Explicit instruction - a shift in thinking for teachers
When teachers make the move to using an explicit instruction approach there is a shift in thinking and focus that takes time for many teachers to truly grasp and is often not fully appreciated.
Most teachers who have been teaching for a while are moving to explicit literacy instruction from a balanced literacy approach. These two instructional approaches are very different in terms of pedagogy and underlying beliefs about the way students learn. As a result, they require different things from teachers adopting them.
In a balanced literacy lesson, the teacher usually begins with a mini lesson where the learning for the lesson is introduced and a hook provided to gain the students interest and attention. An activity is introduced following the mini lesson for students to complete in response to the learning focus. This task may be differentiated for students working at different ability levels so they can engage with the task they have been asked to complete. Once the grade is settled and working on the given activity, the teacher may seize the opportunity to work with one or two small groups of students they know need extra support in their learning. While the teacher works with small groups, the rest of the grade complete the whole class task. Before returning to the whole group, teachers often conference with a number of individual students, hearing them read or checking in on how they are progressing with individually set learning goals. The whole grade usually convene at the end of the lesson to take part in a lesson reflection and share how they went with the whole class task.
Coaching for teachers delivering balanced literacy lessons has often traditionally focussed on what the teacher is doing during this lesson. Have they identified and introduced the new learning effectively? Have they set students up well to complete the given task? Have they managed to successfully run one or two small group sessions and conference with 2-3 students plus fit in the lesson reflection at the end of the lesson? Did the classroom run smoothly, was the lesson well planned and well organised and were all students engaged in the learning set for them? It takes experience, practice and ongoing commitment for teachers to successfully juggle all the elements described in a balanced literacy lesson and coaching sessions are often focussed on helping the teacher improve in a specific area of lesson planning, delivery or organisation that they would like to develop further.
This focus on what the teacher is doing during a lesson in order for it to run successfully gives more emphasis, even subconsciously, to the importance of the lesson for the teacher, rather than for the students. Teachers worry about fitting everything in, keeping to suggested time limits for each part of the lesson, creating engaging activities, differentiating tasks to suit different ability levels and managing to spend time with particular students either in small groups or individually as part of each lesson.
When a shift to explicit instruction happens, there is also a shift to areas of focus and practice for teachers. In an explicit instruction lesson the teacher is leading the learning with the whole group from the front of the class much of the time. While supports are put in place to assist students working at different skill levels, varying in terms of task difficulty or scaffolds provided to assist them, all students are working on the same content at the same time. Regular and consistent routines, engagement norms and lesson structure mean that both the teacher and students know what to expect in every stage of a lesson, they know what will be expected of them and how they will successfully complete different parts of a lesson.
This consistency is beneficial to students and teachers alike, as it frees up cognitive space and reduces cognitive load for both parties taking part in the lesson. For teachers, benefits include the onus being taken off them in terms of tracking and remembering what they are required to do next at each stage of a given lesson. Instead, their focus can be directed onto the learning that is happening for their students because the running of the lesson is so familiar to them. A focus on the learning allows teachers to adapt their teaching responsively and provide immediate support and corrective feedback to students at the point of need during a lesson. Teachers can check that all students are following along with the learning and make informed decisions about moving from modelled to guided to independent practice depending on how their students respond to instruction. They can also make decisions about moving backward and forward between these phases of instruction as required to ensure students have really grasped and are able to apply the new learning most effectively.
Coaching for teachers adopting an explicit instruction approach focuses on the teacher’s ability to provide instruction that supports students to maximise their learning. Each phase in a lesson is designed to support this by reducing cognitive load for students and providing modelled and guided practice with multiple repetitions to assist the embedding of new learning.
This shift in thinking and focus for teachers is part of what makes explicit instruction so powerful and effective. Adapting teaching in response to the needs of students during a lesson is an impactful instructional practice. Once teachers make the shift from focusing on what they are to do and fit in during a lesson to how learning is happening for their students, plus how they can adapt their teaching to further support it, students are much better supported to be engaged, be motivated and know that they will be supported at every stage to be successful in their learning.
An awareness of the shift in teacher focus, thinking and practice during explicit instruction needs to be made more explicit in discussions of lesson design and delivery as it truly is a game changer for all involved and should be recognised for the impact it has on teaching and learning!
