and visual impairment. The eligibility process includes the referral the comprehensive evaluation the eligibility determination the Individualized Education Program development the placement decision and the annual review with the triennial reevaluation requirement.
The Individualized Education Program is the legally binding document that captures the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance the measurable annual goals the special education and related services the participation in general education the participation in state and district assessments the dates and locations of services the transition services for students aged sixteen and older and the procedural safeguards. For the comprehensive Individualized Education Program goal writing guidance, see our IEP goals hub. The inclusive practice framework supports the provision of the special education services in the general education classroom through the co-teaching models the universal design for learning the differentiated instruction and the assistive technology integration. The Universal Design for Learning framework developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology organizes the inclusive instruction around the three principles of providing the multiple means of engagement representation and action and expression that support the learner variability across the cognitive sensory motor and emotional dimensions.
Technology integration and digital pedagogy
The technology integration in education spans the use of digital tools to support the instructional design the student learning the assessment and the school operations. The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition framework developed by Ruben Puentedura organizes the technology integration along the continuum from the substitution where the technology replaces the traditional tool with no functional change to the augmentation where the technology replaces the traditional tool with functional improvement to the modification where the technology allows the significant task redesign and to the redefinition where the technology enables the creation of new tasks previously inconceivable. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework developed by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler frames the effective technology integration as the intersection of the technological knowledge the pedagogical knowledge and the content knowledge that the teacher must develop and apply in concert.
The remote and hybrid teaching models accelerated by the recent pandemic disruption have produced the substantial body of research and practice on the effective integration of the synchronous and asynchronous instructional modes the learning management system platforms the video conferencing tools the digital assessment tools and the collaborative document platforms. The principles of effective remote and hybrid teaching include the clear and consistent communication the structured pacing the multiple modes of student engagement the equitable access provisions for the students without reliable home internet and the integration of the social-emotional learning supports across the digital and in-person learning environments. The teacher candidate should develop the competence with the contemporary educational technology tools and the principled judgment about when and how to integrate the technology to support the learning rather than to substitute for the substantive instructional design.
Educational research and program evaluation
The educational research methodology spans the quantitative experimental and quasi-experimental studies the qualitative ethnographic and case study research the mixed methods studies that integrate the quantitative and qualitative approaches and the design-based research that iteratively develops the educational interventions in the authentic educational contexts. The What Works Clearinghouse maintained by the Institute of Education Sciences provides the systematic reviews of the educational research that meets the methodological standards for causal inference and supports the evidence-based practice in the K-twelve education. The teacher candidate should develop the competence to read the educational research critically distinguish the strong from the weak research evidence and apply the research findings to inform the instructional practice.
The program evaluation in education includes the formative evaluation that supports the program development through the iterative feedback the summative evaluation that documents the program outcomes for the accountability and decision making purposes and the developmental evaluation that supports the innovative program development in complex systems. The logic model framework provides the systematic representation of the program inputs activities outputs short-term outcomes intermediate outcomes and long-term outcomes that supports the evaluation design and the stakeholder communication. The contemporary equity-focused evaluation approaches center the perspectives of the program participants and communities most affected by the program in the evaluation design implementation and use. For the comprehensive case study research methodology relevant to the program evaluation, see our case study format guide research papers.
FAQ from real student questions
What is a lesson plan and what should it include? A lesson plan is the structured document that captures the teacher planning of an instructional episode and supports the alignment of the learning objectives the assessment evidence the instructional activities and the differentiation provisions for the diverse learners. The lesson plan typically includes the standards alignment the learning objectives the assessment plan the instructional sequence the materials and resources the differentiation provisions the assessment of student learning and the reflection on the lesson effectiveness.
What is the difference between Madeline Hunter Understanding by Design and the 5E model? The Madeline Hunter format is the seven element direct instruction template that suits the procedural skill and foundational content knowledge lessons. Understanding by Design is the backward design framework that begins with the desired results and works back to the assessment evidence and the instructional activities, suiting the unit planning and the conceptual learning. The 5E model is the inquiry-based science lesson framework with the engage explore explain elaborate and evaluate phases that suits the inquiry-based science instruction.
What are the most important learning theories for teachers? The behaviorist tradition of Watson and Skinner underlies the applied behavior analysis and direct instruction. The cognitive tradition of Piaget Vygotsky and Bruner underlies the constructivist pedagogy and inquiry-based learning. The sociocultural tradition of Vygotsky underlies the scaffolding and cognitive apprenticeship. The information processing tradition underlies the cognitive load theory and the spaced and retrieval practice instructional strategies. The contemporary educational psychology integrates across these traditions.
What is the Praxis Core and how do I prepare? The Praxis Core is the basic skills examination required by most states for entry into teacher preparation and initial teacher certification. It consists of the three subtests of reading writing and mathematics each administered separately. The preparation strategy combines diagnostic assessment of baseline performance focused study on the weakest content areas daily practice question blocks and timed full-length practice tests in the final weeks before the exam.
What is positive behavior interventions and supports? Positive behavior interventions and supports is the contemporary classroom and school behavioral support framework organized around the three-tier prevention model. Tier one universal supports provide positive behavioral expectations and consistent response across all students. Tier two targeted supports provide additional structured intervention for students who require more support. Tier three intensive individualized supports provide comprehensive functional behavior assessment and behavior intervention plans.
What is differentiated instruction? Differentiated instruction developed by Carol Ann Tomlinson is the responsive teaching framework that adjusts the content the process and the product based on student readiness interest and learning profile. Differentiation by content adjusts what students learn. Differentiation by process adjusts how students engage with content. Differentiation by product adjusts how students demonstrate learning.
What is culturally responsive teaching? Culturally responsive teaching developed by Geneva Gay and Gloria Ladson-Billings is the framework that systematically incorporates the cultural strengths backgrounds and experiences of students into the curriculum and instruction to support academic achievement and cultural identity affirmation. The practices include cultural validation cultural mediation cultural competence development and cultural critique. Culturally sustaining pedagogy by Django Paris extends this to active sustaining of cultural and linguistic practices.
What is an Individualized Education Program? The Individualized Education Program is the legally binding document required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that captures the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance measurable annual goals special education and related services participation in general education state and district assessments dates and locations of services transition services for students aged 16 and older and procedural safeguards.
What is Universal Design for Learning? Universal Design for Learning developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology organizes inclusive instruction around three principles of providing multiple means of engagement representation and action and expression that support learner variability across cognitive sensory motor and emotional dimensions. UDL provides the proactive design framework that reduces the need for individual accommodations.
What is formative assessment and how is it different from summative assessment? Formative assessment occurs during instruction to inform teaching and learning. Summative assessment documents student attainment at the conclusion of the instructional period. Formative assessment moves include checking for understanding questioning techniques exit tickets observation and conferencing and analysis of student work with actionable feedback. Summative assessments include selected response items constructed response items and performance assessments.
Where to go next
To turn coursework into evaluated practice, browse the related EssayFount resources. For format-specific writing skills, see our discussion post format guide writing services, case study format guide essay help, argumentative essay format guide, literature review format guide study materials, and annotated bibliography format guide study materials. For the special education context, see our IEP goals hub. For related social science contexts, see our psychology hub, sociology hub, and history hub. For citation guidance, see our citation styles hub paper assistance. For a fully written model assignment with current research-based citations and references in your required citation format, see our homework help desk paper assistance. Capstone candidates and EdD researchers should review our expert dissertation writing service support for proposal and methodology support, and our expert essay writing service support for theory application and reflection papers across the teacher preparation curriculum.