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Instructional Clarity

“...a state in which a teacher who is incommand of the subject matter to betransmitted is able to do that which isrequired to communicate withlearners successfully.”

C. V. Hines

Clarity of Instruction

Knowing when andwhat

Checking forunderstandingDURING instruction

Unscramblingconfusions

Checking for Understanding

• Body language• Questioning• Dipsticking

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Dipsticking

• Monitoring student understanding• Many students• Same topic• During instruction

Ways to Dispstick

Signals1. thumbs up2. hands on head3. sign turned over

Non-signals1. one question quiz2. unison response3. lots of questions

Misconceptions

It is the teacher’s responsibility todiscover what misconceptions

students have, surface them, andexplicitly try to contradict them.

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Confusions

Unscrambling Confusions

• Re-explaining• Isolating the point of

confusion• Persevering and returning• Having the student explain

Explanatory Devices

•Mental Imagery•Modeling Thinking Aloud• Cues and ProgressiveMinimal Cues• Graphic Organizers

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Mental Imagery

• Understand physical states• Make analogies for concepts• Set moods, scenes or context• Improve memory of information

Modeling Thinking Aloud

• Internal dialog made external• Asking yourself questions• Weighing alternatives and using

criteria to choose• False starts and self-correcting• Persistence• Debriefing

Cues and ProgressiveMinimal Cues

Giving students just enough cues to getthem to think about what they need to do,

but not enough to prevent them fromthinking through their error.

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Graphic Organizers

See the relationshipsOrganize information

Attend to important itemsCapitalize on visual learning

Dogs

Cats

Rabbits

Mammals

Snakes

Lizards

Alligators

Reptiles

Frogs

Salamanders

Newts

Amphibians

Animals

Speech

• Diction• Pronunciation• Enunciation• Grammar• Syntax• Vocabulary

Explicitness

• Using cues• Focusing questions• Providing step by step directions• Using meaningful references• Providing reasons for activities

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Big Picture

• Giving students an agenda• Communicating what students will

know and be able to do• Activating current knowledge• Making connections• Summarizing lessons

Agenda

Outcome/Objectives

“Why do I have to do this?”

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Activating Current Knowledge

Lets the teacher know what thestudents already know about a

concept or topic.

LWhat I learned

WWhat I want

to know

KWhat I know

Making Connections

Integrating what is already knownwith new information.

Summarizing

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Putting It All Together

Clarity

“Clarity affords focus.”Thomas Leonard