Reviewing the previous session’s material helps build connections to our long-term memory bank and frees up working memory in the here and now. The review process is essential for engaging with new and challenging material, and it is best to present new concepts in small doses.

A little-by-little strategy helps avoid the cognitive and emotional overload that comes from being given too much, all at once. Deep learning on a little bit is more valuable than shallow learning on a lot, and a few deep questions are far better than a host of shallow ones.

Questions (provided they are of a higher order) allow teachers to determine whether the concepts are being taught well enough for the student to learn them. Deep probing questions allow gaps to surface. When they do, models are beneficial for bringing clarity to tricky concepts.

Good teachers provide students with opportunities to support and represent their thinking with models- build it, draw it and write it. They also provide students with models to help bring clarity when students engage with new, abstract, or tricky concepts.

Supported practice begins by observing how students interact with the new material and the different ways that they choose to represent their thinking. As a guided session unfolds, there is ample opportunity for teachers to check in and offer targeted and corrective feedback.

Targeted corrective feedback is the teacher’s most exact tool for tackling gaps in understanding. The aware teacher will look to see how the student engages with the success criteria and represents their thinking. Addressing misconceptions and gaps that surface during this phase should be addressed immediately. This timely, targeted, and tactical feedback strategy enables students to achieve high success rates on complex concepts.

Research says that a success rate of around 80% on new and complex ideas is ideal. First, it shows that a significant amount of learning has occurred. Secondly, it shows the student was challenged, and the challenge is critical for productive struggle. The good teacher is aware of the 20% gap where learning wasn’t demonstrated and is prepared to step in and support.

Sometimes temporary supports (scaffolds) help students overcome the 20% hump with the most challenging concepts. For example, teachers ensure progress when they share their thinking or (think aloud) on the same complex problems. You can’t take the teacher with you, but you can take the experience of sharing in their thinking during independent practice.

A good teaching session allows ample time for students to practice new concepts. Provided they feel prepared, students should attempt some supervised independent practice. The big idea here is for knowledge, skills, and understanding to become automatic. Consistently reviewing previous learning is essential.

Weekly and monthly reviews support automaticity (long-term storage). The big idea is to remember better and retain it longer. Monthly checks are critical, as long-term memory allows all of us to have learning stored for later use.