Literacy

Remember the days when the teacher would ask a question and children would put their hands up to answer?  There would be a few 'eager beavers' and a few children being very careful not to catch the teacher's eye.  It was difficult for everyone to feel fully included in the lesson.

If you stepped into a literacy classroom this year, you would see a whole variety of ways for children to be engaged in the lesson.  While the teacher is explicitly teaching and explaining, they are also constantly asking questions, and ALL the children are expected to respond.  You might see thumbs up/thumbs down, fingers up for the right answers, group responses, 'turn and talk' where students discuss the answers with the student beside them and lots of writing on mini whiteboards which are held up for the teacher to see.  

These approaches are all part of explicit instruction and they are designed to maximise student attention and engagement in lessons.  This has been informed by cognitive science that teaches us that we learn best when we are actively paying attention.