As teachers, it is our responsibility to deliver instructions in a way that increases the students’ probability of achieving their learning outcomes successfully. High quality delivery of instruction can help us achieve this objective. The only question that remains to be answered then, is how.

Let’s find out!‍

Learning by doing is our mantra everyday,
So, I DO it for them first and show them the way.
Then, WE DO it as a team, my students and I,
We mostly ask questions and we work out the replies.
Then I tell them clearly, YOU DO IT TOGETHER,
After all, my friend, they are birds of a feather.
I patiently wait for them, to get in their comfort zone,
Then, I tell them finally, YOU DO IT ALONE.

Let’s explore the four delivery techniques mentioned in this poem. To plan each technique, we will ask ourselves certain questions. Finding answers to these questions will invariably help us deliver instructions perfectly. 

Question- How will I get my students to focus on the learning objective and how will they know what they are supposed to do?

Answer- To gain their attention, we can create a hook in the form of activities, stories, information and so on. It is always a good idea to connect the new topic with their previous learning. Then, we will share our expectations clearly and explicitly. After that, we will directly explain the concept. Finally, we will show them what to do. We use the vocabulary that we expect them to use, we follow the procedures we want them to follow. In a nutshell, we do what we want them to do. 

Question- How can I present learners with opportunities to practise the concepts they have learnt with my help? 

Answer- After explaining the concept to the students, we can engage them in tasks where they get the opportunity to ask questions, get their doubts clarified, discuss the concept with us, while working independently or with their peers. We must observe them keenly at this point because they still haven’t understood the concept deeply and may need our support to fully absorb the concept.

Question- How can I enable my students to take on individual responsibilities and apply their knowledge to complete a collaborative task?

Answer- This is where our expertise in grouping will come into play. Based on the concept, number of students, their learning levels and so on, we can create different kinds of groups– heterogeneous, homogeneous, pairing. No matter what kind of grouping we choose, it must be done deliberately. It’s always a good idea to set expectations, explain the objectives and assign roles to individual members to ensure maximum participation. We must give different tasks to different groups and plan only real world tasks so that the learners find them relevant and exciting. Through collaborative learning, our students not only learn the concepts but also how to listen to each other making learning an engaging experience.

Question- How can I ensure that my students independently apply the skills they have learnt?

Answer- It is always a good idea to not make the learners interact with each other during independent practice in the classroom. We can incorporate independent practice as assessment to ensure that the learners complete their tasks unassisted. We can also assign independent practice as homework.

Before we take your leave, please remember that though we have shared these techniques in a sequence, they cannot and should not be used in isolation. Weave them together and see them spin their magic in your classroom.

If you want to dive deeper into this area of teaching and learning, please feel free to check out our course on Lesson Planning.