If that is the outcome, we haven’t understood the purpose of explicit teaching.

The goal isn’t regurgitation. It’s generation.

Explicit teaching is about deliberately building the knowledge, vocabulary, concepts and skills students need so that they have something increasingly powerful to think with. Ashman reminds us that knowledge, far from inert material we ask children to file away, is the very stuff of thought: Knowledge is what we think with.

Build the foundations

When students are novices in a domain, they don’t yet have the rich networks of knowledge that experts can draw upon. Asking them to independently discover important concepts or navigate complex problems can therefore place enormous demands on working memory.

This is where explicit teaching is particularly powerful.

We can carefully explain and model new ideas, connect them to what students already know, guide students through initial practice, check for understanding and respond when misconceptions emerge.

This isn’t about keeping students dependent on the teacher. It’s about giving them the foundations from which independence can grow.

In literacy, for example, explicitly teaching vocabulary, background knowledge and how to make sense of complex texts doesn’t constrain what students can subsequently do with those texts. It expands the possibilities.

The richer the knowledge students accumulate, the more connections they can make.

Then let them do something with it

This is why I’ve previously argued that the debate between explicit teaching and inquiry asks the wrong question.

It isn’t simply whether students should inquire. It’s when, and for what purpose.

There should absolutely be opportunities for students to investigate, debate, solve problems, create, critique and pursue questions. But these experiences become much more productive when students bring sufficient knowledge and skill to them.

As students become increasingly competent, we can progressively withdraw our support.

Explain → model → practise → apply → connect → generate → investigate.

These aren’t competing visions of teaching. They can be stages in the development of expertise.

In our Read2Learn work, for example, knowledge-rich explicit instruction wasn’t designed to culminate in students endlessly reproducing information. Students encountered rich content through reading, writing, discussion, role play, hands-on exploration and application. Explicit instruction provided the architecture that allowed increasingly sophisticated engagement with that content.

That’s the destination we should keep in mind.

We don’t explicitly teach because we want students to need explicit teaching forever.

We explicitly teach so that,they need even less explicit teaching earlier and earlier.

Clear instruction. Meaningful connections. Endless possibilities.

Want to go deeper?

Unlocking Literacy: Unlocking the Power of Words for Reading and Spelling

This is a new Luminary Specialist Course with Dr Nathaniel Swain.

Across four 90-minute live webinars, we’ll take a deeper dive into the knowledge and instructional techniques that help students become increasingly capable readers and spellers.

Live webinars: 5, 12, 19 & 26 October 2026 at 6:30 pm AEDT
Recordings: Available for three weeks following the final webinar
Places are limited.

Find out more and enrol

Enrol in the course now

Literacy Across the Curriculum — Melbourne, Sydney & Sunshine Coast

I’ll also be running Literacy Across the Curriculum full-day professional learning workshops in Melbourne, Sydney and the Sunshine Coast.

Designed for primary and secondary teachers and leaders, these practical workshops explore how we can embed powerful reading, writing and oracy instruction across the curriculum—helping students access complex texts and concepts, develop disciplinary literacy and communicate increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Melbourne & Sydney — November 2026
New dates have been added.

Sunshine Coast — 22 January 2027
Pacific Paradise State School | 8:30 am–3:00 pm

These workshops bring the same principle to life: strong literacy foundations don’t narrow the curriculum—they give students greater access to it.

Places are limited.

Sydney and Melbourne Tickets

Sunshine Coast Tickets

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Learn at your own pace. Revisit ideas when you need them. Put them into practice straight away.

Whether you’re looking for a quick boost for tomorrow’s lesson or supporting longer-term improvement across your school, Luminary makes high-quality professional learning available when it matters.

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At one end is rigid delivery: faithfully following a script regardless of what students understand, misunderstand, or need. At the other is reactive improvisation: making teaching decisions on the fly without a secure plan or deep knowledge to guide them. Neither is where expert teaching lives.

Perhaps the better way to think about teaching is as the interaction between preparation and deviation. See what I have captured in this matrix I developed below.

Figure 1 - Meaningful and Responsive Teaching Matrix

Responsive teaching ☑️

When teachers are well prepared and know when to deviate, they become responsive. They can adapt in service of learning because they understand the curriculum, anticipate misconceptions, and recognise what students need in the moment.

Reactive teaching ❌

When teachers deviate without that preparation, however, they become reactive. Decisions are driven by instinct rather than expertise, and lessons can quickly lose coherence.

Rigid teaching ❌

The opposite tendency is rigid teaching. Here, teachers may be well prepared, but they remain so committed to the plan that they miss opportunities to respond to what students are thinking. The lesson proceeds as intended, even when students need something different.

Derivative teaching ❌

The final quadrant is derivative teaching. This occurs when teachers lack the preparation needed to exercise professional judgement and instead become dependent on someone else’s lesson plan, script, or resource. Rather than adapting based on their understanding of the content, their students, and how learning occurs, they reproduce what has been written because departing from it feels unsafe.

Deviation as a good thing?

The word deviation comes from the Latin via (”road” or “way”). To deviate is simply to leave the path. But leaving the path only has value if you know where you’re going and how to return. A teacher who refuses to deviate is trapped by the lesson plan. A teacher who constantly deviates without purpose is simply wandering.

Meaningful preparation is needed

Meaningful preparation is what makes meaningful deviation possible.

It goes far beyond having a slide deck or a sequence of activities. It means knowing your content, knowing your students, and understanding how learning happens. It means anticipating misconceptions, recognising signs of cognitive overload, and knowing when to explain, model, question, practise, or extend.

Meaningful preparation is about being ready to teach the lesson students need—with as many responses and adaptations as necessary—rather than rigidly or derivatively delivering a lesson exactly as written.

When teachers do not understand the underlying concepts within the curriculum, the common misconceptions students are likely to experience, or the signs that cognitive overload is occurring, deviations become frightening. Even student questions can feel like unwelcome interruptions rather than valuable windows into students’ thinking.

This is why both ideological extremes miss the mark. If we rigidly believe students must discover everything for themselves, we withhold the hard-won knowledge that allows them to stand on the shoulders of giants. If we rigidly believe every moment must be explicitly directed by the teacher, we can end up over-prompting students who are ready to think, apply, and extend independently.

In a well-calibrated school, shared planning and high-quality curriculum materials reduce unnecessary variation, allowing teachers to spend less time searching endlessly for resources or creating everything from scratch. Instead, teachers can refine and augment planning materials, engineering lessons to reduce extraneous cognitive load and optimise the productive challenge of the content itself.

Structure is not a straitjacket. It is the foundation that allows professional judgement to flourish.

Endnote

The best teachers aren’t those who never leave the script, nor those who proudly abandon it without cause. The best teachers are those that are prepared enough to know exactly when, why, and how to depart from a well-structured plan in service of student learning and curiosity.

Give students the lesson they need, not just the lesson you have planned.

This post is also available at https://www.nathanielswain.com/cognitoriumblog/meaningful-matrix

Want to work with Dr Nathaniel Swain in 2027 - Get in touch via email

Or else check out our event in Queensland in Jan 2027

The episode is generated using AI hosts from Google NotebookLM, synthesising these ideas into a structured, evidence-informed conversation.

Explore more:

* Nelson Primary Video, November 6, 2025, with Nathaniel Swain

* Ultra-Processed Minds: The End of Deep Reading and What It Costs Us by Carl Henrick

* Five Plagues of the Developing Reader, Reading Reconsidered

Nathaniel Swain, PhD is a teacher, instructional coach, and writer. He is soon to launch a new way to access targeted and bite-sized professional learning: Luminary is coming.

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The episode is generated using AI hosts from Google NotebookLM, synthesising these ideas into a structured, evidence-informed conversation.

Read more

• Routines to drive your teaching: 5 things to try

• Making everyday excellence routine - from guest contributor Sara Dower

Nathaniel Swain, PhD is a teacher, instructional coach, and writer. He is soon to launch a new way to access targeted and bite-sized professional learning: Luminary is coming.

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The beginning of any school day brings a myriad of thoughts, feelings and needs. 26 students, each having experienced a different morning, each feeling a range of emotions, all entering the classroom at the same time. If this sounds overwhelming for you, imagine how it feels for a student. In the past I’ve spent most of my morning simply trying to get my class to a point where they can begin their day…often achieving this right before recess, after which the process starts all over again.

Setting Routines (That Actually Work)

As our school moved towards explicit teaching, we also moved towards explicit routines. We had set these before, constructing expectations through circle-time discussions and whole-class agreements. But these shared understandings often became nothing more than a poster on the wall, only being referred to when things went wrong. Instead, school-wide expectations were set – how we walk throughout the school, enter and exit a room, start and finish our day - all pre-agreed routines that remain the same regardless of year level. Each routine is taught and modelled explicitly, practiced for automaticity. At the beginning of the year this can feel excessive and tedious, but the time spent early on has saved me valuable hours throughout the year.

Personally, these explicit routines minimise noise and reduce opportunity for incidents that occur so often during less-structured transition times. Buy-in from school staff enables me to rest easy knowing that a teacher covering my class is keeping expectations consistent. For students, clear and high expectations support feelings of safety and calm, allowing attention to be given to what’s important – learning.

I was inspired by Katherine Birbalsingh during her chat to Ollie Lovell on his ERRR podcast. Michaela Community School implement silent corridors, among other routines. Katherine discussed the need for definitive routines without the grey area. Her example was brilliant: how can you quantify the concept of quiet corridors, as opposed to silent? My version of quiet is likely to be different from yours, therefore the expectations are already vague. Katherine also emphasised the need to keep routines consistent. How many goals or habits do we give 100% to on the first day, but perhaps 95% the next? What does that look like in 2 weeks? A term?

The Power of the ‘Do Now’

One routine that has brought immediate success has been the morning Do Now. Introduced by Doug Lemov in his book Teach Like a Champion, a Do Now is a short independent task to be completed at the beginning of the day or lesson. Doug recommends that a Do Now is between 3-5 minutes, links to prior or upcoming learning and requires no teacher support. For me, a maths fluency, handwriting review or vocabulary task works well and requires minimal planning. What is so powerful about a Do Now is its versatility. It can be a formative assessment, a task to activate prior knowledge or consolidate prior knowledge. The low-stakes nature of a Do Now means that everyone in my class has found success before 9am. And that is the attitude to learning that I want at the beginning of each day.

Putting the Focus Back Where It Belongs

Establishing strong routines within my classroom has shown to benefit both wellbeing and academic achievement. A calm, structured classroom entry allows students to feel safe and ready to learn. A reduction in noise also supports those with additional sensitivities, creating a more inclusive space. In the morning, setting a Do Now allows me to check in with students without having to manage the spot-fires that always seem to bubble to the surface when students don’t understand the expectations. Every Do Now is an opportunity for consolidation, the little 1% extra that can add up fast. We open our doors at 8.50am each morning, with the day officially beginning at 9am. The old me wouldn’t have thought twice about those 10 minutes, it seemingly being such a tiny portion of the day. But if my students complete a Do Now every school day this year, that’s nearly 32 hours, over a week, of additional learning time.

Now I’m not perfect – there are times when my class need to walk back outside and come in again. They don’t always enter the room and put their bag away before settling down quietly to a task, and sometimes I’m the one who needs to look at my own expectations (teachers get excited about birthdays too…). But like any New Years resolution, as long as I keep things consistent and clear, I know I’m on the right track.

Our guest contributor this week is Sara Dower.

Sara is a Year 3 teacher at Chelsea Heights Primary School (in Melbourne), a co-educational Primary School for Foundation to Grade 6 students. She has a Bachelor of Primary Education and is currently completing her Masters of Education specialising in Language and Literacy. She has over 10 years experience teaching in both the UK and Australia.

Thank you for sharing your insights on how you have bought structure, calm, and consistent excellence into the classroom.

For a while, this was just a vision for me. I'd read the research, listened to educational podcasts, and admired the impressive classroom setups shared online. I knew it made sense, but it still felt like a daunting task. What held me back? Doubts, mostly. I questioned whether my existing desks would fit this new arrangement, and getting new furniture wasn't an option. Could I even ask to move the TV to a different spot? How would parents react to a more formal setup?

Before: students faced each other, having to turn in their chairs to face the instruction.

The turning point came at the recent Science of Learning in Action conference in Auckland. After hearing yet another inspiring talk by Dr. Nathaniel Swain, I decided it was time to stop making excuses and give it a try. Having grouped desks and students for years, I reached out to Dr. Swain for advice on how this change would work for my students. He promptly shared his insightful blog post, “Pairing Your Students to Start the Year,” which provided a great starting point.

As Dr. Swain points out, thoughtfully pairing students is essential for effective classroom learning. Recognising that my teaching approach heavily depends on collaboration (a key component of my instructional strategy is "turn and talk") I prioritised creating purposeful pairings to enhance student engagement and understanding.

I recognised the new classroom seating arrangement made it much easier for students to engage with their partners and for me to monitor discussions and check for understanding. This setup has proven effective in promoting a more inclusive and interactive learning environment.

What about group work? By positioning students in pairs within rows, the front two students can simply rotate their chairs to face the pair behind them, forming a group of four. This setup makes it easy for students to work together in groups without needing to move around and minimises the disruption movement brings.

Improved Teacher-Student Engagement

The impact of this classroom redesign was immediate. Students expressed appreciation for their new learning environment, noting increased engagement. With all students now able to see and hear without distractions, their focus has sharpened. Behaviour issues associated with facing peers—such as inadvertent kicks under the table, unnecessary chat or desk bumping — have diminished. The students' attention is now directed solely toward the screen, whiteboard, or the teacher. For the first time, I have an unobstructed view of each student, enhancing my ability to connect and engage with them all. It has become easier for me to check my students' understanding and give instant feedback. I can quickly see who needs extra help and address misunderstandings right away, which makes my teaching more effective.

After: All students facing instruction, distractions are minimised for effective learning.

Reducing Visual Overstimulation

In my classroom, I observed that an abundance of visual materials—such as numerous posters, student work, their art and decorations—could be overwhelming for some students, particularly those with sensory sensitivities or attention difficulties. Research indicates that cluttered visual environments can hinder students' ability to concentrate and learn effectively. To address this, I made a conscious effort to minimise wall decorations, creating a calmer and more focused learning environment. This doesn’t mean that the students’ work isn’t displayed and celebrated—I simply relocated it to the back of the classroom where it takes pride of place and is indeed a celebration of and tribute to student work.

Student work and art is celebrated and takes pride of place behind the learners.

As cognitive psychologist John Sweller would say “in order to increase learning, reduce extraneous load and optimise intrinsic load”.

This experience has shown me that rethinking our classroom spaces with simplicity and purpose can significantly enhance student engagement, reduce overstimulation, and support diverse learning needs. By making intentional changes, we can create environments that truly support academic success.

Our guest contributor this week is Rachel Holden. Thank you Rachel for taking the time to share your journey. Your story offers practical insight and encouragement for educators rethinking their learning environments.

Rachel Holden is a Year 3 and 4 teacher at Parkland School in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Parkland School is a co-educational primary school catering to students from Years 1 to 6. The school has a roll of 300 students.

Rachel has a B.A. in English and European Languages and a Post-Grad Diploma in Teaching from Massey University. She is the Structured Literacy lead teacher at Parkland School, helping create structured literacy programmes aligned with the Science of Reading to support teachers and students across Years 1 to 6.

Email: r.holden@parkland.school.nz

Schools around Australia and the English-speaking world have long relied on balanced literacy practices and small-group rotations for literacy instruction, believing it allows for more playful, literature-rich opportunities for students. However, a growing number of public, Catholic and independent school leaders are becoming more aware of how often struggling students are falling behind, while more capable students can be receiving inconsistent, and fragmented instruction.

The Failure of the Status Quo

Many current educational practices are failing students, particularly those with learning difficulties. The Code Read Dyslexia Network highlights how the education system is set up to fail those with dyslexia. In Australia, many teachers receive little to no training about dyslexia or how to effectively teach reading, leading to a reactive, wait-to-fail approach for far too many students. As a result, children often struggle before any intervention occurs. The consequences are severe—44% of adults lack basic literacy skills, and literacy difficulties are disproportionately represented in our prisons. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between literacy struggles and mental health issues.

A way forward?

In my work at La Trobe School of Education and with schools around Australia, I have sought to make the case for transforming educational practices by grounding them in scientific educational research. In my work with colleagues, we argue that many popular approaches to teaching—particularly those that emphasise student-led discovery and minimally guided instruction—often fail to meet the needs of all learners. However, by implementing science-informed practices, schools can create more equitable and effective learning environments for their students, including those who have been traditionally underserved.

The science of learning provides critical insights into how students learn and how instruction can be systematically designed to maximise understanding and retention. Foundational principles such as cognitive load, retrieval practice, effective feedback, and knowledge-rich curricula all contribute to more effective learning experiences for all students. These key insights from the research point to the need for explicit instruction as the starting point for all learning, ensuring that all students, including those with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, have equitable access to high-quality teaching.

When schools shift to an explicit, whole-class instruction model based on the science of learning, teachers can see dramatic improvements. In the seven case studies featured in my latest book, leaders changed practices to ensure that every student received direct teaching and structured practice before moving to independent tasks, student outcomes improved significantly in reading, writing, and also mathematics. Teachers also implemented real-time adaptations, allowing for immediate interventions when students needed extra support. The schools’ experience highlights the importance of high-quality, systematic Tier 1 teaching, as well as targeted support through Tier 2 and 3 interventions, which together make up Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

The Power of Tier 1 Instruction

Explicit, whole-class instruction is the most effective means of meeting the diverse needs of our students, and is a critical component of general classroom instruction (tier 1). By breaking down complex skills into manageable steps, teachers ensure that all students have access to core concepts. Checking for understanding in real time allows teachers to address misconceptions immediately, and guided practice helps students solidify their learning before transitioning to independent work.

It is disheartening to think how many students are spending class-time struggling with their assigned work, or waiting for their teacher to be available to help them.

With effective tier 1 instruction, targeted small group instruction can also take place based on how students are faring in real-time, rather than locking students in pre-determined ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ groupings. This approach benefits all learners by providing a solid foundation and ensuring that everyone starts with the same essential instruction and feedback from the teacher.

Adaptive Teaching: Systematically Responding to Student Needs

While children are all unique and may be at a different stage of their learning, the science of learning indicates that students all learn in practically the same way, and benefit from high quality, interactive explicit teaching. The common practice of traditional ‘differentiation’ by separate rotating groups can results in vague, impractical strategies or routines that are difficult for teachers to implement. What teacher wants to prepare four different versions for all six of their daily lessons?

Adaptive teaching, by contrast, focuses on high quality tier 1 instruction, and making real-time adjustments to that solid lesson rather than designing separate curricula for different groups. Teachers can modify their instruction within the lesson, ensuring that all students can engage with and understand the material without lowering expectations.

The Importance of Early Identification and Intervention

Code Read Dyslexia Network emphasises the necessity of early screening, such as phonemic awareness checks in Preschool and Kindergarten and phonics assessments in Year One. Addressing literacy and numeracy difficulties early is far more effective than waiting until students have already fallen behind. Early intervention, combined with evidence-based teaching, prevents the long-term negative consequences of undiagnosed dyslexia and other learning difficulties.

Next steps

While the change around the country is immense, school leaders and policy makers play a crucial role in supporting this transformation. They can ensure teachers are trained in effective, explicit instruction, promote explicit teaching strategies for reading, writing and mathematics, and foster a culture of high expectations. Professional learning, instructional coaching, and knowledge-rich curriculum materials are essential components of this shift. It is my hope that the work of educators and school leaders continues to provoke discussion and highlight the need for urgent and meaningful change. As advocated by organisations like Code Read Dyslexia Network, schools adopting research-informed practices, implementing tiered systems of support, and focusing on adaptive teaching, we can create a more equitable and effective educational system. Every child deserves the right to read and write proficiently and the opportunities that literacy affords. Every teacher and school leader deserves access to the most up-to-date insights from the scientific research. It’s time for an investment in the professional knowledge and practice of all our educators. Our children cannot achieve their potential without it.

For those interested in exploring these ideas further, Whole-Class Teaching is Not One-Size-Fits-All, explains how it can be both inclusive and responsive to individual needs, while Reducing Rotations (Part 1) provokes educators to reconsider how their time is spent and to explore simpler, more effective approaches rooted in the science of learning.

As educators, the term "efficiency" often feels more like a corporate buzzword than a meaningful tool for teaching. Economic ‘encroachment’ in education is nothing new, and many teachers are rightfully skeptical that such concepts have value in our people-centred profession. But if unpacked thoughtfully, could the economic concept of “efficiency” offer valuable insights into how we allocate our most precious resource: time?

As teachers, we especially understand the challenge of juggling the demands of in-class instruction with that of planning, assessment, and administrative tasks outside of these hours.

In this special post with guest collaborator Chris McGuire, Head of Boys’ Education and Professional Learning at Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, we delve into the economic meanings of ‘efficiency’.

Two Classrooms, Two Approaches

Ms. Volpe: Comfortable Yet Sometimes Rushed

In Ms. Volpe’s class, the atmosphere is relaxed. The teacher spends time connecting with students, chatting, and setting a comfortable tone. Lessons unfold at a gentle pace, transitions can sometimes take several minutes, and students wait (usually patiently) for Ms Volpe to find the materials she needs for the next segment. Students find time to distract each other, and thus take longer to resettle when the next part of the lesson is ready.

Mrs. Fahir: Focused and Intentional

Now consider another classroom. From the start, Mrs. Fahir sets a brisk but purposeful pace. Expectations are clear, transitions between activities are efficient and more or less seamless, and whilst it feels like the lesson goes quickly as students are always instantly moving to their next pair share, whiteboard response, cold call or choral reading, there is more time to spare for purposeful completion of the independent tasks. There are high expectations, and Mrs. Fahir’s students know she means business, but the focus is palpable.

Below we will return to see how these classrooms turn out …

Efficiency in Teaching: Understanding the Definitions

This blog explores how the concept of allocative efficiency can help teachers like these make better decisions about time—our most equitable and scarce resource. By focusing on how you allocate time in and out of the classroom, you should make better use of your time, reduce stress, and foster both high expectations and moments of genuine connection with your students.

The main question we hope to address below is: how can we maximise the impact of our time while preserving the quality of our teaching?

Two Meanings of Efficiency: Be Sure Which One You Bring

The concept of efficiency is central to economics, yet there are two rather distinct efficiency concepts. Any debate falls over when there is a misuse of definitions, so here we will be clear about which definition is being used.

Definition One: Technical Efficiency

The first efficiency concept is all about having the least cost and most output, called “technical efficiency.” How can the organisation produce more product for less money? These measures of cost and output are easy for companies producing physical things, but as teachers, we know that ‘cost’ and ‘output’ are much harder to measure in education. After all, we are in the business of producing lifelong learners—it’s hard to measure that!

Attempting to use this ‘technical efficiency’ definition in education is rightly challenged, as in any of the service professions. It is a reductive, less-than-useful concept here. Indeed, efficiency has unfortunately been wielded as a euphemism for extracting more output from teachers in less and less paid time. There is good reason why the workload of teachers is a perennial issue!

No, this is not the appropriate efficiency for a teacher and their work.

So, let’s look to the other efficiency which we argue may be much more helpful…

Definition Two: Allocative Efficiency

The other efficiency is defined as allocating resources to their best use. Economists call this other efficiency “allocative efficiency,” and it is the optimal state. Let's see if we can apply allocative efficiency to teaching. Importantly, we could consider allocative efficiency at a school level, faculty level, and as we are doing with the case studies, right down to the decisions of a single teacher in how they allocate.

The Resource in Question: Time

Time is readily recognisable as a scarce resource, especially in schools. However, time is also an equitable resource. Every human has the same amount per day/per week. Usually (and thankfully), as teachers, we have considerable autonomy over how to allocate it; we are the decision-makers.

Let’s return to our two classrooms and how these teachers are deciding to allocate their time.

Ms Volpe: Comfortable Yet Sometimes Rushed (Continued)

Frequently, it seems there is more time for students to absorb the material, and they may be assigned twenty or thirty minutes for independent or group work on the task. If students are honest, though, not all of this time is well spent. It’s also a chance to catch up with mates, and as the end of the class looms, a problem emerges: the core work of the lesson isn’t finished. Ms. Volpe anxiously asks the class to speed up, and the calm atmosphere quickly feels rushed. Students scramble to complete tasks or leave with unfinished work. The class is less settled, more off-task behaviour occurs in the mayhem of getting it all done, and as the bell rings, students rush out carrying that stress into their next lesson. The teacher, too, feels the burden of “catch-up,” knowing they will need to make up for the missed content next time.

Mrs. Fahir: Focused and Intentional (Continued)

As students move to guided and independent work, Mrs. Fahir keenly surveys the class and looks for signs of students who need support or reminds them to stay focused on their task. Because the work is prioritised and more or less completed on time in Mrs. Fahir’s classroom, there is actually a little room to relax—a moment to reflect before the bell and check in on progress. The final minutes of the class can be spent in meaningful discussion, celebrating successes, or even enjoying a well-earned break. Both Mrs. Fahir and her students leave feeling accomplished, calm, and ready for what’s next.

Allocating Time to Its Best Use

The Value of In-Class and Out-of-Class Time

“Best”-ed-ness is a hard measure, but here is a simple way of thinking about it. Consider time in just two categories: in-class time and out-of-class time:

• In-class time: As a teacher, this is the opportunity to claim attention from 20 to 30 learners. Thus, any time lost to learning in-class is multiplied by a factor of 20 to 30. For students, this is PRIME-TIME. Well-managed prime-time might be the only distraction-free time that young people experience in their 21st-century, connected, notification-driven lives.

• Out-of-class time: This is teacher trade-off time. Autonomous teachers make professional trade-off decisions about this out-of-class time every single day. This time should be used to do the hard (cognitively demanding) thinking that leads to optimal activity during in-class time (student prime-time).

The Takeaway: A Shift in Mindset

By embracing allocative efficiency, we shift our mindset from simply “getting through the day” to intentionally directing our time where it matters most. Whether it’s maximising the impact of in-class prime time, the goal is to strike a balance that benefits both teachers and students.

In a profession where time is always scarce, this approach allows us to stay focused on what really counts—ensuring that every minute spent teaching helps unlock the full potential of every learner. With thoughtful time allocation, we not only manage our workload more effectively but also create classrooms where learning thrives and where teachers feel like their professional and personal time matters.

Join us for Part Two soon, where we’ll drill down into how assessment and pedagogy choices can edge towards greater or less efficiency for students and teachers.

Nathaniel Swain and Chris McGuire

Our guest contributor this week is Chris McGuire, Head of Boys' Education and Professional Learning at Prince Alfred College, Adelaide.

Challenges in Teaching 'The Hobbit'

Francis would read The Hobbit aloud just before lunchtime or recess. However, she quickly realized how much explanation, pausing, and discussion were necessary to help her students understand the text. Little by little, she saw that bringing the story to life took a significant amount of time.

She frequently interrupted the flow of the story, stopping every few lines to ensure students could establish meaning and make connections. Initially, she employed a "think-aloud" strategy, verbalizing her thoughts on what was happening in the story and explaining particular words and phrases. This approach helped her students connect with the text’s meaning.

Developing Student Engagement

As students became more familiar with the characters and events, Francis transitioned from think-alouds to prompting queries and discussion points. She invited students to respond in an organic and spontaneous manner, fostering a classroom environment where discussion and interpretation were key components of reading comprehension.

By the end of Term Two, after 20 weeks of reading The Hobbit for about 10–15 minutes each day, Francis reflected on the process. She told her students:

"Look, everyone, I think this book is too hard for us, and we should probably stop because I have to explain so much. It's going to take almost the whole year to finish."

To her surprise, the students strongly objected. They were passionate about continuing the book, despite the frequent pauses, discussions, and explanations. They loved the text and were determined to see it through to the end.

Perseverance and Success

Many students could not read the text independently, nor could they engage with it meaningfully without the frequent discussion points. Because of their enthusiasm and commitment, Francis persevered, and the class finally completed the book well into Terms 3 and 4 before the final act was done.

A Powerful Teaching Approach

From this experience almost 25 years ago, Francis discovered a unique method of interspersing shared reading with discussion—an approach echoed in the research of Questioning the Author by McKeown and colleagues. She found that when students encounter complex texts beyond their independent reading abilities, they can still engage deeply with the material through teacher-led queries, pauses, and discussions.

This approach not only makes reading enjoyable and engaging but also allows all students to access the deeper meanings of the text. Over time, students take more control in responding, making predictions, and offering their own interpretations, while others benefit from hearing these discussions unfold.

Reflections on Teaching Comprehension

This story exemplifies how powerful shared reading and discussion can be in teaching comprehension. While some might wonder if this is a new method, Francis does not see it that way. It seems to be a technique that many teachers have naturally discovered, as they prioritize the text itself and use meaning-making discussions to drive the rigor of their lessons.

I want to thank Francis for sharing her story. I look forward to hearing whether this sparks similar discussions with you or your colleagues at your school.

Useful snapshots of complex practice

While numerous frameworks of learning and teaching exist, many of them offer conflicting and vague advice and truisms. Hence my excitement that some models appearing in the Australian educational landscape are seeking to offer a comprehensible snapshot of varied teaching practices. When looked at holistically, such practices work in tandem to meet the challenges of educating our next generation of students. These models are doing a good job of embedding the highest leverage techniques and principles in alignment with the research on how students learn best.

What I love about the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (Department of Education) and the Australian Educational Research Organisation (AERO) Model of Learning and Teaching are that they offer not just a list of key strategies but an overarching framework for how different practices come together. Both documents emphasise that the list of techniques fit within broader practices that are complimentary and connected to form effective and engaging teaching approaches. 

To take the Victorian VTLM 2.0, by separating the elements of teaching into four parts— (1) planning, (2) enabling learning, (3) explicit teaching, and (4) supported application—the model takes the cognitively overwhelming task of educating students and synthesises it into just four main things. What’s more, the ideas and practices that are embedded within this model—whilst appearing to be quite stripped back—are actually powerful and equity-boosting techniques that have the potential to transform our education systems as we know it.

I hope all other education departments and other jurisdictions overseas take note of the guidance like this which is coming out, and undertake similar work to adopt or adapt a shared vision for the components of effective and engaging teaching.  

Coherent models are the exception not the norm

In many educational systems around the world, a strong focus has been on simply purchasing curriculum resources, or having a list of approved programs. While these initiatives are important and can help to create clarity around what is and is not supported by the district or department, it doesn’t address the underlying challenge that teachers and schools are operating under vastly different views of what constitutes learning and how best to support it. Having a shared vision for effective instruction, and thus a shared understanding of great teaching is rare, but in my opinion crucial.

Much educational reform can be reduced to the introduction of standardised testing, a prescribed list of programs or curriculum resources, and accountability measures seeking compliance rather than conscious adoption and adaption.

Some accountability measures can shine a spotlight onto whether initiatives are working or not, but I don’t see them as sufficient. Instead we need shared knowledge about teaching in order to bring about whole-scale Instructional and curriculum changes that re-centre teacher work on the intricacies of classroom practice. It is only by prioritising teachers’ classroom expertise can we hope to ‘get our profession back’ (See David McSporran’s comments in the upcoming book).

Zoom in and out of great practice

What I love about a growing number of jurisdictions, in their work on bringing research-informed practice into their schools, is that the focus isn’t just on the ‘strategies’ that must be taught in particular subjects like English and Mathematics. Instead, there are bigger picture ideas around the principles that support good teaching decisions in every classroom every day. In AERO’s model this includes knowledge around:

• Attention and focus,

• Knowledge and memory,

• Retention and recall, and

• Mastery and application.

These principles are relevant to the powerful teaching practices and techniques embedded within, and have the potential to optimise the teaching of any subject.

When policy and guidance support and complement

There is more work to do; and this is certainly underway in education systems, including in the other offices of education and Catholic Dioceses in Victoria and interstate. Regardless of the time involved to get there, we are starting to see a connection between educational policy and actionable practice within classrooms, and I just hope that this process continues. The work of teachers should always be at the forefront of such conversations. This should allow the big ideas from research to connect to real practices that can be refined and brought in to our schools to support all learners with all aspects of learning.

Image from Siddharth Grover via LinkedIn

All models are wrong?

It’s beholden on me to provide a strong caveat that no model is perfect. In fact, as the title of this blog post alludes to, a famous aphorism posits that all models are necessarily wrong, but that some are useful.

We should not expect such models of teaching and learning to capture everything and anything as all models require a distillation of key ideas.

As the likely criticisms of certain models eventually come to the surface, we should remember this very sage advice from George E. P. Box (1976): that it is unreasonable to expect a model to represent everything. There is a necessary simplification involved in representing the complexity of reality — such as that captured in models of teaching/learning. Box emphasised that a model’s measure should be its utility not its ability to represent truth in its entirety. That feat is impossible.

So long as these models provide support for teachers to understand a much more complex phenomenon, and have actionable guidance that aligns to the research, then it will support better decisions we can make in our classrooms. These models can have incredible power.

I hope we can continue this renaissance in education, where we focus on the work of classroom teachers, and the practices and principles that can help reshape the education system—one classroom at a time.

Where to next?

I would love to hear what you think about the value of models and frameworks for your work, and how these can support your practice, as well as any gaps you foresee. Stay in touch!

What if you could achieve the same (if not better) outcomes for your students without the logistical complexity of small group rotations?

Many educators wrestle with the question of differentiation: How do we ensure all students succeed and are supported? How do we teach to varying abilities without using up valuable teaching time?

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While small group instruction has long been a favoured approach, I want to challenge this: Could wholeclass teaching, when optimised, offer the same, if not better, results?

One of the most common questions I answer is how do we best differentiate? I always tackle it with the following provisos in mind…

1. Remember that additional support an extension can be provided in the moment and in multiple end points of each lesson.

2. Remember that tier 2 and tier 3 intervention is designed to provide additional input to the general tier 1 instruction for those who need it.

So then my questions back to the questioner usually are:

• Do the small group rotations offer something else that working with a partner in the context of whole class teaching cannot do?

• Do you need it? After all, the use of small group instruction can halve (if not quarter) the time you can spend teaching and guiding students directly, right?

As people begin to implement practices drawing upon explicit instruction and aligned with the science of learning, it's important to look at all aspects of our practice and how we structure our day to ensure that we get the most out of every instructional minute.

In a series of blog posts that will follow this week, I will look to explore ways that educators can maximise the instructional time and reduce practices that tend to eat it up.

Reducing rotations could be a massive time saver.

Reflection questions

I have a series of questions for you as you begin to wind down for the holidays:

• What would happen if you reduced your reliance on groups, rotations, or workshop approaches for reading, writing and mathematics?

• If you are using rotations, what are the benefits you are currently seeing?

• Could you be getting the same outcome(s) through a whole class delivery model? Is there a strong reason to continue teaching heavily via groups?

• Have you considered using paired fluency reading as an alternative to rotations to create time for you to facilitate small group work?

• Can you do targeted small group work with students who need it, when the rest of the class moves to independent reading, writing or mathematics practice?

• Have you seen any benefits to using responsive and adaptive teaching practices at the whole class level?

Parting thoughts

A huge caveat of course is that we need more empirical research this area.

I’d like to see how groups of classrooms fare when one teaches with rotations to allow for small group instruction, and one where such small group work is limited to during paired reading fluency, accountable independent reading, or independent practice for writing and mathematics in the last 15-20 minutes of a lesson.

Until then, I’d advise taking note of what is working in your classroom and your school, and continually ask yourself, could I teach this a better way?

Bonus audio content

After seeing Prof Dylan Wiliam post an example of an AI generated podcast from one of his co-authored books, I thought I would share a sample from Google’s experimental NotebookLM which does just that to any source you provide it.

I gave this model:

• my ideas for the above post,

• my whole class teaching post,

• a link to a reddit post about rotations and the science of reading,

• a facebook comment from a colleague who shared her experience about reducing rotations

• and a research paper on small group reading instruction.

Notwithstanding some audio pitch glitches, I am amazed at how decent this content is and I hope you enjoy it! WARNING: This audio is AI generated and may include a few inaccuracies that at the moment are hard for me to remove!

The Book

Pre-order is open for Harnessing the science of learning. It will be released on October 26th!

This book is a new volume I have had the pleasure of writing, with help from some amazing contributors: Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry, Zach Groshell, Reid Smith, Toni Hatten-Roberts, Simon Breakspear, Katie Roberts-Hull, David Morkunas, Steven Capp, Shane Pearson, and Eamon Charles.

You can secure your pre-order copy (or maybe one of your colleague or leaders on the fence) from any great bookstore.

Nathaniel Swain, PhD is a teacher, instructional coach, and teacher educator. He is a Senior Lecturer in Learning Sciences at La Trobe University School of Education, Australia, and founder of Think Forward Educators.

My fairly stripped back approach was developed when Shane Pearson introduced the PhOrMeS curriculum at Brandon Park Primary.

Paired fluency reading involves two children practicing reading together over a 10-15 minute period. This routine aims to enhance reading fluency, expression, and to some extent comprehension. One at a time, students read aloud to a partner using a shared text. Typically, pairs consist of one slightly more proficient reader and one slightly less proficient reader. The activity can be conducted in various classroom settings and across different subjects.

The routine gives the benefit of practice for speed and accruacy, expression, and to some extent understanding of the text.

Timing

You can run this routine for either 10 or 15 minutes. Sometimes, when you are on a roll and have time up your sleeve, you can do an extension and let students do two rounds of this.

Procedure

1. Students set up for the session (1 Minute)

• Pairs of students are revealed so they know who is partnered with whom (you can change this regularly). I recommend names on moveable cards or magnets so you can adjust based on who is away or whenever students improve their reading abilities (They may go up to the next ‘level’ of decodable reader for example).  

• Avoid arguments about where to sit by alternating which partner can choose where to sit.

• Ensure students have sufficient reading material (enough of a passage, novel, or decodable), so there’s no faff to decide that to read next during reading time).

• Ensure they know who will start first. I like to use left and right to make sure they learn these directions, but you could get a bit creative here.

• 1 min to do all of this may seem tight to begin with, but an investment in routine teaching and rehearsal will make this seamless.

2. Paired Fluency Reading (8-12 Minutes)

• Pairs sit together, with one student reading aloud while the other listens.

• Start the automatic timer on a Powerpoint or equivalent. (I was lucky enough to borrow a special animation from Maths Fiend David Morkunas. This ‘beat the bomb’ style animation came from Morkunas’ maths review slides: see below).

  • (Avoid manual timing, or you miss out on the bonus 10 mins in your day)

• After one minute, a bell signals the change of roles. The listener becomes the reader, picking up where the other left off.

• Incidental peer-to-peer support is provided, where the listener helps the reader with difficult words and offers feedback.

3. Check in and wrap up (1-2 Minutes):

• Students take turns discussing what went well and any challenges faced during the session.

• Encourage students to share brief, positive and constructive feedback with their partners.

Text selection and supports

For K-2 (Kindergarten to Grade 2)

• Focus on decodable texts and simple picture books that reinforce phonics patterns students have learned. Gradually introduce slightly more complex texts as students' proficiency increases.

• Be ready to assist students frequently, especially in the initial stages. Monitor closely to ensure students are on task and understanding the process.

• A students should not start paired fluency reading until they have a handle on the kinds of words on the first few text levels, and how to blend words reliably.

For Grades 3-6

• Text Selection: Use more authentic texts, including class texts, novels and passages related to other subjects and knowledge-rich units and interest-based texts. Consider the complexity of vocabulary and content.

• Paired reading sessions can be more autonomous. Incorporate more challenging texts to develop comprehension and fluency simultaneously. Encourage students to engage in discussions about the text to deepen understanding.

• See the Reading Reconsidered technique: Accountable Independent Reading

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Giving you time for individual and Small Group Conferencing

When you have the routine working in your classroom, the BEST thing about the paired reading fluency is this: You have 10 minutes free to do what you need!

Paired reading is easily scalable for larger classes, engaging all students simultaneously, and allowing the teacher to facilitate and monitor multiple pairs effectively.

How does it compare to other approaches?

Guided reading typically involves smaller groups, making it time-consuming and less efficient for larger classes. Models like Drop Everthing and Read (DEAR), while scalable, lack the structured interaction and support found in paired reading.

Here are the observed benefits of this routine, as it has been adopted by many forward thinking schools in the last five years.

1. Increased Reading Time: In paired reading, each student has more opportunities to read aloud within the allocated time, as the continuous role-switching ensures both students are actively engaged in reading and listening.

2. Peer Support and Collaboration: Paired reading encourages incidental peer-to-peer support, allowing students to help each other with difficult words and reading strategies.

3. Enhanced Engagement: The dynamic nature of role-switching in paired reading keeps students engaged, maintaining their interest and focus.

4. Immediate Feedback and Correction: In paired reading, immediate feedback from peers allows for real-time correction of mistakes, enhancing learning effectiveness.

5. Confidence Building: Paired reading builds confidence by providing a supportive environment where students read to a peer in a comfortable way.Key things to do to set this up

Prepare Materials

• Select appropriate texts for the session.

• Ensure texts are engaging and suitable for the students’ reading abilities.

Model the Process

• Demonstrate paired reading, highlighting effective reading strategies and feedback techniques.

• Define the roles: one student reads while the other listens and jumps in to help where needed.

• Show how to take turns using the 1 minute timer and support each other.

Monitor and support

• Circulate the room to observe pairs and provide immediate assistance.

• Teachers should actively monitor pairs especially initially.

• Offer guidance on pronunciation, fluency, and expression as needed.

• Ensure texts are engaging and suitable for the students’ reading abilities.

Provide Feedback

• Give constructive feedback to students on their reading and listening skills.

• Encourage students to reflect on their performance.

Track Progress

• Use fluency assessments tools to monitor student progress.

• Adjust pairings and materials based on observed needs and progress.

===

By following this structured procedure and focusing on these key actions, you can build an effective and productive paired reading fluency session. This simple instructional routine can do wonders as you create more time for genuine, useful practice as well as initial instruction.

Other Readings and Resources on Fluency.

⁃My Podcast Interview on the Literacy Podast with Melissa and Lori

⁃Five from Five - Paired/partner reading

⁃Reading Science in Schools - Instructional Snippet

⁃Tim Shanahan - Teaching Oral Reading Fluency to Older Students

⁃Jan Hasbrouck - Learning Difficulties Australia - Fluency Special Issue

⁃Decodable Readers Australia - Fluency Pairs in Action

Link to podcast

As a dual qualified teacher, I came to the classroom with an unusually large collection of principles from learning sciences , and as such was not swayed by a primarily aesthetic imperative. Now don’t get me wrong. I love for things to look good. But my pragmatism, lack of time (busy with a young family), and focus on the learning means what I did put up and around my classroom was as minimal as possible.

Educators who have also embraced a stripped back approach to classroom decor may well have seen the research showing that an overly busy and beautified classroom actually detracts from student learning. Prof Daniel Willingham summarises and comments upon the findings of a 2014 study comparing busy vs. bare classrooms and is quick to reassure teachers. There are many reasons to make classrooms appealing, and that ideal is not stark or bare...

Nevertheless, Dr Anna Fisher who conducted the study noted that young children (who tend to have the busiest and most stimulating classrooms) have, somewhat ironically, the greatest difficulty sustaining focus in such environments.

So if you are teacher, or work with a teacher, who prides themselves on having the most beautiful classroom, and may find themselves opting for style over function… How can one be persuaded of the benefits of classroom minimalism?

For pretty’s sake

Minimalist, clear design that has a calming feel, with a few colour highlights is perfect. In fact more recent research in the UK indicates that classroom layout and displays can work well to support learning, but that they should also be ordered without clutter or over-the-top colour use. So we aren’t talking about having bare, ugly classrooms. However, I am pushing back against the idea of pretty for pretty’s sake…

My ideal classroom to visit and teach in is a naturalistic, light-filled room, with one or two highlight colours, devoid of clutter, and specific zones for beautiful, eye-catching displays.

It’s not just because I think it’s more aesthetically pleasing that way. It’s because, at the end of the day, your classroom is not really about you. It’s about the learning.

Your classroom as a ‘canvas for thought’.

This concept came to me last week and gave the inspiration for this piece. By canvas of thought, I mean that the space in which we bring about the learning experiences for our students should be conducive to that learning (and not detract from it).

Sometimes, I think we teachers feel pressure to ‘show’ what our students are learning by adorning walls and ceiling hangings with artefacts, celebrations and inspirations for this learning. Concerningly, such efforts may unintentionally stymie the target learning, as per the research above. After all, thought and learning happen in kids’ heads not on the walls.

Working memory is limited.

Don’t forget that a hallmark of our cognitive architecture is our restricted working memory, which can be easily overwhelmed. Reducing extraneous load in the environment (and our instruction) is a win for everyone. It leaves more fuel in the mental tank for actual thinking and learning.

So without sounding too harsh: Your classroom should not be a work of art that constantly inspires, but rather a canvas for thought in service of the target learning.

By keeping our decorations and potential distractions minimal, displaying only what we need to, we can create the blank canvas students often need for the mental work required; We can increase the space and chance for students to be enraptured in the learning experience itself, rather than the ‘stuff’ around them.

The art is in the teaching and learning

The art of your practice should instead come into being through the rich learning experiences you create with students; Not through the beauty and thought-provocation you create on the walls or ‘engaging’ (read: distracting) side features in nooks and crannies.  

5 principles for optimising your classroom canvas

So let me share five takeaway principles to transform any classroom into a canvas for thought:

1. Rotate your displays

Displays are great when they facilitate learning: They might provide:

• a list of vocab with key words and a picture;

• an anchor chart explaining a concept or process;

• examples and explanations needed to solve a problem; or

• an image to provoke or inspire thinking.

 An increasingly used strategy, often promoted by Brad Nguyen of Docklands Primary, is to rotate the displays so only those which are needed for the task at hand should be visible. Use magnets or velcro dots to easily put out the relevant posters, charts, maps, images etc., and then remove them when they’re no longer relevant.

 2. Orientate the space

 I’ve written about this before, but the rule of thumb is that students should not have to turn, crane or lean in order to see you or the target stimulus at any time during explicit teaching. Aside from rearranging your tables to improve this line of site, another big action is removing the ‘vines’ of student work from the ceiling or walls. Move these out of the front and centre area (see below).

If you have essential information for students to refer to then ensure it’s visible but not distracting. If it’s only for a few students, or if there are different versions of the resource, then consider taping it to the relevant students’ desks. Otherwise, you could also have a quick resource that the student can get out and use when needed. 

Also check out my post on organising tables and pair squares.

3. Less is much, much more

Perhaps you’ve already considered the above two principles and just need a nudge? In general, most teachers will have too much visible in the core teaching and learning space. Strip this back to what is essential for academic and/or aesthetic reasons. I would think that when you have less out, what you DO have visible will be better experienced by students and any visitors to the space.

4. Creativity and chaos to the back of the room

We all need a space to celebrate our students - their birthdays, classroom jobs, values and ethos, as well as work samples. Often this does take pride of place up the front where such displays can steal the attention of students (and the adults!). A simple reorientation where this material is displayed at the back of the room away from the core teaching front and sides, then everyone wins.

I love having a wellbeing or ethos corner. You can have a big comfy teacher chair there as well as all the lovely stuff about your class displayed there. You can start and end your day in a less formal part of the room, and use it for sharing funny stories, reading from favourite books and wellbeing time.

This separation can give a nice sense of distinction between when it’s time to knuckle down and put in all the effort to learn, and when it’s time to reflect, connect and share informally together.

5. Not essential? Strike it.

Lastly, I think teachers can also be prey to over ordering ‘stuff’ for their room so that it feels nicer. Just make sure niceness doesn’t become clutter, disorder or just mess. If the object is not essential, you should probably just ‘strike it’ (remove it) as they say in the theatre.

Does it potentially distract or detract from learning ? Strike it.

If you’re not sure if you can do without it, strike it for now! Remove it for a week or so and see if you miss it.

—————

Final notes

This reasoning builds upon the clever framing of faff-free teaching by Leah Myers and Jac Dominey. When we make this clearer and more streamlined for our students, there’s more time and space for learning (and less other stuff, i.e., faff).

Let’s continue the conversation!

How do you optimise your classroom aesthetics so they are helping, not hindering, student learning? Does the metaphor of a canvas for thought help reconceptualise the ‘beautiful’ classroom ideal?

I’d love to see classroom minimalism in action, so you can share a pic of your classroom using the hashtag #CanvasForThought

For this post we will look at introducing decodable texts at your school, individualised student goals, and instruction informed by the science of learning in the upper years of secondary.

💬 We have our decodable texts ready, but how best can I introduce them at my school?

To move from having a range of levelled readers (sometimes referred to as predicable texts) to the introduction of some decodable text is a big move.

Some schools I have worked with have jumped into this challenge without issue; Others have had rocky starts. It is not easy to secure teacher interest, buy-in, and understanding of how to use these pedagogical tools. I don’t pretend to have a definitive guide here, and have instead shared some brief actions to consider.

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1. Access professional learning that explains systematic synthetic phonics.

Ensure you and your teachers understand SSP and how it differs from ‘phonics in context’ or analytic approaches. Decodables are intended to be used alongside a clear scope and sequence and explicit teaching of code knowledge, phonemic awareness and reading/spelling words.

Decodables do not replace the explicit teaching - they are an opportunity to practice accurate and fluent reading on patterns and irregular words that are being taught in the sequence.

2. Explain to your staff how decodables do not provide a benchmark ‘level’

Historically, benchmarking systems have been used to determine what ‘level’ a student is up to for reading. The validity of this practice has been called into question. Nonetheless, the levels of decodable texts are nowhere near an benchmarking criterion. Instead they are just a way of organising books with which students can practice.

3. Access professional learning on how to facilitate fluency pairs in your classroom

This is a vital daily routine to use with decodable readers in the early years of school to ensure accountable and appropriate fluency practice. See this video on fluency pairs from colleagues at Teaching Together.

4. Allow students to take decodables home!

If they are still using decodables at school, don’t make students practice on old, levelled readers at home. Predictable texts often encourage using ’other cues’ rather than the word in front of them.

5. Don’t analyse decodable texts like they are rich literature.

Remember, decodables are designed to practice word reading skills based on the code that students are learning. These days many decodables DO have great stories and illustrations, but nevertheless these are not a replacement for ACTUAL LITERATURE. They are a tool for practice.

If you are modelling or guiding comprehension skills or teaching vocabulary or story structure - Do that on an uncontrolled text! See student readers and read-aloud units on Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) for example!

Check out the following:

- Literacy Hub free resources on all things phonics and decodables

- Five from five on decodables

- TFE blog on decodables from SPELD NSW team

- Short video from Louisa Moats on how long to use decodable text.

💬 Should I put effort into individualised student goals?

Many researchers are keen on the idea of individualised student goals, as there is some correlational evidence that goal setting is associated with higher motivation and also achievement. Many schools have adopted practices of every student having a particular goal which should be reviewed regularly. I have worked at schools where these have been required from all teachers for each student.

I am a big advocate of goals that originate from multidisciplinary Individualised Learning Plans (ILPs or IEPs), especially when the goals are related to clinical or additional assessments that have been conducted. And perhaps these ILP goals relate to objectives specific to that student’s individualised plan.

BUT I do not see much point of teachers creating individualised goals for every student, based on … well … a mix of student and teacher nominated ideas.

Why no extra goals? Because what I have seen in practice is a lot of time spent goal making, and very little in the way of working towards these goals.

Should teachers be expected to manage 25 different student goals when planning everyday lessons? No. I think this is quite unworkable.

I think teachers should have curricular goals, and objectives for units and lessons; and I think that adaptive teaching techniques should be used to adapt the supports provided to help students reach those goals no matter their starting point.

What is often forgotten when ideas are floated regarding student goal-making is that motivation is not a linear process from:

engagement —> motivation —> achievement ❌

In fact, emerging evidence shows that the process is at least bi-directional, if not actually the opposite:

achievement/success —> motivation —> engagement ✅

Greg Ashman has addressed this numerous times in his work, so do have a look at this argument.

Check out the following:

• Read up on Peps Mccrea’s work on motivation here for example

• See this brief article featuring a panel about achievement and motivation

• Read the slides from my talk on student agency and the science of learning at SBP high country

💬 What does research-informed teaching look like in upper secondary? Is it different to prior years?

I was asked this great question from teacher and leader Mieke, and had the pleasure of meeting this inspiring educator during the Teaching Matters conference in Hobart. Here is a sample of the question she asked:

I’m a year 7 and 8 English and HASS teacher from a new independent secondary school in Tassie. We are adding a year level each year, having commenced with two year 7 classes in 2023. We have recently formed our steering committee for year 9 and 10, and our leadership team posed the question: What might year 9 and 10 look like in a school with firm foundations in the science of reading and learning?

More context: Our year 7 and 8 program features structured, explicit instruction, with deliberate practice and daily review. We have poured huge amounts of time into tier I English and maths instruction, and we have English and maths Targeted Growth sessions 3x a week, with all students attending a small group for weekly-ish formative assessment data-informed intervention, consolidation or extension.

We have a crew of hard-working school-based apprentices and undergraduate teaching students working part-time as learning aides who make these ‘all-in’ sessions possible. In English, we explicitly teach vocab, morphology, etymology, syntax (The Writing Revolution), reading fluency, text structures and literary devices embedded within knowledge-based units on survival, urbanisation, advertising, wolves, oppression etc. We have tier III reading and spelling intervention 3x a week using PhOrMeS and small group Questioning the Author style comprehension sessions with decodable texts. Our work on improving our instruction is flowing over into HASS, Science and Health courses. Our afternoons are hands-on, with P.E., materials, arts, design etc. We fiercely protect our morning periods in weeks 1-7 from interruptions and other events.

We want year 9 and 10 to feel distinctly different from 7 and 8, but our values and tight practices will remain the same. Our Head of Secondary is a courageous, galvanising, let’s-try-it leader, who has raised four teenagers and gets it.

I have a very brief answer below. But I’d love this short answer to be tackled by you as well ! Let me know if you feel differently.

In upper secondary (as opposed to early secondary or primary).

• Foundational skills and knowledge should be crystalising, and there might be more opportunity to use these foundations for more advanced learning;

• Your learning objectives some more time spent on greater challenge, more application, and more open-ended responses - that's not to say that the foundations do not matter, or that you don't teach explicitly anymore - you certainly should. But perhaps you can add in more challenge AFTER the explicit teaching of a unit;

• Your routines might adapt slightly for a somewhat 'cooler' audience, but you'd be surprised what even secondary students will be happy with when they feel part of a team experience! So keep those expectations high.

That's what I've got for now. But there is more available in the work of my colleagues!

Check out the following:

Rebecca Birch on Science of Learning in secondary:

Article featuring Trisha Jha on the science of learning in schools

Explicit instruction practice guide.

Endnote

If you feel any of these shorter responses are worthy of their own blog posts do let me know in the comments!

Nathaniel Swain, PhD is a teacher, instructional coach, and teacher educator. He is a Senior Lecturer in Learning Sciences at La Trobe University School of Education, Australia, and founder of Think Forward Educators.

The Book

Pre order is open for Harnessing the science of learning. This book is a new volume I have had the pleasure of writing, with help from some amazing contributors: Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry, Zach Groshell, Reid Smith, Toni Hatten-Roberts, Simon Breakspear, Katie Roberts-Hull, David Morkunas, Steven Capp, Shane Pearson, and Eamon Charles.

You can secure your pre-order copy (or maybe one of your colleague or leaders on the fence) from any great bookstore. For example: Amazon Australia, Amazon US, Amazon UK.

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How is this workable?

When we encounter such a range, it can appear that the only way to cater for this diversity is to create ability groups of some kind, and teach them separately. This kind of separated instruction can be enacted using:

1. Streaming (which is unpopular and rightfully critiqued in many circles); 

2. In-class small group differentiated teaching (which IS very popular especially in primary);

3. Streamed tasks for different groups of students (pre-determined by the teacher). 

Spoiler: I’m not a fan of any of these ‘solutions’ to the range of learners problem. 

However, a LOT of research and practitioner arguments+ are made about differentiated groups being the answer to cater for diversity. It is also unhelpfully argued that whole class teaching is antiquated and ineffective: That’s a one-size-fits-all approach. 

+NOTE: Watch out for the learning styles myth referenced in the resources aforementioned.

Unfortunately, researchers and writers often pit differentiation up against whole class teaching, which is wrongly characterised as out-of-date.

I think this is unfair, and that whole class teaching can in fact be responsive and cater for a range of learners when done well. I’m not saying all our fellow teachers are aware of just how responsive and adaptive whole class teaching can be, but that doesn’t mean we should relegate it to the ‘old hat’ stand. 

You may be skeptical … and might be asking this. If whole class teaching is talked about as counter-productive for differentiated instruction - why would I even try to teach to the whole class?

Responsive whole class teaching promotes excellence and equity

An individualised approach sounds ideal, but in reality, teachers rarely have enough opportunity to work with each child one-on-one in sufficient quantities. We haven’t the time! Similarly, small group instruction is also arguably an inefficient* use of a teacher's (and students’) time. 

When we spend time in rotations of small group instruction, it’s important to ask ourselves, ’What are other students doing during this period?’ Are they learning as much as they would be if I was working with them as a bigger group? As long as your instruction is responsive and adaptive to need, what matters most is the time students spend with you, the teacher — regardless of the size of the group.

Many schools have seen significant success with whole-class, fast-paced, and engaging instruction in a range of subjects (see the examples on the Think Forward Principals’ Forum and my upcoming book). Research supports this approach, showing that explicit and guided, not necessarily hyper-individualised, instruction has the greatest impact. 

Importantly, after this initial instruction, further support and intervention can be provided as per Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). We don’t have to get all students to the same finish line each lesson, as additional supports and interventions should be designed to continue the work of closing gaps between our learners. 

*Note: Some researchers critique the importance of efficiency in the classroom saying that this smacks of neoliberalism trying to squeeze the productivity out of teachers and students alike. For me, the importance of efficiency comes down to opportunity cost: If we spend 30 minutes teaching something that could take just 10 minutes, what is being cut to make way for that extra 20 minutes of unnecessary instructional time? 20 minutes a day adds up very, very fast. We should thoroughly investigate any ways that we can save time for more great teaching and learning.

Whole class teaching is the perfect initial instruction; it is not the endpoint. 

When teachers adapt their practice to enhance the entire class's learning experience, they can adjust based on student responses, providing extension or support as needed. Whole class explicit teaching is the ‘sweet spot’ of differentiation, efficiently targeting a single learning objective with extensive modelling, practice, and feedback, followed by targeted small group support and additional practice for those who need it.

Alex Quigley distinguishes between this kind of ‘micro-adaptations’ in the moment, and more ‘significant adaptions’ such as reasonable adjustments required for students with additional learning needs. This should not be forgotten as well. 

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When should small groups be used? 

The key is that differentiation mostly occurs through varying levels of real-time support for individuals within the whole group. Effective teaching is like constructing a building: it starts with a strong foundation of whole class instruction. In the same lesson, this can be followed by responsively provided support and scaffolding, either individually or in small groups as needed. 

Importantly, the post-main lesson groups are formed based on how students go during the lesson (checking for understanding), and are not pre-determined. This might be a quick catch up with a few students who did not get the basics of the concept or skill from the lesson, and need an extra dose right then and there. It’s timely to do this follow-up after whole class instruction while other students begin the independent practice of the lesson.

This initial instruction (tier 1) is then followed by further waves of teaching and support at increasing levels of intensity and in smaller groups (tier 2 and 3; see Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support).

Thus, the starting point is the same for all (we only need to plan one quality lesson), but the endpoints can be varied, especially in the levels of support we provide to get them there.

What does it take to get whole class teaching working?

So if you are wanting to spend more time with your class at a whole group level, but do not want to just ‘teach to the middle’, how can you get explicit, guided instructional approaches at whole class level to work?

The advice I offer in the synthesis in the upcoming book is that teachers should use effective instructional techniques that reflect responsive and adaptive teaching (see Rosenshine’s principles, 2012):

• Review and maintain past learning;

• Understand and activate learners’ prior knowledge;

• Facilitate explicit modelling and explanation;

• Check for understanding (CFU) constantly;

• Guide students towards independent practice;

• Respond and adapt by changing speed, reteaching, and adding support or extension to the learners who need it (in real time).

Teaching at the whole class level does not mean everyone gets the same

That’s not to say that there isn’t room for ‘differentiation’ within your whole class heavy lessons. On the contrary, by the right amount of challenge and support, students can go further with their learning, rather than stopping at the end of the main task.

Provided with the base level knowledge and skills to achieve the lesson’s objectives, students can either consolidate their understanding (perhaps with some responsively formed groups, as above, while others actually challenge themselves further using their now explicit awareness of learning they may have only intuited before. 

Whole class teaching promotes a cohesive learning community in every classroom

What I really love about teaching at the whole class level rather than in individualised groups is that all students have the potential to connect with each other as fellow learners around a particular topic, task, or text. 

When we design different tasks and activities for different groups of students we inadvertently create a pecking order within our classrooms. Although we wouldn't use the terms ‘low’, ‘medium’, or ‘high’ with our students, the young people we teach are very good at figuring out who is in which group. 

I much prefer an opportunity to work with all students in a responsive and interactive way, knowing I can provide additional support to help students who need me as the lesson progresses. This way all learners are enabled to participate in a shared learning experience that belongs to everyone.

Whole class teaching enables students to access content otherwise out of their reach 

Extending upon the point I raised above, when we move away from small differentiated groups by default there is more time to work closely with students on an in-depth task or text. By guiding the instruction more intentionally and providing many opportunities for active participation such as engagement norms and checking for understanding, we are able to bring to life aspects of the curriculum that would naturally be inaccessible for most learners without this teacher input. 

I want all my students to experience the transformative potential of challenging material in which ever subject I'm teaching, and I can't help them experience that if I delineate the curriculum into different levelled groups, and close off the opportunity to even try to some students.

The benefits of all students engaging in challenging texts with support are rightly promoted by Tim Shanahan among others. This is instead of using just levelled / ‘just right’ books.

What are my students missing when I put them into group rotations, or differentiated groups for most of the lesson?

The alternative of creating multiple groups and sorting your students into levels may still be tempting. However, you’ll never really get the sorting right…. Differences between learners are not static. Their learning trajectories are constantly changing.

I would argue that putting them into ability grouping most of the time essentially locks them into that level of achievement, whether they are in the right group or not.

Instead, if we choose whole class teaching methods that build foundational skills and knowledge by default, and enable all students to reach mastery, we can move towards much much more equitable situations.

Knowing that great teaching is adaptive and responsive to real-time needs, we can ensure that the teaching of all students is meaningful and scaffolded when needed. But that the whole point of scaffolding is to eventually remove it! 

To be clear - I can see some limited situations where creating pre-determined groups is beneficial to target particular skills that are lacking in several students. An example where this could be justified is significantly low literacy or mathematics in the middle-upper years. However, to make this work, such interventions should be part of multi-tiered systems of support using an effective, research-informed program at high intensity, and not just haphazard between-class streaming…

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Is ‘adaptive teaching’ a more useful concept than differentiation?

Differentiation is a slippery term. It has been critiqued in Australia and abroad for being too vague and almost impossible to implement. 

‘Adaptive teaching’ is not a new approach in terms of the literature but it is one that has had recent uptake in the UK context in particular due to the use of this term in education framework documentation.

Adaptive teaching has also received vigorous discussion and debate about its utility as an alternative to commonplace differentiation in the edu-blogosphere. Some educational thought leaders like Tom Sherrington have defended the importance of the term differentiation given its currency with classroom practitioners. Nevertheless, Sherrington and others have offered similar advice as to how to make in-the-moment changes rather than wholesale individualised curricula for multiple groups or separate tasks in one lesson. 

The UK edu-zeitgeist has seen the rise and fall of a practice often referred to as  ‘All Most Some’ differentiation planning, where (at least) three versions of the lesson are delivered at different levels of challenge. While I see what the original appeal was for this approach, the workload problem of creating at least three times the amount of content for each lesson goes without saying. 

There is also the issue of teachers inadvertently locking in lower performing students to lower achieving trajectories (as explored above). Here are some quick rules of thumb from Alex Quigley on adaptive teaching, versus traditional differentiation, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

I sincerely believe that whole class teaching, with additional support or extension for those who need it in the moment, is a much for effective, efficient, and equitable approach. And I hope you will consider using more of it in your teaching. 

Want to learn more?

Some teasers about this topic: In various chapters in Harnessing the science of learning, I along with my contributing authors and school leaders, provide examples and explorations of:

• Moving from 20% of students understanding, to 80% of students during whole class teaching;

• Built-in differentiation;

• Adaptive and responsive practices during whole class teaching;

• Accessible entry points to instruction (low floor), and no limits on how learners can challenge themselves (no ceiling) — a combination cherished at Bentleigh West Primary School; and 

• Differentiation by support, rather than differentiation via curriculum

Further reading - there is heaps to look into …

• Liz Kane - Understanding whole class teaching

• Learning Spy - Differentiation really matters

• Teacher Head - Great differentiation 

• Fail Think Learn - Differentiation by support

• Corno on teaching adaptively 

• Understanding adaptive teaching

From my readers

Thank you to Do and Jo who both asked questions over the past few months about differentiation in whole class teaching. Hope this post helps!

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Can you hear the discussion of students? Can you clearly hear the teacher from any of the students’ places at desks or on the mat? When one person is speaking, is it otherwise silent, or is there a hum of other voices? What other background noises are present? Are students loudly taking out materials or is this done with care? How loud are they? Do you ever hear moments of silence in between the noise of activity?

I may have chosen an obvious focus for the blog this week, but in my work with fellow teachers, the issue of noise is still sometimes the elephant in the room. Can your students hear you? Can they comfortably attend to what you or their peers are saying? Never stop asking these questions.

Why think about noise?

At his keynote at last Saturday’s What Works Series Mathematics Conference, an international guest and friend Bruno Reddy OBE shared a soundscape activity with the teacher audience. It was eventually revealed that the task was a demonstration showing different opportunities for us as the faux-students to respond and for the teacher to check for understanding.

But, initially, I was thinking the soundscape game could have been a demonstration of the ambient noise present in the ‘modern’ classroom. This (euphemistic) hum of a group of students is often framed as a positive sign of engagement and activity. But such ambient noise can often be present even when students are working on a task individually or actively trying to hear the teacher. What’s concerning is that research shows this is a problem.

Background noise affects learning

Background noise has sometimes been justified as promoting creativity. And as above, you might see a noisy classroom as a sign of students getting involved in the learning. However, in a 2019 study of the relationship between noise and creativity, researchers found that there were “no conditions in which classroom noise promoted children’s creativity.” They also noted that “…some negative effects of noise were observed” especially among students with attentional control difficulties.

The authors concluded that, despite the hypothesised benefit of classroom noise for creative thinking, “contrary to our expectations, older children did not benefit from noise” when attempting a task measuring their creativity.

Growing research actually demonstrates that constant background noise actually reduces learning growth for students. A local acoustic research project measuring the effect of a sound-proof divider between two open-plan classrooms showed that in the open condition the classes’ achievement slowed significantly. There was a significant drop in their reading fluency growth. Negative impacts were more marked for those with hearing or attentional challenges, but ALL students were adversely impacted by the additional background noise. When the divider was closed, on the other hand, students actually made more reading progress in those months.

The team at the Grattan Institute have summarised more on this, so I direct you to their accessible articles on this topic. This is not new, but I know many teachers are still grappling with challenging spaces that may not be as conducive to focussed learning.

This is obvious when reflecting on my experiences teaching foundation/prep in an open plan classroom. Once I had moved to a four-walled space (with just my class in there) I actually felt an overwhelming sense of calm and ease. This is not how I felt in the open plan, shared space. It was full on.

So why should we be accepting of constant background noise as ‘normalised’ in our classrooms? I think, instead, we should expect plenty of moments of quiet, and perhaps even silence when the need arises. It’s beneficial for learning, and for our wellbeing as teachers.

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Orchestrate quiet in your classrooms

Notwithstanding the importance of student talk, when ambient classroom noise is constant, it can wear you down, and your students. Perhaps one or two of your students are speaking quietly whilst you are speaking; Perhaps there is background noise coming from your colleague’s class across the way. Not having time for quiet and even silence in your classroom can really grate and wear you out.

When I had the opportunity to move from an open-plan shared classroom space, with my same group of students to a four-walls single classroom, I cannot put into words the sense of peace and calm when teaching in that space. My students were better behaved and we actually got through more learning in each session.

So I’ll leave you with some thoughts of how to manage noise in your classrooms; and I hope at least some of these are implementable in your setting.

Close the door

If you have a door, close it. If there’s noise outside your windows, close them. The visual and auditory distractions of an open door or window can significantly disrupt your learners’ attention.

Sort out the background noise

Is there anything you could do to reduce the competing audio in your space? Any reduction in background noise could improve the sense of calm and focus in your classroom.

Wait for 100% focus

Other ways to ensure you have quiet when needed is to wait for 100% focus from students BEFORE you start your explanation or answering a question. I like Sherrington’s signal pause insist which can empower you to literally hold up the show until you get every one of your students attending. A reliable, brief attention signal (e.g. Eyes on me - 1, 2, 3) can ensure you have a go-to way of ensuring you have all students with you.

Tighten your routines and expectations

To make it easy for your students to concentrate, orchestrate strong expectations and routines so that you do achieve quiet (or actual silence) when it’s time to focus.

When you are speaking, do not allow students to speak over you, or add comments to their peers. This creates unnecessary noise which is then normalised if you let it slide. Yes we want students to use their voice, but ideally when it’s the right moment. They can put up their hand to ask a question, or else wait for the next task or activity which is highly likely to involve their talking (e.g. pair share, or cold call).

I really like the intentional use of Silent Teacher described by Craig Barton, which is a technique used briefly to model a process with complete focus from students.

Another routine is from Teach Like a Champion: Silent Solo is an excellent technique that you can use to ensure bouts of concentrated silent work. This enables focus and high expectations for thinking and written expression. These silent periods are interspersed with passionate discussion and pair work, as the class ‘crackles back into life’ (Lemov).

Manage your environment so students can hear

Do you have your classroom arranged as clearly and equitably as possible to ensure all students can hear and see you? Check out a brief discussion on different desk arrangements to get some of my thinking on this. Spoiler: Our job is to choose a layout which enables all students to hear and see the teacher/board at any time.

Not quiet all the time.

Disclaimer: In case I have any readers worried, I am not advocating silence for the sake of it. I am passionate about lively and involved contributions from students. I just want you to have the tools be able to settle your class down into quiet or silence if it serves a pedagogical purpose.

From my readers

I want to thank Marita who nudged me into writing on this topic this week. Do get in contact if you need any further clarification!

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I talk about extraneous load and classroom distractions in the book Harnessing the science of learning.

You can secure your pre-order a copy now. For example: Amazon Australia, Amazon US, Amazon UK.

I saved a tweet last year from my colleague and contributor to Harnessing the Science of Learning, Dr Zach Groshell. It hits at the challenge of getting technical in teaching. There are a growing number of resources for teachers to offer practical and detailed support for the techniques that can comprise great teaching. Check out the following to see but a sample:

• Teach Like A Champion

• WalkThrus

• Great Teaching Toolkit

• StepLab

• Explicit Direct Instruction; and

• New practice guides from Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)

But these resources are often critiqued by voices across the profession that argue that they somehow force teachers into automatons, devoid of creativity and disconnected from the art of teaching.

Is it because these resources go into the fine-grained aspects of how a teacher could carry out a teaching technique or practice? In the tweet, Dr Groshell pushes back against this idea that detailed descriptions automatically turn teachers into robotic imitators. Yes, there are well-placed teacher concerns that the art of teaching matters (as well as the science). However, I am wondering if the discomfort people have comes from the following problem: Teachers do not routinely share and discuss the actual nuts and bolts of their craft in detail.

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We need to go there.

To harness the knowledge of how effective teaching can be enacted, we have to get better at working in the intricacies of teaching practice. We have to break down the complex task of teaching into manageable chunks which we can then get better at.

All artists are technically (not just artfully) brilliant

When you look holistically at any great artistic profession, be it pianists, painters, writers or architects, you should rightfully be blown away at the artful way they play with and manipulate the rules and conventions of their discipline. But when you unpack how it is that any artist gets to a master level, it is not by avoiding the requisite practice and mastery of many many component skills and background knowledge.

Technique is noticed most markedly in the case of those who have not mastered it.
– Leon Trotsky

A master of any artform cannot hone their work with blunt tools. Like Jazz artists who begin their education with classical skills-based training, teachers as artists need to master the fundamentals of the discipline to then become the artful practitioner we all aspire to be.

A profession that critiques technique?

If you think back to your teacher education you may not have discussed the nitty gritty of classroom instruction that much. Teachers often complain their learning hasn’t been practical enough or real world in professional development or in their teacher training.

But what I think many student teachers are decrying is that lack of workable tools they can use to teach in a variety of situations. Many of my own students thank me for giving them something they can use, not just something they can talk about.

To move past a way of thinking about teaching that’s mostly personality, with a sprinkling of skill, we need to make the connection between the technical and artful. This shift is not going to be easy though.

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One of the many challenges of having shared understandings of effective use of instructional practices like pace, questioning, modelling and guided practice is that we actually need to re-tool. Teachers who have not engaged with materials like those mentioned above, need to learn and rehearse the actual moves within these techniques. And this can take any teacher way out of their comfort zone, and firmly into the novice seat. For teachers to use these practices fluently and with impact there has to be new learning, and trial and error.

But talking is not the same as enacting

It’s good that we’re having the conversation. I feel the UK teacher blogosphere has been in this space for far longer than us down under. Recently, I’ve enjoyed listening to the discussion about these intricacies of teaching in the conversation between Melbourne instructional coach Bronwyn Ryrie Jones and UK teacher and author Tom Sherrington. We need more in-depth conversations and professional development where we get down to the substance of great teaching.

I do think, however, that talking about practice is still not the same as getting in there and doing it.

Learning a technique can feel awkward

My dance teacher used to occasionally repeat an odd phrase, especially when her teaching wasn’t translating to the desired result. She would exclaim “I wish I could jump into your body and do it for you.” With dance, although the teacher might explain and show and model to an extent, the dancers had to interpret the cues and hints and explanations and make it work for themselves. And gosh it is awkward when you are learning a new move or technique for the first time. It’s an uncomfortable, stilted, and vulnerable feeling when you are trying to imitate a move but have not yet found your fluency.

Teaching is no different.

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When you are adopting a new technique, you’re going to need to try to unpack each step, rehearse it, work to implement it with support, get feedback and keep working at it. I believe that when many teachers throw up their hands and say ‘this feels robotic’, they just haven’t moved through the initial awkwardness when learning any new skill or technique. When we learn new repertoires of skills it can feel disjointed initially. Practice, experimentation and coaching help to make it feel natural and allow you to add your flair.

Where’s the art?

Like learning a new technique for teaching, with dance NO ONE can completely imitate and copy the moves of the coach perfectly. There is always an element of adaptation, and of ‘making it your own’.

Feeling awkward or dysfluent when trying out a new teaching technique should be expected. Like dance or sport or any technical skillset, a new technique is not going to feel natural or easy at first. Once you have begun to master it, and own it, that’s where the artfulness comes in.

It’s not a simple shift

At a time when there are significant moves within education departments and other school systems to improve explicit teaching, teachers may want to brace themselves for some new learning about the nuts and bolts of their instruction. There is great potential in improving our effectiveness as educators when we change the way we use high yield instructional techniques. But, it’s often not as simple as reading an article and then trying it tomorrow.

We are talking about altering our everyday practice (the stuff that likely feels natural right now). We are talking about adding to it, or even replacing it with something that is going to feel unfamiliar and disjointed (at least initially). But, I hope you are catching my drift that just because something feels awkward when you first try it out doesn’t mean the technique itself is mechanical or robotic.

Cautions

There is a big risk when we just talk about the new technique or practice that might be coming in. Seeing and observing is VITAL. Rehearsing and getting feedback on your implementation is often a missing step in the process.

Critically, I would not want the person writing the guidebook, or designing the training, to be unable to model the practice or technique themselves. While I wouldn’t need them to literally jump into my body to show me, I would want them to be able to jump into my classroom, with my students, and demonstrate how it’s done.

So you want to improve your technique?

1. Select a research-informed technique (see list at top)

2. Study the technique, and understand the steps and considerations involved

3. Plan for and rehearse the technique

4. Try it out and get feedback from colleagues or coaches.

Ready to get technical?

Nathaniel Swain, PhD is a teacher, instructional coach, and teacher educator. He is a Senior Lecturer in Learning Sciences at La Trobe University School of Education, Australia. Dr Swain has taught a range of learners in schools, and founded a community of teachers committed to educational excellence and equity: Think Forward Educators.

A brief plug

I get into the importance of effective classroom instruction in the book Harnessing the science of learning.

This book is a new volume I have had the pleasure of writing, with help from some amazing contributors: Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry, Zach Groshell, Reid Smith, Toni Hatten-Roberts, Simon Breakspear, Katie Roberts-Hull, David Morkunas, Steven Capp, Shane Pearson, and Eamon Charles.

You can secure your pre-order copy (or a copy for a sceptical colleague or leader) from any great bookstore. For example: Amazon Australia, Amazon US, Amazon UK.