Explicit Instruction
 What
does high quality
instruction during the whole
group portion of a lesson look
like?

Respond without using the word
EXPLICIT!
Think-Write-Pair-Share
Essential Question

As a coach, how can I build the capacity
of a teacher struggling with explicit
instruction? What are some specific
strategies I can provide to support
teachers as they become more explicit in
their instruction?
Explicit Instruction is
Systematic
Relentless
Engaging
4
Edwards-Groves, C.J. (2002).
Connecting Students to Learning Through Explicit Teaching.
Explicit literacy instruction is described as
“instruction that does not leave anything to
chance and does not make assumptions
about skills and knowledge that children
will acquire on their own” (p. 363).
Torgesen, J. K., (2004)
Lessons Learned from Research on Interventions for Students who have Difficulty Learning to Read.
Essential Instructional Delivery Components
Boyles, N. (2001)
Chapter 4: Understanding explicit instruction. In N. Boyles, Teaching Written Response to Text: Constructing
Quality Answers to Open-Ended Comprehension Questions.
Require Frequent Student Responses
• When students actively participate in their
learning, they achieve greater success.
• The teacher must elicit student responses
several times per minute, for example ask
students to say, write, or do something.
• Highly interactive instructional procedures keep
students actively engaged, provide students
with adequate practice, and help them achieve
greater success.
Appropriate Instructional Pacing
• Pacing is the rate of instructional presentations and
response solicitations.
• The pace of instruction is influenced by many
variables such as task complexity or difficulty, relative
newness of the task, and individual student
differences.
• When tasks are presented at a brisk pace, three
benefits to instruction are accomplished:
(a) students are provided with more information
(b) students are engaged in the instructional activity
(c) behavior problems are minimized (students stay
on‐task when instruction is appropriately paced).
Provide adequate processing time:
• Think time (adequate processing time) is the
amount of time between the moment a task is
presented and when the learner is asked to
respond.
• Time to pause and think should vary based
on the difficulty of the task relative to the
student(s).
• If a task is relatively new, the amount of time
allocated to think and formulate a response
should be greater than that of a task that is
familiar and in the learners' repertoire.
Monitor Responses
• This is an essential teacher skill to ensure that
all learners are mastering the skills the
teacher is presenting.
• Watching and listening to student responses
provides the teacher with key instructional
information.
• Adjustments may be made during instruction.
• Teachers should be constantly scanning the
classroom as students respond in any mode.
Provide feedback for correct and
incorrect responses
• Students should receive immediate feedback to both
correct and incorrect responses.
• Corrective feedback needs to be instructional and not
accommodating. Feedback to reinforce correct
responses should be specific.
• Feedback should not interfere with the timing of the
next question/response interaction of the teacher and
student.
• Feedback that does not meet these criteria can
interrupt the instructional episode and disrupt the
learner's ability to recall.
Characteristics of Explicit Instruction
Explicit Instruction is characterized by:

Intentional teaching of well defined skills or strategies that
are broken down and taught directly in a series of carefully
sequenced steps

Clear and consistent teacher wording OR clear and
consistent teacher instructions

Extensive teacher modeling or demonstration of skills and
strategies before students are asked to perform them
independently

“Thinking aloud” procedures that draw attention to the stepby-step process of applying skills and strategies that is
eventually internalized during proficient reading
Coyne, M. D., et.al. (2009). Direct instruction of comprehension: Instructional examples from intervention research
on listening and reading comprehension.
Explicit Instruction:
Instructional Routine
Explicit Instruction
I DO:
Explain, model, think-aloud
WE DO:
Student engagement
•
•
•
Practice
Immediate corrective feedback
small, flexible group instruction
They Do: Students Collaborate to gain a
deeper understanding of the
concepts-”Student Accountable Talk”
YOU DO: Independent application
16
Explicit Instruction: The “I DO”

Set the purpose

Why do we need to learn this.

This is crucial for older students.

Do not ask questions during the I do

This is the time to show your brain
thinking through the process.
“I DO”-Teacher Talking (3-5 mins)
The teacher provides the background
knowledge necessary for student
success.
 During this portion of the lesson, the
teacher models the expectation
through a step by step “think-aloud.”

“WE DO”- Teacher and Students
Talking

This is the time to ask questions and
give explicit feedback.
“WE DO”




This portion of the lesson occurs once the
teacher has modeled and believes
students are ready to practice the
presented skill.
Students are fully engaged in this portion
of the lesson. The student is
participating in guiding practice.
Students may be working in small,
flexible groups or pairs.
The teacher is continuously monitoring
student attainment of skill through
formative assessments
“They DO Together”
Students talking

This is the time for students to
practice cooperatively together to
practice the new knowledge through
student accountable talk and active
student learning.
“YOU DO” Students Working





Independent Practice
During this portion of the lesson,
students must now work
independently at showing their
attainment of the skill.
The teacher must ensure that every
student is able to meet with success.
This is the time to be the coach and
cheerleader.
Circulate to make sure students are
successful.
Explicit Instruction is NOT:





Replacing the Inquiry method, there is a
time and a place for inquiry, when
students have learned the skill or to
engage the learner in a topic
Ditto or activity based instruction
Independent work
Lecture Based- teacher stand and deliver
Only for whole group, explicit instruction
must be used in the teacher directed
group as well
Explicit Instruction is:





The way to strategically deep teach the
State Standards, strategies and skills
students need in their learning
A gradual release of responsibility for
students
Modeled
Guided
Independent
Revisiting the Essential Question

As a coach, how can I build the capacity of a
teacher struggling with explicit instruction? What
are some specific strategies I can provide to
support teachers as they become more explicit
in their instruction?

Think Pair Share Exit Slip

Write, turn and talk, whole group share
References
Boyles, N. (2001) Chapter 4: Understanding explicit instruction. In N. Boyles, Teaching Written Response
to Text: Constructing Quality Answers to Open-Ended Comprehension Questions. Gainsville, FL:
Maupin House Publishing.
Coyne, M. D., Zipoli Jr., R. P., Chard, D. J., Faggella-Luby, M., Ruby, M., Santoro, L. E., & Baker, S. (2009).
Direct instruction of comprehension: Instructional examples from intervention research on
listening and reading comprehension. Reading & Writing Quarterly 25, 221-245.
Edwards-Groves, C.J. (2002). Connecting students to learning through explicit teaching. MyRead:
Strategies for teaching reading in the middle years. Sydney, Australia: DEST, ALEA, AATE.
Hughes, C.A. & Archer, A. (2011). Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching. NY: Guilford
Publications.
Torgesen, J. K., (2004). Lessons learned from research on interventions for students who have difficulty
learning to read. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research
(pp. 355-382). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.