Why Explicit Instruction Works
Explicit instruction is not scripted teaching.
It is structured, clear modeling grounded in how students learn.
The research articles below explains why clarity, modeling, guided practice, and feedback strengthen student understanding, especially in mathematics.
Explicit instruction is “a structured, systematic, and effective methodology for teaching academic skills. It is called explicit because it is an unambiguous and direct approach to teaching that includes instructional design and delivery procedures.”
- Anita L. Archer, Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching (2010)
What We’re Reading
Principals of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know
Author(s): Barak Rosenshine
Source: American Educator, Spring 2014 | Access the article
Effectiveness of Explicit and Constructivist Mathematics Instruction for Low-Achieving Students in the Netherlands
Author(s): Evelyn H. Kroesbergen, Johannes E. H. Van Luit, and Cora J. M. Maas
Source: The Elementary School Journal, Volume 104, Number 3, Jan 2004 | Access the article
Explicit Instruction: Historical and Contemporary Contexts
Author(s): Charles A. Hughes, Jared R. Morris, William J. Therrien, and Sarah K. Benson
Source: Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 32(3), 140-148. (Original work published 2017) | Access the article
Pedagogy for Developing Critical Thinking in Adolescents: Explicit Instruction Produces Greatest Gains
Author(s): Lisa M. Marin, Diane F. Halpern
Source: Thinking Skills and Creativity, Volume 6, Issue 1, April 2011, Pages 1-13 | Access the article
An alternative time for telling: When conceptual instruction prior to problem solving improves mathematical knowledge
Author(s): Emily R. Fyfe, Marci S. DeCaro, Bethany Rittle-Johnson
Source: The British Journal of Educational Psychology, Volume 84, Issue 3, September 2014 | Access the article