Graphic organisers can be incredibly useful during explicit teaching, but simply handing students a worksheet does not necessarily support learning.

The value comes from how the organiser is used within the lesson.

When graphic organisers are introduced during modelled instruction, completed with students during guided practice and then used independently once students are ready, they can help make thinking visible and give students a clear structure for organising what they are learning.

I have brought together my Graphic Organisers for Explicit Teaching collection inside the Structured Teaching Portal, with resources for reading, mathematics, brainstorming, modelling and general classroom use.

Why Use Graphic Organisers in Explicit Teaching?

One of the principles of explicit teaching is that we do not leave students to work out complex processes for themselves.

We make the thinking visible.

A well-designed graphic organiser can provide students with a visual structure for that thinking.

For example, rather than simply asking students to compare two characters, we can explicitly model how we identify similarities and differences and record that thinking within a comparison organiser.

Rather than telling students to summarise a text, we can model how we identify the key information, decide what is important and organise those ideas before constructing a summary.

The graphic organiser does not replace explicit instruction.

It provides a structure through which explicit instruction can occur.

Graphic Organisers Across the I Do, We Do, You Do

Graphic organisers are particularly powerful when they move with students through the gradual release of responsibility.

I Do: Model the Thinking

During modelled instruction, display the graphic organiser and explicitly demonstrate how you would complete it.

This is an opportunity to think aloud.

Show students:

• what information you are looking for

• how you decide what is important

• where information belongs

• how different ideas connect

• what a successful response looks like

Students are not simply seeing the finished organiser. They are seeing the thinking required to create it.

We Do: Complete It Together

During guided practice, use the same or a similar organiser while students contribute to the thinking.

Ask questions, check for understanding and provide immediate feedback as students begin applying the process themselves.

You can gradually increase how much of the organiser students complete while still providing the support they need.

You Do: Apply the Process Independently

Once students have demonstrated that they understand the process, the organiser can become a scaffold for independent practice.

Students now have a familiar structure that allows them to focus their attention on applying the knowledge or skill rather than working out how to organise their response.

As students develop greater expertise, that scaffold can also be gradually reduced where appropriate.

Choose the Organiser Based on the Learning

A graphic organiser should have an instructional purpose.

The question is not:

“Which worksheet should I give students?”

It is:

“What thinking do I need students to do?”

If students need to compare ideas, a Venn diagram or comparison organiser may support that thinking.

If they need to understand a sequence, a timeline or sequencing organiser may be appropriate.

If they are learning to summarise, make connections, identify a point of view or make inferences, the organiser should reflect that particular thinking process.

For mathematics, an organiser might help students represent a concept, record their mathematical reasoning or work through a problem-solving process.

The organiser follows the learning intention, not the other way around.

Make the Success Criteria Visible

Many of the graphic organisers in this collection include space for Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.

This allows the task to remain connected to the learning taking place in the lesson.

Before students begin, make sure they understand:

• what they are learning

• what they are being asked to do

• what a successful response will include

You can then refer students back to the success criteria while modelling, during guided practice and when providing feedback.

Editable and Reusable Resources

The collection includes both editable Canva resources and ready-to-use PDF resources, depending on the bundle.

The editable templates allow you to adapt the organisers to the content you are teaching, while the PDF collections give you organisers that can be printed and used as needed.

Rather than creating a new organiser every time you teach a skill, you can build familiar structures into your lessons and reuse them across different curriculum areas and topics.

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Students are more likely to participate successfully in a lesson when they know exactly what successful participation looks like.

But expectations can change depending on where you are in the lesson.

What students need to do while you are modelling is different from what they need to do during guided practice or when they begin working independently.

The Explicit Teaching Expectations Slides give you 18 editable Canva slides that help you explicitly communicate these expectations throughout your lesson.

Rather than repeatedly explaining what students should be doing, you can make those expectations visible and refer students back to them as part of your regular instructional routines.

Why Explicitly Teach Lesson Expectations?

Explicit teaching is not only about making the academic content clear.

Students also need to understand how to participate successfully during each part of the lesson.

During modelled instruction, you may need students listening, watching and thinking alongside you.

During guided practice, students need to know when and how to respond, participate and use feedback.

During independent practice, expectations shift again as students begin applying their learning with greater independence.

When these routines are left implicit, valuable instructional time can quickly be lost to repeated directions, redirection and uncertainty.

Making expectations visible helps establish a more predictable lesson structure for students.

What Is Included?

The Explicit Teaching Expectations Slides include 18 editable presentation slides designed to support expectations across your explicit teaching lesson.

The templates include slides that can be used to communicate how students can participate successfully during different stages of the lesson, including:

• Modelled instruction

• Guided practice

• Independent practice

• The gradual release of responsibility

• Expectations for participating in each part of the lesson

The slides are editable, so you can adapt the wording to reflect the routines and expectations used in your own classroom.

Make the Invisible Parts of the Lesson Visible

We often explicitly teach students what they are learning while assuming they already know how to participate in the learning.

But instructional routines also need to be taught.

A student cannot automatically know what listening during an I Do should look like.

They may not know what you expect when questions are asked during guided practice.

And they may need clear guidance about what successful independent practice looks like before they are released into the You Do.

These slides give you a visual reference point so those expectations do not need to live solely in your verbal instructions.

Use the Slides Throughout Your Explicit Teaching Lesson

You can incorporate the expectations slides into your existing lesson presentations and display the relevant slide as students move through the lesson.

I Do: Modelled Instruction

Use the expectations slides before or during modelled instruction to clarify what students should be doing while you demonstrate new knowledge or skills.

We Do: Guided Practice

Display the relevant expectations as students begin practising with teacher support so they understand how to participate, respond and engage with feedback.

You Do: Independent Practice

Use the independent-practice expectations before students begin working on their own so the transition into independent work is clear and predictable.

Over time, these expectations can become part of the instructional routines students recognise across your lessons.

Fully Editable in Canva

The Explicit Teaching Expectations Slides are editable in Canva.

You can:

• Edit the wording

• Adapt expectations to suit your classroom

• Duplicate slides

• Add the slides to your existing lesson presentations

• Adjust the design to fit your classroom or school context

The templates have been set up so they can be edited using a free Canva account.

If you experience any trouble accessing or editing the templates, please email me and I can help.

Who Is This Resource For?

The Explicit Teaching Expectations Slides are designed for teachers who want to create clearer and more consistent instructional routines within explicit teaching lessons.

They can be adapted to suit different year levels, curriculum areas and classroom contexts.

They may be particularly useful when:

• Establishing explicit teaching routines

• Introducing the I Do, We Do, You Do lesson structure

• Reinforcing expectations with an existing class

• Supporting students who benefit from clear visual expectations

• Creating greater consistency across lesson delivery

How to Use the Expectations Slides

Step 1: Create Your Canva Copy

Open the resource and create your own editable version.

Step 2: Select the Expectations You Need

Choose the slides that align with the parts of the lesson you are teaching.

Step 3: Adapt Them to Your Classroom

Adjust the wording where necessary so the expectations reflect your own classroom routines.

Step 4: Add Them to Your Lesson Slides

Insert the relevant expectations into your existing presentation so they appear at the point students need them.

Step 5: Refer Back to Them Consistently

Rather than introducing the expectations once and moving on, use the slides as a regular reference point until the routines become familiar.

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Independent practice is the point in an explicit teaching lesson where students have the opportunity to independently apply what they have learnt.

It follows modelled instruction and guided practice, but moving students into the “You Do” is about more than simply giving them a task and asking them to get started.

This phase matters because students need the opportunity to practise the knowledge or skill without the same level of teacher support.

And for teachers, it creates an opportunity to step back from whole-class instruction and respond to what students need during the practice.

In this week’s audio training, we’re continuing our Skill Development series by looking at how to strengthen the independent practice phase of your explicit teaching lessons.

Not yet a Portal Member?

This audio training is available exclusively inside the Structured Teaching Portal, where each week we unpack one aspect of explicit teaching to help you strengthen your instructional practice.

Read more

For years, I thought being dependable meant getting everything done, regardless of what was happening in my own life. Looking back, I’m not sure that was resilience at all.

I have a very clear memory of sitting beside my son in hospital with assessment papers in my lap, marking student assessments while he was being treated for seizures.

At the time, it didn’t feel particularly remarkable. I had assessments that needed marking, students who needed feedback and work that still had to be done, so I packed my laptop and took it with me. Nobody from school had asked me to do that. There was no pressure from leadership to keep working from a hospital room. I just knew there was work waiting for me, and somewhere along the way I had become so accustomed to pushing through that continuing to work felt like the responsible thing to do.

I think a lot of teachers will understand how easily that happens.

There is always a legitimate reason something needs to be done:

• Lessons need planning.

• Assessments need marking.

• Parents need responses.

• Data needs entering.

• Students need support.

None of it feels unnecessary, which makes it incredibly easy to justify giving the work whatever is left of you.

For a long time, I was very good at that.

Teaching Made Me Very Good at Pushing Through

Teachers become incredibly skilled at functioning regardless of what is happening around them. You can walk into school exhausted and still greet your class. You can have something enormous happening at home and spend the next six hours making hundreds of decisions for little people. You notice the student who is unusually quiet, the child who hasn’t understood, the behaviour that is slightly out of character and the lesson that needs adjusting before tomorrow.

My life outside the classroom was demanding too. My son is profoundly deaf and has complex additional needs, and those early years involved seizures, hospital stays, specialists, therapies, advocacy and learning Auslan so that we could communicate with him.

There was a lot happening, but I continued doing what I had always done. I worked, parented, managed appointments, planned lessons and got through whatever needed to be done.

At the time, I probably would have described myself as resilient. There are parts of that resilience that I am still incredibly proud of, but I can also see now that I had become very comfortable with putting myself last.

I Kept Waiting for Life to Become Less Busy

For years, I approached looking after myself as something I would get to when I had more capacity.

I would exercise consistently when things settled down. I would get more sleep when work became quieter. I would eat better when I had more time to organise myself. I would look after my skin when I wasn’t so tired at the end of the day.

The problem was that life kept changing, but it never really became less full.

Eventually I left the classroom to focus on learning sign language and so I could attend appointments for my son. And just recently, I made the decision to homeschool him. I have built online businesses around my family and created far more flexibility in my life, but there were still my boys to raise, content to create, appointments to attend and all of the ordinary responsibilities that come with being an adult.

That realisation changed quite a lot for me.

I Stopped Looking for the Overhaul

As I have moved through my thirties, I have become much less interested in extremes and much more interested in what I can do consistently.

That philosophy now shapes the way I think about my health, movement, skincare and ageing.

I don’t want to punish my body into looking a certain way, and I don’t want to chase a younger version of my face. I’m far more interested in looking after what I already have and feeling good as I get older.

The interesting thing is that those choices are much less impressive than I once imagined they needed to be. I move my body regularly. I try to make good choices with food. I do my skincare every day. I have become better at recognising when I need rest, and I fit small things into the life I already have instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity to take care of myself.

It turns out consistency is far more useful to me than intensity ever was.

The Things That Stick Are Usually the Simplest

Yes eye patches!

I put them on while I’m working at my laptop, getting ready or doing things around the house. They feel beautiful when my eyes are looking tired, and because they don’t require me to carve another chunk of time out of my day, they’re exactly the sort of thing I actually use.

There isn’t a dramatic story attached to them. They’re simply one of those small things that make me feel looked after, and these days I think there is a lot of value in that.

Get the eye patches I swear by

Somewhere Along the Way, Wellbeing Became Another Thing to Get Right

This is something I think about a lot when I look back at teaching.

Teachers are already surrounded by expectations to improve. Improve the lesson, improve the data, improve student outcomes, improve your practice, improve your planning and find a better way to manage your workload.

Then wellbeing enters the conversation and somehow that can become another list too:

• Drink more water.

• Exercise regularly.

• Meditate.

• Meal prep.

• Establish boundaries.

• Sleep eight hours.

• Make time for yourself.

None of those things are inherently bad advice, but I think we sometimes miss the reality of the person receiving it.

When you are already carrying a lot, you probably don’t need another area of your life in which you feel as though you aren’t doing enough.

I certainly didn’t.

I Think About That Hospital Room Differently Now

When I picture myself sitting beside my son with those assessments open, I don’t judge that version of myself. She was navigating an extraordinarily difficult season and doing what she thought needed to be done.

But I do see her differently.

I don’t think I needed to become better at carrying everything. I think I needed to realise that I was one of the people worth looking after too.

That has probably been one of the biggest changes in me over the years. I still work hard. I still have a full life. There are still weeks where everything doesn’t go according to plan.

The difference is that I no longer believe I have to wait until everything else is finished before I can look after myself.

Because everything else is never finished.

And perhaps looking after ourselves was never supposed to be another thing we mastered anyway. Maybe it is simply something we learn to make room for, little by little, in the middle of the lives we already have.

Trudy x

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Have you ever wondered whether you’re getting the “We Do” phase right?

You’re not alone.

Guided practice is arguably one of the most challenging parts of an explicit teaching lesson to deliver well.

Unlike modelled instruction or independent practice, there isn’t a script to follow. Every lesson is different because every group of students responds differently.

One class may be ready to move on after a single example.

Another may need several opportunities, additional questioning or further clarification before they’re ready for independent practice.

That’s what makes guided practice such a sophisticated teaching skill.

It requires teachers to constantly observe, respond and make instructional decisions in real time.

The good news is that guided practice isn’t something you’re either naturally good at or not.

Like questioning, modelling and checking for understanding, it’s an instructional skill that becomes stronger with deliberate practice.

In this week’s audio training, we’ll explore practical ways to strengthen the guided practice phase of your lessons. We’ll discuss how to gradually transfer responsibility, use formative assessment to guide your instruction, provide timely feedback and create opportunities for every student to actively participate in the learning.

Not yet a Portal Member?

This audio training is available exclusively inside the Structured Teaching Portal, where each week we unpack one aspect of explicit teaching to help you strengthen your instructional practice.

Read more

Have you ever finished modelling a new skill, only to find your students couldn’t apply it during guided practice?

It’s a common experience, and one that often leads teachers to believe students simply need more practice.

But what if the issue isn’t the We do?

What if it started during the I do?

Modelled instruction is much more than showing students the correct answer. It’s where we make our expert thinking visible so students can begin to understand not only what to do, but how and why we make each instructional decision.

When students don’t have access to that thinking, they often leave the model with a completed example but very little understanding of how to replicate the process themselves.

The result is predictable. Students appear engaged while watching the model, yet struggle the moment responsibility begins to shift towards them.

Strong guided practice and independent practice don’t begin with better activities. They begin with stronger modelling.

Understanding the purpose of the I do is one thing. Delivering it effectively is another.

In this week’s audio training, we’re beginning a new series on Skill Development, starting with Modelled Instruction. We’ll explore why students can still struggle after watching a model and examine the instructional decisions that make the I do one of the most important phases of an explicit teaching lesson.

Not yet a Portal Member?

This audio training is available exclusively inside the Structured Teaching Portal, where each week we unpack one aspect of explicit teaching to help you strengthen your instructional practice.

Read more

Have you ever reached the end of your modelled instruction and realised your students were following the steps... but didn’t actually understand what they were doing?

They could copy your process.

They could answer a few questions while you were guiding them.

But as soon as the task changed, everything seemed to fall apart.

Often, it isn’t because the skill was taught poorly.

It’s because the concept wasn’t established first.

Concept development and skill development are two different parts of an explicit lesson, yet they’re often treated as though they’re the same thing.

Concept development is about building understanding.

It’s where we introduce the academic vocabulary, define key terms and help students develop the mental models they’ll need for the new learning.

Skill development comes afterwards.

That’s where we explicitly teach students how to apply that understanding.

Think about teaching equivalent fractions.

Before students can find a common denominator, they first need to understand what a denominator actually is.

Or before students identify adjectives in a sentence, they need to understand what an adjective is.

Without that conceptual understanding, students are often relying on memorising a process rather than understanding why they’re doing it.

Concept development provides the foundation.

Skill development builds on that foundation.

When we separate the two, our explanations become clearer, our modelling becomes more purposeful, and students are far more likely to transfer their learning beyond the lesson in front of them.

Not yet a Portal Member?

This audio training is available exclusively inside the Structured Teaching Portal, where new instructional coaching trainings are released each week to help you strengthen your explicit teaching practice.

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Have you ever moved into the modelled instruction of your lesson only to find students looking flat, disengaged or simply not interested to learn?

Or perhaps you’ve found yourself wondering why students struggle to connect today’s learning with something they’ve already been taught.

Often, the problem isn’t the new content.

It’s what happens immediately beforehand.

Activating Prior Knowledge is one of the most important parts of an explicit teaching lesson, yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood.

Many teachers unintentionally treat it as a quick revision activity or confuse it with Daily Review, when the two actually serve very different purposes.

I recorded a short audio training to unpack where Activating Prior Knowledge fits within an explicit teaching lesson, why it’s so important, and how a simple instructional routine can better prepare students for new learning.

If you’re using explicit teaching in your classroom, I think this training will give you a different way of thinking about one of the most important transitions in your lesson.

Not yet a member of the Structured Teaching Portal?

This audio training is included as part of the Structured Teaching Portal.

If you’ve been thinking about joining, you’ll get access to this training, the full instructional coaching library, classroom resources and ongoing support.

👉 Join the Structured Teaching Portal today.

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I have always believed that Term 3 is the hardest stretch of the school year.

It’s not necessarily because it’s the busiest on paper, or because the calendar is packed with more events than usual. It’s because Term 3 is where the collective tiredness finally catches up with us.

By the time July and August roll around, the fresh excitement of a new school year has long faded into distant memory. The mid-year winter break never feels quite long enough to truly reset. The winter bugs are doing the rounds, student restlessness is peaking, and teachers everywhere are running on empty.

Yet, day after day, teachers keep showing up. They step into their classrooms and give everything they have to ensure their students succeed.

Because that is what teachers do.

The Hidden Load of Explicit Teaching

When you are delivering explicit, intentional lessons, every single session requires an immense amount of energy. In any given sixty-minute block, you aren’t just talking—you are managing a high-frequency loop of action and response.

You are constantly scanning the room, tracking eyes to ensure active participation, and maintaining tight behavioural boundaries. You are delivering precise instructional steps, checking for understanding (CFU) every few minutes, and monitoring student work to gauge real-time data. You are adjusting your lessons as you go based on that feedback from the mini whiteboards, providing immediate corrective support, and managing the working memory load of thirty different children at once.

You are making hundreds of tiny, rapid-fire decisions that nobody outside the room ever notices. That intense, hyper-aware connection is exactly what makes our impact so incredibly rewarding.

It’s also exactly why our cognitive load is so completely drained by the final bell.

The ‘Later’ Trap

I think one of the biggest mistakes we make in education is believing we have to wait until the holidays to look after ourselves.

We fall into the trap of bargaining with our own well-being. I’ll rest later. I’ll slow down over the weekend. I’ll make time for myself during the holidays.

But “later” doesn’t magically appear during a busy school term. The workload doesn’t pause just because we are tired.

Over the years, I’ve realised that waiting for a two-week break to rescue you isn’t a sustainable strategy. Instead, it’s the tiny, intentional boundaries you create throughout the week that make the biggest difference to your longevity.

It looks like taking your actual lunch break instead of working straight through it. It looks like stepping outside into the fresh air for just five minutes, soaking in the sun, drinking enough water while you teach, going for a short walk after the final bell, or putting your phone away a little earlier at night.

None of these things will magically reduce a heavy workload. They won’t shorten your marking pile or eliminate data entry. But they do help you protect the personal energy you need to keep showing up without completely burning out.

The Power of Small Routines

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from a Head of Curriculum I worked with. He told me to leave my laptop charger at school.

His thinking was simple: if you bring your laptop home, you only have whatever battery life is left. Once it dies, you’re done for the evening. No plugging it in at the kitchen bench. No telling yourself you’ll “just finish one more rubric.” The decision is made for you. It’s a powerful boundary that forces you to work smarter not harder and reminds you that you’ve done enough for one day.

Another non-negotiable routine for me is moving my body for twenty minutes every single day. I’m not chasing a fitness goal; I’ve simply learnt that movement clears the heavy cognitive load that builds up after hours of intense teaching and problem-solving.

Alongside those boundaries, I’ve also come to appreciate a few small, physical rituals—like a quick spritz of a hydrating facial mist during the afternoon slump, hydrogel eye patches on tired mornings, or a nourishing lip mask before bed.

None of these things solve the systemic workload challenges of teaching. But together, they create quiet, intentional moments that remind you to look after yourself, too.

Because I genuinely believe we teach better when we remember that we are people first, and teachers second.

That’s exactly why I wanted to put together something practical for teachers heading into what I believe is the toughest term of the year.

A Little Something for Your Term 3 Toolbox

If you’re feeling a little flat heading into this term and want to bring a few of these comforting moments into your own school week, I’ve put together the Teacher Term 3 Essentials Pack featuring three products I regularly reach for during busy weeks.

Inside the kit, you’ll find:

• 🤍 Hydrating Facial Mist: Helps combat the dry, stripping effects of classroom heaters and air conditioning, giving you an instant shot of moisture and a quick afternoon refresh between lessons.

• 🤍 Eye-V Hydrogel Eye Patches: Helps visibly reduce puffiness and brightens dark circles, offering immediate relief for those tired reporting mornings when the alarm goes off far too early.

• 🤍 Moisture-Lock Lip Mask: Helps deeply hydrate, repair, and soothe severely chapped, dry lips after a long day of constant talking, instructing, and projecting your voice.

To help, I’ve put this all together for you in one spot so that you can easily grab a kit for your desk drawer or bathroom vanity, and so that you can pocket the savings while looking after your wellbeing this term.

I’ve also been able to secure a small discount, so if you’ve been thinking about refreshing your own routine, you’ll save 6% off the standard retail price.

If you’d like to check it out, you can find the Teacher Term 3 Essentials Pack here

Note: To access the discounted Preferred Customer pricing, you’ll be prompted to create a quick account. SmartShop is enabled by default, but you can edit or cancel future deliveries at any time, so you’re never locked in.

Recently, I have been receiving this question a lot:

“My students switch off and disengage during the lesson introduction. They lose interest as soon as we go through the Learning Intention and Success Criteria. What can I do about that?”

If you’ve ever felt the same way, you’re certainly not alone.

The lesson introduction is one of the most important parts of an explicit teaching lesson, yet it’s often the part we rush through or unintentionally turn into something students simply sit and listen to.

The good news is that student disengagement during this part of the lesson usually isn’t caused by the Learning Intention or Success Criteria themselves.

It’s caused by how we introduce them.

In this week’s audio training, I unpack some simple instructional adjustments that can make your lesson introductions more engaging, purposeful and effective without adding anything extra to your planning.

This is a paid audio training for members of the Structured Teaching Portal. Upgrade below to access the full training.

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This week I’ve been talking about one simple idea.

Explicit teaching isn’t about following a PowerPoint.

It’s about making instructional decisions while you’re teaching.

One of the clearest examples of that is check for understanding.

Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most misunderstood parts of an explicit teaching lesson.

I recorded a short audio training to unpack the two biggest mistakes I see teachers making with check for understanding and why they have such a significant impact on lesson delivery. Listen below 🔽🔽🔽

If you’re using explicit teaching in your classroom, I think this training will give you a different way of thinking about one of the most important parts of the lesson.

Get the School Holiday Special!

This audio training is included as part of the Structured Teaching Portal.

Until Monday 12pm, you can join the annual membership for 24% off, or less than $97 (normally $127).

If you’ve been thinking about joining, now is the perfect time to get access to this training, the full instructional coaching library, classroom resources and ongoing support before the price returns.

👉 Join the Structured Teaching Portal for less than $97.

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Yet one of the biggest influences on lesson success is often overlooked.

Student routines.

You can have a well-structured lesson, a strong explanation, and carefully sequenced examples. But if students do not know how to participate during different parts of the lesson, instruction becomes less effective.

Students need to be taught how to learn within the lesson structure.

Why Classroom Routines Matter

When we think about classroom expectations, many of us immediately think about behaviour.

However, instructional routines are different.

Instructional routines help students understand what successful participation looks like during learning.

For example:

• What should students be doing while the teacher is modelling?

• What should partner talk sound like?

• How should students participate during guided practice?

• How should students use success criteria during independent work?

These behaviours are rarely automatic.

They need to be taught, practised, and revisited throughout the year.

The Problem with Generic Expectations

Many classrooms display posters that encourage students to:

• Be respectful

• Be responsible

• Be safe

While these messages are important, they often fail to provide students with clear guidance during learning.

A student may know they are expected to be respectful, but do they know what successful participation looks like during an I Do lesson?

Do they know how to engage during partner talk?

Do they know how to use success criteria to improve their work?

Instructional routines make these expectations visible and actionable.

The Routines That Support Structured Teaching

The classroom routines pack I recently created focuses on the specific routines students encounter throughout a structured lesson sequence.

These include:

Our Lesson Routine

Helping students understand the flow of a lesson and where they are in the learning process.

How to Succeed During I Do

Supporting students to listen, focus, and engage while new learning is being introduced and modelled.

How to Succeed During We Do

Clarifying expectations during guided practice and shared learning.

How to Succeed During Partner Talk

Teaching students how to participate in meaningful academic discussions.

How to Succeed with Mini Whiteboards

Establishing routines that maximise participation and checking for understanding.

How to Succeed During You Do

Supporting students during independent practice and application.

How to Use Success Criteria

Helping students use success criteria as a learning tool rather than simply a checklist displayed on the board.

How to Review Your Learning

Encouraging reflection and consolidation at the end of a lesson.

Teaching Routines Is More Important Than Displaying Them

A poster alone will not change classroom behaviour.

The most effective classrooms explicitly teach routines.

This involves:

• Explaining the routine

• Modelling the routine

• Practising the routine

• Providing feedback

• Revisiting the routine regularly

Just as we teach academic content, we need to teach students how to participate successfully during learning.

Free Classroom Routines Posters

👉Get the free Structured Teaching Student Routines Pack here

To support teachers implementing structured teaching practices, I have created a free Classroom Routines Poster Pack.

The pack includes classroom posters designed to support:

• Lesson routines

• Guided practice

• Partner talk

• Mini whiteboards

• Success criteria

• Independent learning

• Reflection

🎧Listen to the practical audio training below that walks through:

• How to introduce instructional routines at the beginning of the year or term

• Which routines to prioritise first

• How to explicitly teach classroom participation expectations

• How to use the posters throughout your lessons

• Common mistakes that reduce effectiveness

• Strategies for building routines that become automatic over time

Read more

Many teachers display routines. Very few explicitly teach them.

The most effective classrooms treat routines like any other skill — explicitly taught, practised, and refined over time.

Because here’s what’s actually draining you: it’s not the teaching. It’s the constant reminders. The repetition. Bringing students back to looking at the front, listening to the speaker, having nothing in their hands. Over and over. All day.

That’s what leaves you overstimulated by 3pm. That’s what makes you walk through your front door and withdraw from your family, your friends, your own life — because you’ve got nothing left.

This training changes that.

🎧Listen to the practical audio training below that walks through:

• How to introduce instructional routines at the beginning of the year or term

• Which routines to prioritise first

• How to explicitly teach classroom participation expectations

• How to use the posters throughout your lessons

• Common mistakes that reduce effectiveness

• Strategies for building routines that become automatic over time

Read more

🎧 Listen to the voice note below where I unpack the idea that explicit teaching is teacher-centred

One of the most persistent misconceptions in education is the idea that explicit teaching is inherently teacher-centred.

In many cases, I think this misconception has developed because explicit teaching has become confused with presentation-centred teaching.

Teachers are increasingly being told they need more slides, more animations, more worked examples embedded into PowerPoint presentations, and more content delivered from the front of the room.

The result is often a lesson where the teacher spends most of their time clicking through a presentation and talking to a screen.

That is not explicit teaching.

That is presenting. The irony is that this version of explicit teaching often appears teacher-centred because the teacher is interacting more with the presentation than with the students.

Good explicit teaching looks very different.

True explicit teaching is responsive. It requires the teacher to constantly gather information about student understanding and adjust instruction in real time.

A teacher delivering explicit instruction is not focused on getting through their slides.

They are focused on what students understand, what they are struggling with, and what support they need next.

This is why explicit teaching is far more student-centred than many people realise.

The teacher may be leading the learning, but the lesson is constantly adapting to student needs.

What Student-Centred Learning Really Means

A student-centred classroom is not defined by who is doing the talking.

It is defined by whether instructional decisions are being made in response to student learning.

Good explicit teaching is highly responsive because the teacher is continuously monitoring understanding throughout the lesson.

This includes:

• Quick checks for understanding throughout the lesson

• Engagement norms and instructional routines

• Questioning and discussion

• Monitoring student responses on the mini whiteboards

• Adjusting explanations when confusion emerges

• Providing additional modelling when required

• Offering immediate feedback

• Increasing or reducing support based on student performance

These are all student-centred practices because they place student learning at the centre of every instructional decision.

The teacher is not following a script.

The teacher is responding to evidence.

Why Some Students Struggle When We Skip Explicit Teaching

The challenge with many discovery-based approaches is that they often assume students already possess the knowledge and skills required to engage successfully with complex tasks.

Many students do not.

Some students are still developing foundational knowledge.

Others may have gaps from previous years.

Some may simply be encountering a concept for the first time.

When these students are asked to independently solve problems, investigate concepts, or complete project-based learning without sufficient background knowledge, they can quickly become overwhelmed.

The issue is not the project.

The issue is the missing foundation.

Students cannot successfully apply knowledge they have never been taught.

This is why explicit teaching remains so important.

It provides students with the foundational skills, vocabulary, concepts, and procedures they need before asking them to work independently.

Once students have developed that foundation, richer learning opportunities become far more accessible.

This is where many people misunderstand explicit teaching.

Explicit teaching is not the destination.

It is the bridge.

When students have mastered the necessary knowledge and skills, teachers can gradually release responsibility and provide opportunities for inquiry, problem-solving, project-based learning, and independent application.

The difference is that students are no longer guessing.

They have the tools they need to succeed.

How to Apply This in Your Classroom

Understanding why explicit teaching is student-centred is only the first step.

The real challenge is translating these principles into daily classroom practice.

That is where lesson structure, instructional routines, guided practice, and feedback systems become critical.

If you are looking for practical support, the Structured Teaching Portal includes the exact frameworks, lesson templates, audio trainings, and classroom resources I use to help teachers implement explicit teaching effectively.

Continue Reading:

• Daily Review Tips for Retention

• Skill Development in Explicit Teaching

Explicit Teaching Resources:

• Explicit Teaching Daily Slides Bundle

• Guided Practice Activities

• Response Cards Resource

Brolga Education
Created by Trudy Mayo — explicit teaching coach & curriculum specialist.
500+ lessons written in explicit instruction | 1k+ teacher subs

I help teachers plan & deliver clear lessons | Simplifying explicit instruction that engages & drives progress🌟

💌 New here? 📚 Follow on Instagram for daily tips & behind-the-scenes: @brolgaeducation

It's the last few weeks of term and your students are checked out.

Energy is low, behaviour is escalating, and it feels like the structure you built all term is unravelling. So you loosen the reins. You simplify. You let things slide because it feels easier than fighting it.

But here's what I've learned from delivering over 500 explicit lessons: the end of term is not when you drop your routines. It's when you lean into them harder than ever.

Your instructional routines are not just a teaching tool. They are your most powerful behaviour management strategy, especially when students are dysregulated, overstimulated, and counting down the days.

Predictability calms. Structure settles. And when students know exactly what's coming next, they regulate faster and push back less.

In today's voice training inside the Structured Teaching Portal, I'm walking you through exactly how to use your existing instructional routines as your end-of-term behaviour strategy, what to hold tight on, what you can simplify, and why the teachers who keep their structure to the last day are the ones who start Term 3 without rebuilding from scratch.

Read more

Creating lesson slides from scratch every day can quickly become very time consuming.

Most teachers already have enough to think about without constantly rebuilding learning intentions, success criteria, check for understanding activities, morning meeting slides and classroom organisation tools.

The Explicit Teaching Slides Bundle provides more than 90 editable Canva slides designed to support lesson delivery, classroom routines and organisation.

Unlike a basic lesson template, this bundle gives you a complete collection of reusable classroom slides that can be used throughout the school year.

Access this resource inside the Structured Teaching Portal

Already a member of the Structured Teaching Portal? Your download is available below ⬇️

Looking for the Free Explicit Teaching Lesson Template?

You may already have downloaded my Free Explicit Teaching Lesson Template Slides.

That free resource provides a simple lesson structure for explicit teaching, including:

• Learning Intentions

• Success Criteria

• Link to Prior Knowledge

• Concept Development

• Check for Understanding

• I Do

• We Do

• You Do

• Review

The Explicit Teaching Slides Bundle goes much further.

It includes multiple slide options for each phase of instruction, as well as classroom management, organisation and classroom culture templates.

Think of the free template as your lesson structure.

Think of this bundle as your complete classroom slide library.

What Is Included?

Inside the Explicit Teaching Slides Bundle you will find more than 90 editable Canva slides, organised into practical teaching categories.

Explicit Teaching Lesson Slides

Build clear, structured lessons using:

• Lesson title slides

• Learning Intention slides

• Success Criteria slides

• Link to Prior Knowledge templates

• Concept Development slides

• Vocabulary instruction templates

• Check for Understanding slides

• I Do templates

• We Do templates

• You Do templates

• Lesson Reflection slides

• Review Our Learning slides

• Reasons for Importance slides

• Lesson expectations slides

Classroom Community Slides

Support positive classroom culture with:

• Welcome Back templates

• Meet the Teacher slides

• About Me templates

• Teacher KWL activities

• Class Rules templates

• Rewards and Consequences displays

Morning Meeting and Wellbeing Slides

Create predictable classroom routines with:

• Morning Meeting templates

• Good Morning slides

• Daily Check In activities

• Feelings Check In slides

• Daily Affirmations

• Behaviour Focus templates

• Weekly Focus slides

• Question of the Day

• Quote of the Day

Classroom Organisation Slides

Keep classroom systems visible and organised using:

• Weekly Goals templates

• Weekly Overview slides

• Weekly Jobs displays

• Daily Timetable templates

• Weekly Timetable templates

• Literacy Rotations

• Mathematics Rotations

• Reading Rotations

Every slide is fully editable in Canva.

How These Slides Support Explicit Teaching

One of the biggest mistakes teachers make is rebuilding lesson slides from scratch every day.

Effective explicit teaching relies on consistency.

When students become familiar with lesson structures and classroom routines, they can focus more of their attention on learning and less on navigating changing expectations.

This bundle helps establish consistent routines across your classroom while reducing planning time.

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Clearly communicate what students are learning and what successful learning looks like.

Concept Development

Introduce new vocabulary, concepts and examples using structured teaching templates.

I Do, We Do, You Do

Guide students through the gradual release process with dedicated slide layouts for each phase of instruction.

Check for Understanding

Collect formative assessment data throughout the lesson and identify misconceptions before they become learning gaps.

Reflection and Review

Provide opportunities for students to reflect on learning and consolidate understanding.

Classroom Routines

Create predictable systems for morning meetings, wellbeing check-ins, behaviour expectations, setting up instructional routines and classroom organisation.

Rather than spending time designing slides, you can focus your energy on teaching.

Why Teachers Choose the Explicit Teaching Slides Bundle

Teachers use this resource because it:

• Saves hours of lesson preparation

• Creates consistency across lessons

• Supports explicit teaching routines

• Reduces planning overwhelm

• Provides ready-made classroom routines

• Supports student engagement

• Makes lesson delivery more efficient

• Helps establish predictable learning environments

• Can be adapted across year levels and subject areas

Many teachers use these slides as the foundation for their classroom presentations throughout the year.

Who This Resource Is For

This resource is suitable for:

• Primary classroom teachers

• Secondary classroom teachers

• Graduate teachers

• Learning support teachers

• Intervention teachers

• Instructional coaches

• Curriculum leaders

• Schools implementing explicit teaching approaches

The templates can be adapted across a wide range of curriculum areas and classroom settings.

How to Use the Slides Bundle

Step 1: Duplicate the Canva File

Create your own editable copy of the resource.

Step 2: Select the Slides You Need

Choose the templates that fit your lesson, classroom routine or organisational system.

Step 3: Add Your Lesson/Learning Content

Insert:

• Learning intentions

• Success criteria

• Examples

• Guided practice activities

• Independent practice tasks

• Classroom information

while keeping the overall structure intact.

Step 4: Build Consistent Routines

Use the templates regularly so students become familiar with expectations and classroom systems.

Step 5: Reuse Throughout the Year

Duplicate and adapt slides for new units, lessons and classroom routines.

Fully Editable in Canva

All slides are designed in Canva, allowing you to:

• Edit text

• Change colours

• Update fonts

• Add school branding

• Duplicate pages

• Adapt templates for different year levels

• Create subject-specific versions

The structure is already done for you.

Simply customise the content to suit your classroom.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many slides are included?

The bundle contains more than 90 editable Canva slide templates.

Is this different from the free Explicit Teaching Lesson Template?

Yes.

The free lesson template provides a simple lesson structure.

This bundle includes multiple lesson slide options, classroom culture resources, morning meeting templates, wellbeing slides, organisational tools and classroom management supports.

Can I edit the slides?

Yes. Every slide is fully editable in Canva.

Are the templates suitable for primary and secondary classrooms?

Yes. The templates can be adapted across year levels and subject areas.

Do I need Canva Pro?

No. The templates are designed to be easily editable and customisable.

Get the Explicit Teaching Slides Bundle

The Explicit Teaching Slides Bundle is included inside the Structured Teaching Portal.

Members gain access to a growing library of explicit teaching resources, templates, professional learning and instructional supports designed to simplify lesson planning and delivery of explicit teaching.

Join the Structured Teaching Portal to access this resource and the complete resource library.

About Brolga Education

Hi 👋 I’m Trudy, a Lesson Design and Instructional Coach.

I help teachers plan and deliver clear lessons by simplifying explicit teaching and creating practical systems that save time while improving instructional delivery.

If you are looking for explicit teaching resources, lesson templates, classroom slides, guided practice supports and professional learning, you’re in the right place.

Related Explicit Teaching Resources

Teachers who use this resource often also access:

• Response Cards for Explicit Teaching

• Daily Review Scheduler for Teachers

• Modelling & Worked Example Pack

• I Do, We Do, You Do Traffic Light Posters

• Explicit Teaching Masterclass: Lesson Planning & Delivery

Read more

Guided practice in explicit teaching is often described as the bridge between modelling and independent practice.

While that description is accurate, it doesn’t fully capture why this phase of the lesson is so important.

Many teachers spend significant time planning their learning intentions, success criteria, worked examples and independent tasks. Yet the success of the lesson is often determined by what happens in between.

Guided practice is where students begin applying new learning while support is still available. It is also where teachers gather the information they need to determine whether learning is actually taking place.

Unlike many other parts of a lesson, guided practice cannot be completely planned. It requires teachers to respond to student thinking in real time, adjust instruction when misconceptions emerge and make ongoing decisions about when students are ready for greater independence.

This is what makes guided practice one of the most powerful and challenging phases of explicit teaching.

What Is Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching?

Guided practice is the phase of an explicit teaching lesson where students begin applying a newly taught skill or concept with teacher support.

It sits between the teacher modelling phase (I Do) and independent practice (You Do).

During guided practice, students are no longer simply observing. They are actively responding, practising, discussing, explaining and applying their learning while the teacher provides feedback, clarification and additional support where needed.

Many teachers think of guided practice as a collection of activities. Whiteboards, partner talk, graphic organisers and collaborative tasks are all common examples.

However, guided practice is not defined by the activity being used.

It is defined by what the teacher is doing.

The teacher is monitoring understanding, checking for misconceptions, providing feedback and gradually releasing responsibility as students demonstrate increasing competence.

Why Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching Is So Important

Guided practice provides students with the opportunity to apply the new skill before being expected to work independently.

Watching a worked example is not the same as applying a skill.

Students often appear to understand during modelling because the cognitive load sits largely with the teacher. Once students are required to complete the thinking themselves, misunderstandings can quickly emerge.

Guided practice provides a supported environment where those misunderstandings can be identified and addressed before students move into independent work.

This phase also allows students to strengthen accuracy, consolidate new learning and build the meta-cognitive foundations required for successful independent application.

Without sufficient guided practice, teachers often discover gaps in understanding too late, when students are already working independently.

Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching Is Formative Assessment in Action

One of the most important purposes of guided practice is formative assessment.

As students respond on mini whiteboards, explain their thinking, participate in partner discussions and work through examples together, teachers are continuously gathering information about what students understand and where additional support may be required.

This information allows teachers to make instructional decisions while the lesson is still happening.

A misconception can be addressed immediately.

An additional example can be provided when needed.

A skill can be retaught before students begin practising errors independently.

Teachers are not simply delivering content during guided practice.

They are actively assessing, interpreting and responding to student understanding in real time.

In many ways, guided practice is where teachers determine whether their instruction is having the desired effect.

What Happens When Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching Is Missing?

When guided practice is rushed or insufficient, difficulties often appear during independent practice.

Students may become off task, avoid the task altogether or repeatedly seek assistance from the teacher.

Behaviour concerns may begin to emerge.

Work completion rates may decline.

Teachers may find themselves reteaching concepts that appeared to be understood only minutes earlier.

These challenges are not always the result of behaviour, motivation or effort.

Often, they indicate that students required additional supported practice before being expected to work independently.

Guided practice exists to identify and address these issues before responsibility is fully released.

The Key Features of Effective Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching

Effective guided practice is highly responsive.

Rather than moving mechanically through a predetermined sequence, teachers continuously adjust based on the evidence students provide throughout the lesson.

Several features are commonly present in effective guided practice.

Immediate Feedback

Students receive feedback while practising a skill on their mini whiteboards. Errors are identified and corrected before they become established.

Participation From All Students

Teachers gather responses from every learner rather than relying solely on volunteers (using the mini whiteboards!). Teachers may randomly choose students to share their answers, once all of the boards and responses have been scanned. This provides a more accurate picture of whole-class understanding.

Multiple Opportunities to Respond

Students repeatedly apply the skill through speaking, writing, explaining to a partner and how they got their answer.

Strategic Scaffolding

Support is provided when needed and gradually removed as students demonstrate increasing success. Scaffolded practice may appear with the steps to complete a skill, problem pairs or faded guidance.

Responsive Reteaching

When misconceptions emerge, teachers pause, clarify, model again and provide additional examples before continuing. Teachers may also work with small groups of students who struggled during the full-class guided practice, providing more scaffolded examples.

Why Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching Is Difficult to Deliver

Guided practice is often one of the least understood aspects of explicit teaching.

Learning intentions can be planned.

Success criteria can be written.

Worked examples can be prepared.

Independent tasks can be selected.

It is a responsive instructional process.

The strongest guided practice occurs when teachers are prepared with a range of examples, scaffolds and instructional routines that can be used flexibly depending on student needs.

Strengthening Guided Practice in Explicit Teaching

Understanding the purpose of guided practice is an important first step.

Implementing it effectively requires a deeper understanding of the routines, structures and instructional decisions that support successful learning.

If you would like practical support with planning and delivering guided practice, the Guided Practice Deep Dive inside the Structured Teaching Portal provides step-by-step guidance, instructional routines, differentiation strategies, planning supports and editable templates designed specifically for the We Do phase of explicit teaching.

The resource is designed to help teachers move beyond simply understanding guided practice and begin delivering it with greater clarity, responsiveness and confidence.

What to Read Next

• Explicit Teaching: An Overview

• 15 Quick Checks for Understanding in Explicit Teaching

• Guided Practice Examples: 8 We Do Activities for Explicit Teaching

Brolga Education
Created by Trudy Mayo — explicit teaching coach & curriculum specialist.
500+ lessons written in explicit instruction | 1k+ teacher subs

I help teachers plan & deliver clear lessons | Simplifying explicit instruction that engages & drives progress🌟

💌 New here? 📚 Follow on Instagram for daily tips & behind-the-scenes: @brolgaeducation

🎧 Listen to the voice note below where I unpack some of the misconceptions, tensions and deeper conversations around explicit teaching and lesson slides.

I have been thinking a lot lately about why so many teachers feel exhausted delivering explicit teaching.

Not exhausted by teaching itself.

Exhausted by the preparation.
The scripting.
The pressure to pre-plan every sentence, every worked example and every possible student response before students even walk into the room.

And I do not think this happened overnight.

Somewhere along the way, explicit teaching became associated with highly polished slide decks, perfectly sequenced click-through examples and lessons that feel more like performances than responsive instruction.

I do not think that was ever the intention.

Because at its core, explicit teaching is actually meant to reduce cognitive load for both students and teachers through clarity, consistency and carefully sequenced instruction.

The irony is that many teachers now feel more cognitively overloaded than ever trying to implement it.

I think part of the reason is that structure and scripting have slowly become confused with each other.

They are not the same thing.

I am a huge believer in lesson slides and structured lesson sequences. I think they can be incredibly powerful when used intentionally.

Slides can:

• establish routines and consistency

• support transitions throughout the lesson

• reduce unnecessary cognitive load

• provide visual prompts for students

• keep lessons sequenced and focused

• help students understand where they are within the learning process

That structure matters.

The issue is not the existence of slides.

The issue is when the slides become the teaching itself instead of supporting the teaching.

But responsive teaching does not work like that.

Some of the strongest explicit teaching classrooms I have observed were never rigid or robotic. The teacher was constantly reading the room.

• Checking for understanding.

• Adjusting examples.

• Changing explanations.

• Slowing down.

• Speeding up.

• Reteaching misconceptions in the moment.

That responsiveness is not a weakness in explicit teaching.

It is one of its greatest strengths.

Over time, I think many teachers have unintentionally been trained to deliver slides rather than deliver instruction.

And honestly, I understand why.

Schools want consistency.
Teachers are overwhelmed.
Time is limited.
Social media has normalised polished lesson design.
Beautifully produced slides often look like effective teaching from the outside.

But effective instruction is not about perfectly clicking through a presentation.

Students learn through modelling, guided practice, responsive questioning and carefully checking for understanding in real time.

A worked example should not just be revealed slide by slide while students passively watch.

It should be modelled live through teacher thinking aloud, questioning and decision-making.

Guided practice should not become silent copying from the board.

It should involve active thinking, participation and responsive support while misconceptions are identified and addressed.

The slides should support the instruction.
Not replace it.

One of the biggest shifts for me over the years was realising that I did not need to script the performance of teaching.

I needed to plan the structure.

That distinction changed everything.

When the structure is clear:

• the lesson flow becomes predictable

• expectations become consistent

• transitions become smoother

• cognitive load reduces

• students feel more secure

• teachers have more space to actually respond to learning in real time

That is what makes explicit teaching sustainable.

Not endless scripting.
Not perfection.
Not trying to control every second before the lesson begins.

Structure should create freedom, not rigidity.

And I think that is the conversation many teachers are actually trying to have right now.

If you are trying to make explicit teaching feel clearer, lighter and more sustainable in your own classroom, inside the Structured Teaching Portal I go deeper into the implementation side of explicit teaching, including lesson structures, guided practice, checks for understanding, pacing and instructional delivery.

Brolga Education
Created by Trudy Mayo — explicit teaching coach & curriculum specialist.
500+ lessons written in explicit instruction | 1k+ teacher subs |

I help teachers plan & deliver clear lessons | Simplifying explicit instruction that engages & drives progress🌟

💌 New here? 📚 Follow on Instagram for daily tips & behind-the-scenes: @brolgaeducation

Daily review is one of the most powerful instructional practices for improving student outcomes, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood and poorly implemented components of explicit teaching.

When daily review is planned and executed well, it strengthens retention, builds fluency, and dramatically reduces the need for re-teaching. When it is unplanned or inconsistent, it becomes rushed, ineffective, or quietly dropped altogether.

In this article, we will explore why daily review is essential for student learning, how spaced and sequenced practice underpins its effectiveness, and why planning daily review properly is far more complex than it first appears.

What Is Daily Review in Explicit Teaching?

Daily review is a structured instructional routine that revisits previously taught content to strengthen long-term retention and automaticity.

In explicit teaching, daily review is not revision, warm-ups, or filler activities. It is a deliberate practice designed to:

• Reinforce foundational knowledge

• Support retrieval from long-term memory

• Reduce cognitive load during new learning

• Prepare students for success in the lesson ahead

Effective daily review revisits multiple skills over time, not just yesterday’s lesson.

Daily review must only include skills that have been through the skill development phase (That means students have seen a modelled worked example, been guided through the skill and had a chance to practice it independently)

👉Learn more about guided practice examples here

Brolga Education

Guided Practice Examples: 8 ‘We Do’ Activities for Explicit Teaching

Read more

a year ago · Trudy Mayo

Why Daily Review Has Such a Strong Impact on Student Outcomes

Research on learning and memory consistently shows that students do not retain information simply because it was taught well once. Retention depends on retrieval practice, spacing, and repeated exposure over time.

Daily review supports student outcomes because it:

• Improves recall and retention

• Builds fluency and accuracy

• Strengthens connections between concepts

• Reduces forgetting

• Makes new learning more accessible

Students who experience consistent, well-planned daily review demonstrate stronger independent performance and require less scaffolding later in the lesson.

The Role of Spaced and Sequenced Practice

This is where daily review becomes both powerful and challenging.

What Is Spaced Practice?

Spaced practice involves revisiting content at increasing intervals over time rather than repeating it intensively in a short window.

Instead of:

• Teach → practise → move on

We aim for:

• Teach → review tomorrow → review next week → review later in the term

This spacing strengthens memory and supports long-term retention.

What Is Sequenced Practice?

Sequenced practice refers to the intentional order in which skills are revisited.

Effective sequencing:

• Prioritises prerequisite skills

• Balances new, recent, and older learning

• Avoids overwhelming students with too much review at once

Poor sequencing often results in:

• Random question selection

• Over-reviewing some skills

• Neglecting others entirely

Why Planning Daily Review Is So Difficult for Teachers

Most teachers understand that daily review is important.

The difficulty lies in planning it well.

To implement daily review effectively, teachers must consider:

• When each skill was first taught

• How often it should be revisited

• How long it should remain in review

• How to balance review with new content

• How to avoid review sessions becoming too long

Trying to manually track this across a term or year quickly becomes overwhelming.

As a result, daily review often becomes:

• Repetitive

• Inconsistent

• Based on convenience rather than learning science

This is not a teacher problem. It is a systems problem.

👉Read more about success criteria and retention here

What Daily Review Looks Like When It Is Done Well

High-quality daily review is:

• Planned in advance

• Predictable in structure

• Short and focused

• Aligned to what has been taught

• Based on spaced and sequenced practice

When daily review is systemised, teachers can focus on delivery, not decision-making.

Students know what to expect. Teachers know exactly what to review and when.

The Missing Piece: A Planning System for Daily Review

Planning daily review is not difficult because teachers lack knowledge. It is difficult because spacing and sequencing practice across weeks and terms requires a system that can hold that complexity.

The Daily Review Scheduler was created to support this exact challenge. It allows teachers to map review over time, ensuring skills are revisited intentionally without increasing planning load. Rather than deciding what to review each day, teachers can rely on a structure that aligns with the principles of explicit teaching and the science of learning.

Rather than deciding each day what to review, a scheduler:

• Maps review opportunities across weeks and terms

• Automatically spaces practice after instruction

• Ensures all skills are revisited intentionally

• Keeps daily review short, focused, and effective

It removes the cognitive and administrative load from teachers while protecting instructional quality.

👉 View the Daily Review Scheduler

Introducing the Daily Review Scheduler

The Daily Review Scheduler was designed to solve the exact problem teachers face with daily review.

It provides a structured way to:

• Plan daily review across a term

• Apply spaced and sequenced practice automatically

• Maintain consistency without extra planning time

Instead of guessing what to review, teachers can rely on a clear, intentional system that aligns with the science of learning and the principles of explicit teaching.

Why This Matters for Student Learning

When daily review is planned and protected:

• Students retain more

• Lessons run more smoothly

• Independent practice improves

• Teachers spend less time re-teaching

Daily review is not an optional add-on. It is a core driver of student success.

The challenge has never been knowing that daily review matters.
The challenge has been knowing how to manage it well.

Final Thoughts

Daily review is one of the highest-impact practices in explicit teaching, but only when it is planned with intention.

Spaced and sequenced practice cannot be left to chance. It requires a system that supports both teachers and students.

If daily review feels difficult to sustain, the issue is not your commitment. It is the absence of a structure designed to support it.

Daily Review is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving retention, fluency, and long-term learning. The challenge is not understanding why it matters. The challenge is planning it well and sustaining it across a term or an entire year.

That is exactly what the Daily Review Scheduler was designed to support.

Why this tool exists

In classrooms, Daily Review often becomes inconsistent. It gets rushed, repeated too frequently, or dropped altogether when planning time runs short. Teachers are left trying to mentally track what should be reviewed, when it should resurface, and how to balance new learning with retrieval.

This tool removes that cognitive load.

The Daily Review Scheduler applies principles of spaced and sequenced practice so that review is planned intentionally rather than guessed or improvised.

What the Daily Review Scheduler does

The scheduler allows you to input your scope and sequence of learning intentions and generates a structured Daily Review plan across a term or year.

You simply enter:

• your learning area

• learning intentions in the order in which skills are taught

• the number of weeks you are teaching (up to 40 weeks)

• how many review days per week you want

• any previously taught skills you wish to maintain

The tool then produces a Daily Review schedule aligned with effective retrieval practice, ensuring skills are revisited at purposeful intervals rather than randomly or repeatedly.

This supports stronger retention while keeping Daily Review manageable and realistic for classroom use.

Read more