Explanations

Explanations and instructions

Strategy for Lesson

Strategy for training from mentor

Giving instructions

When giving important instructions to the class, stand square on and stand still.

Film the teacher giving instructions to their class. Watch it together and critique. Have the teacher practise giving instructions for an upcoming lesson and coach them to improve their body position and delivery.

Giving instructions

After giving instructions or explanations, ask two students to repeat them back to you.

For an upcoming lesson, plan which students the teacher is going to ask and script out the questions. Role play delivery until this routine has been perfected. Add difficulty by including a student who cannot repeat instructions back or makes a mistake.

Giving instructions

Turn to different sections of the room when giving instructions or explanations. Focus your eyes on different students for a moment at a time.

Film the teacher giving instructions to their class. Watch it together and critique. Have the teacher practise giving instructions for an upcoming lesson and coach them to improve their body position and delivery.

Giving instructions

Ensure that there is complete silence in the room, with all equipment down, before starting your instructions. Be stubborn about this.

See the 'dealing with non compliant behaviour' under the Behaviour management tab. Work with the teacher on their routines for gaining student attention and holding students accountable for this.

Giving instructions

Have a specific routine in place for starting longer tasks e.g. Students place pen on paper and wait for you to set time and say 'go' before they begin.

Write a microscript for how the teacher is going to start tasks, focusing on one specific routine e.g., "Pens poised - scan students -Go". Role play this and bring in non-compliance issues once the teacher has been successful.

Giving instructions

Don't allow students to start work until you have finished speaking: plan non-verbal and verbal reminders for if students do begin while instructions are still being given.

Write a microscript for what the teacher should do if students begin working during instructions. Focus on non-verbal and verbal reminders for students, as well as on when to apply sanctions. Role play this, taking the role of a non-compliant student.

Giving instructions

Cut procedural instructions into short, simple sequences. If more than four points, break this up into different stages. i.e., students do first 4 before giving more instructions.

Work together on the script for an instruction or explanation. Remove extraneous words. Then, practise delivery: watch for the teacher adding ad libbed parts or deviating from planned script.

Giving instructions

Acknowledge one or two students who follow instructions quickly and accurately: 'I can see that John has already started drawing his graph with a ruler__.'

Script a generic set of phrases the teacher can use to build positive momentum at the start of a task and role play these until the teacher is confident in their use.

Explaining content

Give explanations in simple sentences, avoiding complex non-subject based vocabulary and connectives like 'Although__'

Work together on the script for an instruction or explanation. Remove extraneous words. Then, practise delivery: watch for the teacher adding ad libbed parts or deviating from planned script.

Explaining content

Repeat important subject specific vocabulary at least three times in your explanations.

Work together on the script for an instruction or explanation. Remove extraneous words. Then, practise delivery: watch for the teacher adding ad libbed parts or deviating from planned script.

Explaining content

In your explanations, return to the key idea that you want students to remember and grasp at least 3 times.

Work together on the script for an instruction or explanation. Remove extraneous words. Then, practise delivery: watch for the teacher adding ad libbed parts or deviating from planned script.

Using volume tone and language to hold attention and aid learning

Modulate the tone of your voice to show enthusiasm for the topic and 'pretend' constantly that what you say is of great importance.

Practise teaching part of an upcoming lesson while varying the speed of delivery and smiling. Practise varying tone of voice i.e., dropping volume to create tension

Using volume tone and language to hold attention and aid learning

Lower the volume of your voice when saying something important: this will force students to strain to listen.

Practise teaching part of an upcoming lesson while varying the speed of delivery and smiling. Practise varying tone of voice i.e., dropping volume to create tension

Using volume tone and language to hold attention and aid learning

Start instructions sentences with imperative verbs e.g., Start by__ Think about__ Make sure you__ Write__

Work together on the script for an instruction or explanation. Then, practise delivery: watch for the teacher adding ad libbed parts or deviating from planned script.

Using volume tone and language to hold attention and aid learning

Front load your sentences with the key point you want students to take: 'A metaphor is__.'

Work together on the script for an instruction or explanation. Then, practise delivery: watch for the teacher adding ad libbed parts or deviating from planned script.

Telling stories: using narrative, character and conflict to create memorable explanations

Tell a story about a past student that relates to the learning or increases motivation to do something effortful.

Take a lesson for the next day / week. Work with the teacher to plan an appropriate explanation for the content of this lesson. Ensure that it adds to and does not distract from students' learning of the content.

Telling stories: using narrative, character and conflict to create memorable explanations

Tell a personal story that relates to the learning and makes it memorable.

Take a lesson for the next day / week. Work with the teacher to plan an appropriate explanation for the content of this lesson. Ensure that it adds to and does not distract from students' learning of the content.

Telling stories: using narrative, character and conflict to create memorable explanations

Turn common subject misconceptions into stories to help students remember them e.g., 'A really great student called X used to make this exact mistake. This is how they solved it__.'

Take a lesson for the next day / week. Work with the teacher to plan an appropriate explanation for the content of this lesson. Ensure that it adds to and does not distract from students' learning of the content.

Use metaphor/analogy to make something memorable

Give multiple examples for concepts to help students grasp them (3x is a good number).

Re-script the explanation for the lesson concerned, trying to come up with a series of linked examples. Role play giving this to students. Then, write an explanation for a lesson coming up.