Explicit Instruction

Effective and Efficient Teaching

Anita L. Archer, Ph.D.

[email protected]
503-295-7749

(Note: This presentation is based on the research summarized in the following book.)

Archer, A., & Hughes, C. (2011). Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient
Teaching. NY: Guilford Publications.

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Explicit Instruction is

Systematic
Relentless
Engaging
Successful
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Video #1

Good Practices

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Explicit Instruction is systematic.
Instruction focuses on critical content.

Skills, strategies, vocabulary terms, concepts, and rules that will

empower students in the future are taught.

Skills, strategies, and concepts are sequenced logically.

Easier skills before harder skills.

High frequency skills before low frequency skills.
Prerequisites first.
Similar skills separated.

Complex skills and strategies are broken down into smaller

(easy to obtain) instruction units.

Explicit Instruction is systematic.

Lessons are organized and focused.

Lessons are on-topic and contain no irrelevant digressions to

optimize instructional time.

Lessons include an
opening (attention, review, preview),
body, and
closing (review, preview).

Instructional routines are used.

Instructional routines allow the students to focus on the content

rather than the task. Teachers can master the instructional
routines and increase the pace of lessons.

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Explicit Instruction is systematic.

Explicit Instruction of Skills/Strategies

Model I do it. My turn.

Prompt We do it. Lets do this together.
Check You do it. Your turn.

Video #2

Good practices

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Explicit Instruction is systematic.

Explicit Instruction of Concepts(vocabulary)

1. Introduce the word.
2. Provide a student-friendly explanation.
3. Illustrate with examples.
4. Check understanding.

Video #3

Good practices

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Explicit Instruction is relentless.

- Adequate initial practice opportunities

- Distributed practice

- Cumulative review
- Tier 3 students may require 10 to 30 times as many practice
opportunities as peers.

- Teach to mastery.
- Lets not leave students over exposed and underdeveloped.

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Video #4

Best Practices

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Explicit Instruction is engaging.

1) Frequent responses are elicited.

2) Student performance is carefully monitored.

3) Immediate affirmative and corrective feedback

is provided.

4) The lesson is delivered at a brisk pace.

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Frequent responses are elicited.

(Verbal Responses)
Choral Responses
The teacher asks a question, provides thinking time, and signals for all students to say the
answer.

Partner Responses
The teacher assigns students a partner placing lower performing students with middle
performing students. The teacher asks a question, provides thinking time, asks partners to
discuss their ideas, and then has a number of students share their ideas with the class.

Team Responses
The teacher establishes teams of four by combining two partnerships. The teacher poses a
question. Students share with team members until all agree on an answer. One member of
each team reports to class.

Individual Responses
a. Partner First. Teacher poses a question. All students think of the answer. The teacher
asks partners to share answers and then calls on an individual.
b. Whip Around or Pass. (Example procedure.)

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 Frequent responses are elicited.
Verbal Responses - (Example).

Whip Around or Pass

This strategy is best used when there are many possible
answers to a question.
Ask the question.
Give students thinking time.
Start at any location in the room. Have students quickly give
answers going up and down the rows without commenting.
Students are allowed to pass if they do not have a response or
someone has already shared the same idea.

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Frequent responses are elicited.

(Written Responses)

Written Responses
During the lesson, the teacher requests that students write
answers on: paper, post-its, graphic organizer, transparency, or
slate.

Response Cards
Students hold up a card indicating the answer to teachers
question.

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Frequent responses are elicited.
Written Responses (Example)

Response Slates
Ask students a question or give them a directive.

Have students record their answers on their slate (e.g., whiteboard, mini chalk
board).

Move around the room and monitor responses.

When the majority of students have responded, have them hold up their slates.

Carefully examine responses and provide feedback.

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Frequent responses are elicited.

Written Responses (Example)

Response cards
Have students write possible responses on cards or paper or provide them
with prepared cards.
Examples:
Simple responses: Yes, No; Agree, Disagree; True, False; a, b, c, d
Graphemes: sh, wh, ch, th
Punctuation Marks: . ? ! ,
Math Operations: + - X
Types of Rocks: Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
Vocabulary Terms: perimeter, area
Ask a question.
Have students select best response and hold it under their chin.
Then ask students to hold up response card.
Carefully monitor responses and provide feedback.

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 Frequent responses are elicited.
(Action Responses)
Touch or point at stimulus

Act out
Students act out a concept, story, historical event, cycle, etc.

Gestures
Students use gestures to indicate answer or to facilitate recall of
process.

Facial Expressions
Students indicate answer by changing facial expression. (Show me
glum. Show me not glum.)

Hand Signals
Students indicate answer by holding up appropriate number of 19
fingers.

Frequent responses are elicited.

Action Responses (Example)
Use hand signals.
Useful to share categorical responses.
Thumbs up. Thumbs down. (yes, no; agree, disagree)
Thumbs up. Thumbs down. Thumbs sideways. (I dont know.)
Branches: 1. Legislative, 2. Executive, 3. Judicial.
Volcanoes: 1. Shield, 2. Composite, 3. Cinder Cone.
Vocabulary review: 1. Concentrate, 2. Impress, 3. Educated, 4. Enemy, 4. Absurd

Carefully introduce and model hand signals to ensure that errors are
content errors NOT signal errors.

If numbered responses are used, write numbers and words on the

board or overhead transparency.

Ask a question. Have students formulate their answer on their desks

or under their chins.

After think time has been given, have the students raise their hands
and display hand signal.
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Student performance is carefully
monitored.

 Walk around.

Look around.

Talk around.

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Immediate affirmative and

corrective feedback is given.
Corrective Feedback is:

Provided
Immediate
Specific and informative
Focused on the correct versus incorrect response
Delivered with appropriate tone
Ended with students giving correct response

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Immediate affirmative and
corrective feedback is given.
Praise is:

contingent (IF THEN)

specific
provided for noteworthy performance
focused on achievement and effort rather than
personality attributes
comparing students to themselves rather than to
other
positive, credible, genuine

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Immediate affirmative and corrective

feedback is provided.

Correct, quick, Acknowledge Correct

Yes, thats right.
firm response and move on.

Correct but Acknowledge Correct. Since this is

a telling sentence, we
hesitant and add brief would end the
response firm-up sentence with a
explanation. period.

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Provide immediate affirmative and
corrective feedback.
1. Model the correct (Student says /o/ for /a/.)
Incorrect answer.(I do it.) This sound is /a/?
response when 2. Check understanding.
(You do it.) What sound? /a/
fact 3. Check again. What sound? /e/
What sound? /o/
requested. What sound? /a/

1. Guide student(s) to the (Students spell siting for

Incorrect correct answer by asking sitting.)
response when questions on the steps of the
Does sit end with a CVC?
strategy or rule. (We do it.)
strategy or rule 2. Check understanding.
yes
Does the ending begin with
(You do it.)
used. 3. Check again.
a vowel? yes
So do we double the final
consonant? yes
Everyone, write sitting on
your slate.
Show me. 25

The lesson is delivered at a brisk pace.

Prepare for the lesson.

Use instructional routines.

After a response is given, move on.

Avoid digressions

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Explicit Instruction is
Successful.
What instructional strategies that we have
reviewed promote success?

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Let us remember:

How well we teach = How well they learn

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