Florida Education: The Next Generation DRAFT March 13, 2008 Version 1.0 Best Practices Gradual Release Model Presented by: Region Four Differentiated Accountability Team Florida Department of Education Dr. Eric J. Smith, Commissioner

How Do We Learn? 1. Think about something you learned to do? 2. Why did you want to learn it? 3. How did you learn it? 4. How did you know you learned it?

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY Explicit Instruction Guided Instruction “I do it” “We do it” “You do it together” Collaborative Independent “You do it alone” A Structure for Instruction that Works © Fisher & Frey, 2006

In some classrooms … TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY Explicit Instruction “I do it” Independent “You do it alone” © Fisher & Frey, 2006

In some classrooms … TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY Independent “You do it alone” © Fisher & Frey, 2006

And in some classrooms … TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY Explicit Instruction Guided Instruction “I do it” “We do it” Independent “You do it alone” © Fisher & Frey, 2006

Gradual Release of Responsibility an Effective Delivery Model “The gradual release of responsibility model of instruction stipulates that the teacher moves from assuming “all the responsibility for performing a task…to a situation in which the students assume all of the responsibility.” Duke and Pearson, 2002, p. 211

Gradual Release of Responsibility

Lesson Delivery  Explicit Instruction How will I focus my students on what they need to learn?  Modeled Instruction How will I show my students what they are expected to do?  Guided Practice How will I help my students practice? How will I incorporate collaborative structures?  Independent Practice How will my students become independent learners?

“I DO” … Explicit Instruction  What: Tell students specifically what strategies, concepts, or essential learning they are going to learn.  Why: Tell them why it is important for them to learn the strategies, concepts, or essential learning.  How: Tell students how to use the strategies, concepts, or essential learning.  When: Tell students when they will use the strategy, concept, or essential learning.

Explicit Instruction is…  Introducing the  What  Why  How  When  Making connections to previous learning  Setting a purpose for learning  Introducing key vocabulary

Explicit Instruction is not…  Giving directions  Lecturing  Assigning Worksheets  Assigning reading  Asking questions

“I DO”…Modeled Instruction  Modeled Instruction Select examples aligned with guided practice, independent practice, and assessment. Demonstrate how to complete examples step by step. Verbalize thinking  teacher think-a-loud  forming mental pictures,  connecting information to prior knowledge,  creating analogies,  clarifying confusing points, and/or  making/revising predictions.

Modeled Instruction is…  Demonstrating the strategy or skill  Thinking aloud (how and why)  Thinking through the process  Students observing and listening

Modeled Instruction is not…  Extending direct instruction  Lecturing  Asking questions and students answering  Students working or using the strategy  Showing an end product without demonstrating the process

Is This Modeling? Teacher: Why did Lewis and Clark want to explore the West? (Initiate) Student 1: To discover California (Respond) Teacher: Well, not really. (Evaluate) What do others think? (Initiate) Student 2: To get some gold? (Respond) Teacher: No, not yet. (Evaluate) Before the Gold Rush, why did Lewis and Clark want to explore? (Initiate) Fisher & Frey, 2008

The Object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river & such principal stream of it as by it’s course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purpose of commerce. Let’s think about this text Fisher & Frey, 2008

Modeling might sound like: The Object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river “This is a letter that President Thomas Jefferson wrote on June 20, 1803, to Meriwether Lewis. I notice that he capitalizes the word “object”. I wonder if he wants to stress the importance of what he is asking them to do.

& such principal stream of it as by it’s course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purpose of commerce. When he says, “and such principal stream of it”, I think he means the tributaries, or other rivers that run into the Missouri River. It sounds like he is interested in a water route across the United States when he says “may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent.”

His last phrase, “for the purpose of commerce” tells me that he wants them to explore the rivers to find a direct way to conduct commerce, or business, between different parts of the country.” I also noticed some other strange things about the capitalization and the spelling of the word “principal”. If I did not know that this was a letter written by President Jefferson, I would still suspect that it was written a long time ago because of these differences.

Explicit & Modeled Instruction (I Do) Teacher Behavior:  Initiates  Models  Explains  Thinks aloud  Shows how to do it Learner Behavior:  Listens  Observes  Creates an example based on teacher model

“WE DO”… Practice with feedback  Provide Guided practice with feedback so students have opportunity to practice desired learning.  An opportunity for each student to demonstrate grasp of new learning by working through an activity or exercise under the teacher’s direct supervision.

Guided Practice Formats  Collaborative Structures  Cooperative Learning Groups  Cooperative Pairs  Working Individually with a student

Guided Practice  Select examples aligned with independent practice and assessment.  Start guided practice with teacher-led question and answer practice.  Ask higher order questions requiring explanation with “Student Accountable Talk” or “Student Think-a-Loud” to justify thinking and explain logic.  Incorporate Collaborative Structures for additional practice with peer support.  Conduct Checks for Understanding throughout the lesson.

Guided Practice is… Doing it together Bridging instruction to independence Working together in whole or small groups Differentiating instruction Checking for understanding Facilitating the skill development Responding to student needs

Student Accountable Talk  Ask higher order questions requiring explanation with “Student Accountable Talk” or “Student Think-a-Loud” to justify thinking and explain logic.  Ask “Why” and “Why Not” questions  Use Higher Order Thinking question stems  Scaffold questions to reach higher order thinking  Allow students’ extended time to prepare responses  Require use of content specific vocabulary  Reference vocabulary acquisition tools (interactive word wall, lesson vocabulary on whiteboard, foldables, skill process posters, etc.)

Checks for Understanding  Conduct Checks for Understanding throughout the lesson.  Thumbs Up/Down/Middle  White Board Responses  Response Cards  Student Accountable Talk  Journal Responses  Cornell Notes Summaries  Board Races  Exit Tickets

Collaborative Structures  Incorporate Collaborative Structures for additional practice with peer support.  Think-Pair-Share  Rally Table  Pairs Check  Numbered Heads Together  Talking Chips  Team-Pair-Solo

Guided Practice is not…  Working independently without teacher support  Working in pairs or groups without teacher support  Supporting every student the same

Guided Practice Teacher Behaviors  Demonstrates  Leads  Suggests  Explains  Responds  Acknowledges  Answers Questions Student Behaviors  Listens  Interacts  Questions  Collaborates  Responds  Tries out  Participates

“YOU DO”… Independent Practice Through Independent Practice, students have a chance to reinforce skills and synthesize their new knowledge by completing a task on their own away from the teacher’s guidance. About.com: Elementary Education Independent Practice. The New York Times Company. Available on-line:

Independent Practice  Select activities aligned with instruction and assessment.  Might be  Homework  Classroom Activity  Project  Evaluate student learning  Use results to inform and modify instruction.

 “You Do” (student)  Transition from guided practice  Students work on their own, in pairs, or small groups to accomplish task  Teacher monitors for understanding  Teacher provides specific feedback and praise What Independent Practice is

What it is not…  Right after explicit instruction  Students working on assignment without prior instruction  Working in a small group with a teacher  Summative assessment  Work unrelated to the learning objective

What does it look like?  Writing Activity  Journal  Learning Logs  Short Response  Essay  Raft  Venn-Diagram  Summarize  Compare/Contrast  Cornell Notes  Gist  Concept Maps  QAR  The Most Important Thing

Independent Student Behavior  Applies learning  Takes charge  Practices  Problem solves  Approximates  Self-corrects Teacher Behavior  Scaffolds  Validates  Teaches as needed  Evaluates  Observes  Encourages  Clarifies  Confirms  Coaches

Gradual Release of Responsibility

Resources Fisher, D. (2007) Improving adolescent literacy: Content area strategies at work. Digital writing, digital teaching: Integrating new literacies into the teaching of writing. Available online: fishers-improving-adolescent-literacy-strategies-at-work/ fishers-improving-adolescent-literacy-strategies-at-work/ Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2008). Better Learning Through Structured Teaching. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), pgs. 4,10-12,18-19 Fisher & Frey (2008). Fisher&Frey resources. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from (U.S. Department of Education (2008). Direct, Explicit Comprehension Strategy Instruction. Available online: