9 Essentials for an Explicit Teaching Classroom Setup

You have been instructed that the pedagogy at your new school is explicit instruction. Thus, it's all new to you and you don't know where to start. Therefore, here's a list of essential tools and displays to help you start your explicit teaching classroom setup.

Lesson Objective Posters

Firstly, Lesson Objective posters display to the student what they are learning and how they can achieve success. Furthermore, there are multiple words, or differing terminology, that are used depending on your school but they all are used in the same way.

Lesson Objective posters include;

• Learning Intention / Lesson Objective / We are learning to (WALT)
• Success Criteria / What I'm looking for (WILF)
• This is because (TIB)
• Modelled Response / Exemplar / What a good one looks like (WAGOLL)

How to Use Lesson Objective Posters

Some teachers prefer to display these at the beginning of each lesson. However, other teachers prefer to display these on the wall for an entire unit. No matter your preference, it is subsequently my number one essential for an explicit teaching classroom setup.

You may choose to print and laminate a design that you like. Consequently, you can write on the laminated sheet, blu-tac it to the wall and it can easily be erased.

Next, here are some template designs you may like to use for that purpose.

 

You may also wish to print, laminate and use magnetic tape to attach to your whiteboard at the front of the classroom. Moreover, some teachers prefer this because they simply write the text on their whiteboard below the poster. Consequently, it is always on display and easy to change when needed.

Here are some template designs you may like to use for that purpose.

 

 

 

I Do, We Do, You Do Posters

Implementing the Gradual Release of Responsibility of Explicit Teaching can be difficult without clear boundaries. Therefore, an effective teacher sets expectations and establishes learning routines. As a result, having I Do, We Do, You Do Posters displayed can help with this.

Posters are a visual reminder to students to help them to understand where they are at in the learning process and what is expected of them during that stage. It is important to include expectations in these posters.

Brolga Education has a number of customisable templates that will help establish routines during the I Do, We Do, You Do.

 

 

Teal & Pink Iconography Infographic Lesson Parts by Brolga Education

 

 

Feedback Station

Feedback is an essential part of explicit teaching. Whilst real-time verbal feedback is given during modelled and guided instruction, independent practice requires more personalised feedback. It is also important to keep track of the feedback that has been given and students also need to have something that they can go back and refer to.

A feedback station has all the tools you need for giving feedback all in one convenient place. It helps you to save time trying to find the tools you need and it's all there ready to use.

A feedback station may include:

• Unit overview display
• Unit success criteria / marking sheet / criteria sheet in student language
• Success Criteria sheets or 'I can' statement sheets
• Lesson success criteria as checklists
• Modelled Response or Exemplars
• Student quality work displays
• Marking tray: for students to put their workbooks in at the end of a lesson
• Student progress booklets
• Feedback Slips
  
• Peer feedback slips
• Guides on how to give feedback to peers
• A record of student learning goals
• Goal awards
• Certificates
• Stickers
• Stamps
• Coloured pens

Here are some templates that will help you with your feedback station.

 

 

Goal-Setting Display

Setting goals makes learning achievable for students. It gives them something to strive for and to celebrate when progress is achieved.

This is not a direct component of explicit teaching, but it is good practice to link goals to lesson or unit success criteria. Moreover, having a goals display will give your students ownership over their learning process and will help bring value to your lessons.

Blue Illustrative Classroom Display Student Goals a4 document by Brolga Education

Unit Overview Display

For each unit, students need to know:

• What they are learning
• How they can achieve success
• How they will be assessed
• What quality work looks like

This needs to be visibly displayed within the classroom. Therefore, the students know where to look if they need guidance.

Colourful Floral Classroom Poster Unit Overview Display by Brolga Education

Data Wall or Progress Tracker

A data wall, booklet or any form of tracking that shows students' progress towards success criteria is essential in any explicit teaching classroom.

A data wall or progress tracker shows:

• A list of success criteria for a unit
• Student names and where they are performing for each success criteria (at, above or below level)

Also it must be a fluid display (able to be modified or moved) to give your students the message that they are able to improve their performance.

 

 

Lesson Template

Explicit teaching lessons follow a similar structure and it can save you a whole lot of time to have a lesson template that you modify for each lesson. Additionally, it's much easier (quicker) to simply add in the content than designing new slides for every lesson.

 

Grey, Blue & Green Clean Explicit Teaching Lesson Slides  by Brolga Education

Whiteboards / Dry Erase Pockets

Reusable tools like whiteboards and dry erase pockets are great for guided instruction. This is because you can give students real-time feedback and they can quickly correct their work without it feeling too much like a big mistake.

Graphic Organisers

Another tool that helps with guided instruction are graphic organisers. These are designed to be reused and are versatile in that they can be used on any content. Furthermore, you can print a class set and laminate to be reused throughout the year.

Versatile and reusable graphic organisers that I would recommend for Maths include:

• number lines
• place value charts
• tens frames
• part part whole mats
• hundreds charts
• word problem solving mat
• analogue and digital clocks
• fact family carts
• comparing numbers

Additionally, versatile and reusable graphic organisers that I would recommend for English include:

• Paragraph planners
• Writing plan for all genres (narrative, persuasive, informative etc)
• reading strategies
• brainstorm charts
• mind maps
• phoneme charts
• venn diagram

Your Explicit Teaching Classroom Setup 

In summary, these nine essential tools and displays are key to setting up a successful explicit teaching classroom. By incorporating lesson objective posters, I Do-We Do-You Do displays, feedback stations, and more, you'll create a supportive and engaging learning environment. Also, remember to prioritise clear learning intentions, provide consistent feedback, and encourage student ownership of their learning. Finally, with careful planning and the right resources, you can effectively implement explicit instruction and maximise student learning outcomes.

Have Your Say

• Which of these displays do you use in your explicit teaching?
• What's on your list of essentials for an explicit teaching classroom setup?