EXPLICIT TEACHING

& FILMING INTRODUCTORY LESSONS FOR STAGE 1 & 2

STUDENTS

Expl ic it teaching is a whole school expectati on at Streaky Bay Area School.

A Leading SACE Improvement presentati on by El iza Box, June 2015

At first, many senior school teachers were a litt le daunted by the John Fleming explicit teaching model

It seemed like a style of teaching which would work perfectly in primary and middle school

Many of us soon realised that we were already using the explicit teaching model in some our classes

However, we also discovered that there were opportunities to add or tweak the ‘I do, We do, You do’ in our classes

EXPLICIT TEACHING IN SENIOR SCHOOL

Q: Why do explicit teaching?A: As teachers, we are excellent at the ‘I do’. However, I feel as though we sometimes forget the vital importance of the ‘We do’, which gives students the opportunity to practice implementing the skills, knowledge and understandings prior to applying them in a new context, the ‘You do’ part.

EXPLICIT TEACHING Q&A

Q: What are the benefi ts?A: It allows students to trial application of skills and knowledge, and allows us to check their understanding before they launch into the ‘You do’ section of a task.

EXPLICIT TEACHING Q&A

Explicit teaching will look different in every classroom

An excellent example is Maths – you can imagine many times a teacher may demonstrate how to work out a problem using an equation, then allow the students to launch into trying it themselves.

EXPLICIT TEACHING FOR EVERYONE

By adding the ‘We do’ section, and calling on volunteers to have a go in front of the class, or having students practise in pairs or small groups, it gives students a chance to trial the new skill before heading out into the ‘unknown’.

This applies to all subject areas.

EXPLICIT TEACHING FOR EVERYONE

Explicit teaching works perfectly in Stage 1 and 2 English when analysing texts.

I used this model in a lesson last year that was observed by John Fleming and fi lmed for coaching purposes.

EXPLICIT TEACHING IN ENGLISH

The students had recently watched the fi lm Life of Pi, and were working towards writi ng a podcast answering the following questi on:

“How does Ang Lee use film techniques to portray Pi’s struggle for survival, and express the significance of imaginative storytelling? Discuss.”

In the lesson that was fi lmed, I outlined at the beginning that the intenti on was to begin breaking down some of the fi lm’s key scenes, and analysing how the director had used techniques to express these two themes.

EXPLICIT TEACHING IN ENGLISH

Explicit teaching in SACE cannot always happen in depth in all lessons, eg, if students have a large task taking up weeks of time, the explicit teaching model in a lesson may be as simple as:

I Do: Reminding students what they need to go on with or need to achieve in the lesson.

We Do: Checking for understanding by asking students what they aim to achieve, or testing their knowledge of relevant skills or information.

You Do: Students going on with their work.

EXPLICIT TEACHING

FILMING INTRODUCTORY

LESSONS FOR STAGE 1 & 2 STUDENTS

Purpose – For students that miss lessons due to:Sporting activitiesSchool based apprenticeshipsOpen access lessonsMonthly orthodontist visits etc.IllnessGroovin’ the Moo*

*A regional touring music festival

FILMING INTRODUCTORY LESSONS

Missing introductory lessons makes tasks diffi cult and confusing for students as I cover:Introduction to the taskBreaking down the task sheetPerformance standards which will be addressedDiscussions of the skills and knowledge requiredDeconstruction of exemplarsQuality class discussions.

Last year, aft er discussions in Senior School meeti ngs, I decided to trial fi lming lessons for students who were absent.

FILMING INTRODUCTORY LESSONS

Decided to use the iPads as they are mostly available, and I generally have 1 or 2 available

Initially handheld by student, then discovered the wonderful invention…

The tripod!There are always issues – e.g. iPads not being

charged or not having enough space and stopping fi lming halfway through! BE ORGANISED! Prepare by having iPad charged and ready.

THE LEARNING CURVE…

Didn’t know how to share the fi lms. File too large for email or USB!

Worked out that the fi lms could be placed on the common fi le which all students can access.

If a student has been away and I have fi lmed a lesson, I email them to let them know where it has been saved.

THE LEARNING CURVE…

It is an expectation that students will have watched the fi lm before my next lesson with them.

Year 12s excellent at this, and many Year 11s are beginning to access them also.

The students – especially the Year 12s – find the fi lms extremely useful.

I now have Year 12 students emailing me or letti ng me know when they are going to be away to ensure that I fi lm the lesson for them!

EXPECTATIONS

Not only was this useful for the students, it is also my intention to begin to introduce them to this method prior to beginning their compulsory Stage 1 English next year.

TRIALLING AT YEAR 1O

I recently fi lmed an introductory lesson for three Year 10 students who were absent when I was introducing our latest task.

Last year, John Fleming observed one of my Stage 1 English lessons where I applied the explicit teaching model. The lesson was fi lmed for coaching purposes.

I was recently asked to share the fi lm at one of our senior school staff meeti ngs, for a focus on the explicit teaching model.

It was daunti ng sharing my practi ce with the sub-school, especially as a greenhorn in a fi eld of many silverbacks!

OTHER BENEFITS OF FILMING

However, a number of teachers commented that the recording of the lesson was enlightening, and felt inspired to fi lm themselves and observe their own teaching and pedagogical practices.

Since then, others have fi lmed and shared their lessons with colleagues for coaching purposes.

A number of teachers are now fi lming their introductory lessons to share with students.

OTHER BENEFITS OF FILMING