A problem with education today is that many (many) teachers make their lessons too complex.
The result is that students become . . .
Bored
Disengaged
Unmotivated
Antsy
Disobedient
Again and again, I observe teachers taking basic concepts and twisting them into medieval labyrinths that leave even the sharpest students scratching their heads.
Noticing this, as well as the shoddy work produced, the teacher assumes it’s because their class is low academically.
So they dumb down the content. They make the reading level, math problem, or science project easier instead of adjusting their teaching.
The result is that students don’t progress as they should.
It’s a hidden problem few principals or academic trainers ever notice. Once it’s pointed out, however, it’s glaring and easy to fix.
What follows are a few universals when it comes to teaching lessons. It’s not a complete list, but represents the first steps to correcting the problem.
Also, like so much of SCM, each step has been covered extensively and thoroughly. If interested, please visit the archive (sidebar at right).
1. Talk Less
Most teachers talk too much. They use many words to describe what can be better understood with a few. Be brief, clear, direct, then zip it.
2. Pause Often
Pause often to allow students to think and grasp information. It also helps them make predictions and stay attentive.
3. Focus
Limit your teaching to the one thing you want your students to know or to do (the objective). That’s it. Keep the rest to yourself.
4. Add Details
Add details to provide context, dimension, and aliveness. The more minute and unique the better and more interesting.
5. Model
Demonstrate as if you’re a student in your class actually doing what you want. Be precise, step-by-step, and exemplar of the highest standard.
6. One Objective
It bears repeating: Focus on one objective. Seek mastery before sending students off to practice and embed the knowledge and skill independently.
Disciplined Speech
Bad teaching is when a teacher opens their mouth without clear purpose. Yes, random thoughts might be tangentially related, but you’re not talking with a friend.
Learning needs are different.
They require disciplined speech. They require taking what may be labyrinthine and breaking it down in a way students can understand and apply.
You must be hyper-concentrated on your objective and driven to 100 percent understanding. In this way, academic growth and progression are inevitable.
The upshot is that every day students get exposed to and are able tackle more and more challenging material. In time, over the course of a school year, they’re able to advance far ahead of their peers stuck in the classroom next door.
The teacher then, through the knowledge of excellent teaching and classroom management, is able to push the envelope. They’re able to continually propel students to higher and higher levels of achievement.
They’re able to do what so many say can’t be done.
That is, take students in this day and age, and no matter the school or neighborhood, and mold them into competent, confident, and motivated scholars.
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I do believe that simplicity is king. I think too many teachers get caught up on making elaborate monologs just because they are passionate about the subject. Several years ago I read some of your books, and simplicity was one of the major take-aways. Now I use the following paradigm when I build lessons:
1. Keep it simple. Plan ONE thing to teach, and cover it early.
2. Give the students plenty of time to struggle on their own.
3. Leverage stories whenever possible.
Totally agree with this. I work w a lot of students who struggle with handwriting and instead of teaching the writing lines as top/middle/bottom I encounter teachers identifying the lines as sky/house/basement lines or hat/belt/shoe lines. This adds another level of processing to decipher the meaning and doesn’t give the students anything generalizable (as no one uses those terms as spatial terms anywhere in real life!).
I would agree with this, stick to one main objective. I teach 7th grade history, and leave the daily lesson to ONE main objective. Also mix direct instruction, group work, individual work all within one 50 min session. Keep the students 100 percent accountable for the work they do in class and out of class. If the DBQ was due on Tues, don’t hand it to me on Wed.
If I am teaching in Block Schedule, I will need to teach two concepts a double period. Do I teach one concept, practice some, and then teach another and practice?
Hello Mary Ann,
I teach on block also. I think we probably have to in order to finish the curriculum like teachers on a regular schedule. Maybe offer a brief brain break or some type of movement activity in between to break it up. Another option if your curriculum allows for it, is to use the extra time to scaffold concepts that build on one another. That way you can teach two related topics in the same day. Hope that helps. If you discover some other ideas for this issue, please share! 🙂
I need a more specific example of what you mean here. During what lesson did you see this happen before? How did you simplify it? I love your blog and read it weekly and I’ve read your books and downloaded the classroom management plan (which I love), but I’m missing this one. Thanks!
Example: When I was a coach I often saw language teachers who would comment about vocabulary, structure and setting while reading a story but the objective was supposed to be finding evidence. This objective was often lost on students and when they did independent work they were not sure what they were doing. If you are having trouble finding examples of lessons that have clear objectives you might check educeri. It is a website created for explicit instruction.
Yes, schedule long term objectives and set step by step objectives for each setting and master them one step at a time. Soon you will find yourself at the top of the list. However, it is necessary that the important information is retained from one step to the next all the way to the end. The more the presenter is an expert on the information the likely only necessary information will be said. The student can read extra, other details in another assignment or as independent assignments.