The Power of Clarity

http://goo.gl/FPXVH7

To begin, I love Meredith's analogy for lesson clarity: it is, essentially, a recipe for student success. The steps need to be explicit and clear. Directions need to be offered in a variety of ways and desired outcomes need to be presented, not to be copied for the sake of appearance, but rather as something to which we can aspire.

Often times, it is easy to rush into a lesson for the sake of allowing students more time to work, at least in the English setting, with texts or grapple with difficult and cognitively challenging writing tasks. The sacrifice is usually the clarification of what it is we want students to do. I cannot tell you how many times I used to begin to give directions and find myself on step ten, wondering how in the world my students would accomplish the task assigned. By slowing down, I realized that students were listening only to the first two or three things that I said, and then were eager to begin, some out of desire to achieve, others because they were likely afraid that they would forget what was required.

One of the most sobering contributors to my epiphany of the necessity of clarity came when I began to take on the bulk of my school's special education population. Many students have visual or auditory processing issues as the primary "diagnosis" and area of need. Because of this, I have become critical of the way I deliver and offer instructions in class. I always provide a visual on my Promethean board, a written copy for each set of partners, I verbally provide directions, portion by portion depending on the pacing of the task, and I ask students, strong and weak alike, to repeat directions.

I know that simply asking, "Any questions?" when I finish with directions is not helpful. Of course there are no questions. Students are processing at a slower rate than I am delivering my requests. I typically circulate the room and ask students to explicitly describe what they are doing, which I hope matches the instructions that I have given.

As Meredith says, "The majority of your class will take these instructions and soar. Then step back and let them work. There will be a few who need your support to stay on task, but with everyone else doing what they need to do, you will have the time to help." With the time crunch and massive amounts of content needed to be covered as required by the burgeoning list of standards, it is easy to attempt sprinting thought coursework. However, teaching is a marathon. It is far better to do things correctly the first time than to ask yourself, "Why aren't they getting it?" 

Clarity is key, and students need it just like we do. The results, like our recipes, will turn out just as directed.