Instructional Clarity
“...a state in which a teacher who is in
command of the subject matter to be
transmitted is able to do that which is
required to communicate with
learners successfully.”
C. V. Hines
Clarity of Instruction
Knowing when and
what
Checking for
understanding
DURING instruction
Unscrambling
confusions
Checking for Understanding
• Body language
• Questioning
• Dipsticking
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Dipsticking
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Monitoring student understanding
Many students
Same topic
During instruction
Ways to Dispstick
Signals
1.
2.
3.
thumbs up
hands on head
sign turned over
Non-signals
1.
2.
3.
one question quiz
unison response
lots of questions
Misconceptions
It is the teacher’s responsibility to
discover what misconceptions
students have, surface them, and
explicitly try to contradict them.
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Confusions
Unscrambling Confusions
• Re-explaining
• Isolating the point of
confusion
• Persevering and returning
• Having the student explain
Explanatory Devices
• Mental Imagery
• Modeling Thinking Aloud
• Cues and Progressive
Minimal Cues
• Graphic Organizers
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Mental Imagery
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Understand physical states
Make analogies for concepts
Set moods, scenes or context
Improve memory of information
Modeling Thinking Aloud
• Internal dialog made external
• Asking yourself questions
• Weighing alternatives and using
criteria to choose
• False starts and self-correcting
• Persistence
• Debriefing
Cues and Progressive
Minimal Cues
Giving students just enough cues to get
them to think about what they need to do,
but not enough to prevent them from
thinking through their error.
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Graphic Organizers
See the relationships
Organize information
Attend to important items
Capitalize on visual learning
Animals
Mammals
Reptiles
Amphibians
Dogs
Cats
Rabbits
Snakes
Lizards
Alligators
Frogs
Salamanders
Newts
Speech
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Diction
Pronunciation
Enunciation
Grammar
Syntax
Vocabulary
Explicitness
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Using cues
Focusing questions
Providing step by step directions
Using meaningful references
Providing reasons for activities
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Big Picture
• Giving students an agenda
• Communicating what students will
know and be able to do
• Activating current knowledge
• Making connections
• Summarizing lessons
Agenda
Outcome/Objectives
“Why do I have to do this?”
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Activating Current Knowledge
Lets the teacher know what the
students already know about a
concept or topic.
K
W
L
What I know
What I want
to know
What I learned
Making Connections
Integrating what is already known
with new information.
Summarizing
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Putting It All Together
Clarity
“Clarity affords focus.”
Thomas Leonard
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