What is explicit instruction teaching?
Published on 4 min read
In this guide
Explicit, or direct, instruction is a teacher-directed teaching method. The way it works is that the educator gives explicit, guided instructions to students from the front of the classroom or lecture theatre. This teaching strategy works best for particular skill development, and not necessarily those that require experimentation.
How does explicit teaching work?
When you adopt explicit teaching practices, you are clearly showing your students what to do and how to do it. You are not relying on students to construct this information for themselves.
There are several steps to explicit instruction teaching:
- A teacher decides on a learning intention for a class and sets specific, transparent success criteria. These criteria are shared with students and explained in detail.
- The teacher clearly shows students what to do and how to do it through physical demonstration.
- The teacher checks for student understanding periodically. At the end of a lesson, a teacher will revisit what was covered to summarise understanding and learnings.
- In the content of an ongoing task or assessment, students are provided with all the information they need to complete this independently.
Benefits of explicit teaching in the classroom
1) Fast-tracked performance
Explicit teaching is effective in fast-tracking student performance. Explicit teaching aims to move beyond rote learning and to attempt to sequence learning for students
2) Increased flexibility
Explicit teaching can be done in real time or with video content, an excellent option for students to then revisit beyond the classroom. This content can be created from scratch and tailored to your specific class or an existing ClickView video resource.
3) Clear expectations
Explicit teaching is a useful teaching strategy for making sure all students are clear about the criteria. Part of the process is setting the scene for each lesson or session, recapping previously taught information and stating aims and objectives moving forward.
4) Systematic and sequential
Explicit teaching is always systematic and sequential. By directly supporting guided practice using a series of steps, it’s ideal for teaching practical hands-on skills, rather than more abstract concepts.
Explicit teaching ideas for teachers
Explicit teaching involves a high level of teacher-student interaction, incorporating targeted feedback. Teachers need to take on an active role in supporting students to achieve success as they move through the learning process. By carefully monitoring student understanding, you can offer targeted individual support.
ClickView’s interactive video feature can be used to create your own explicit teaching videos. Just add an interactive layer of questions or steps to any video, to help students better understand the content as they learn.
Top 2 ways ClickView can help you with explicit teaching
1) Create your own step-by-step videos
It’s so easy to create your own low-tech video content to demonstrate explicit teaching techniques for your students. These might include how to draw a spiral pattern for primary Art students, cut wood correctly for a secondary Woodworking class or perform a dance sequence.
2) Access sample explicit teaching content
You can also take advantage of the extensive library of explicit teaching content that already lives in ClickView. ClickView houses many video examples of explicit teaching uploaded by our users, to inspire you in your classroom or lecture space.
4 Teacher tips for explicit teaching
- Useful search terms
You can find explicit teaching videos for school classrooms by searching for terms such as flipped lessons or featured channels. In the secondary library, explore our secondary science and maths topics to discover classroom resources for numeracy, literacy or Lab Skills. For primary lessons, discover age-appropriate classroom resources for literacy, celebrations and commemorations with our English and history topics. - Explicit teaching in further education
Explicit teaching videos are useful in the higher education space, particularly in courses or subjects with very practical components. Examples of explicit teaching videos you can access with your subscription are The Construction Industry Toolkit, First Aid, Baking Fundamentals and Hairdressing Tutor. - Opportunities to upskill
We’re always here to help with resources, training and all the support you need to maximise the use of ClickView in your lessons. Take advantage of our huge library of educational resources, dedicated training channel and professional learning opportunities to keep your students engaged. - Share best practice
Have you got a great idea for an explicit teaching activity or video? Film it and share it so other educators can find it and learn from you. You could even involve your students for a whole-class teaching activity.
Achieve learning outcomes by using explicit teaching
You could have full access to the ClickView video library, including all our supporting educational resources, such as lesson plans and a range of teaching and learning ideas. We also encourage you to take advantage of our extensive training offerings. Watch how-to videos on ClickView features via our dedicated training channel, watch a webinar or get in touch with our customer success team for any advice. Our teaching strategies resources are designed to help you and your students achieve fantastic learning outcomes.
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Tara Walsh
briefcase iconHead of Education
A qualified teacher and human resources professional, Tara has had an extensive career as a teacher and leader in K-12, and in learning and development.
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