Explicit Direct Instruction
At Dawson Park Primary we adopt a framework for lessons based on Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI). The strategies we implement are researched based, designed to produce well-crafted lessons that explicitly teach new concepts and successfully improve learning for all students.
The Explicit Direct Instruction approach is built on the belief that all students can learn. The model was founded by John Hollingsworth and Dr. Sylvia Yabarra and is founded on research, data analysis, and direct instruction. At Dawson Park Primary we implement a whole school approach to lesson design and delivery to best achieve outcomes for our students. Elements of our lesson design include:
- Learning Objective – teacher tells students what they will be achieving in the lesson.
- Success criteria – teachers will inform students on what they will need to do and present sequential steps that they will follow to achieve this with the use of self-talk.
- I Do – Teachers teach the concept and use TAPPLE (Teach, Ask a question, Pair-Share, Pick a Non-volunteer, Listen, Effective Feedback) to check for understanding. Teachers model skills explicitly and verbalise self-talk.
- We Do – Teachers work with students to practise skills with examples and gradually release responsibility to students. This is a highly structured step-by-step method where teachers can check for understanding at each step whilst providing affirmative or corrective feedback.
- You Do – students are given the opportunity to prove that they are ready to successfully complete independent practice (students practice what they have just been taught and the teacher works with students who require additional support).
- Plough Back – Teachers bring the class back together to revise the Learning Objective, Success Criteria, and Self-Talk.
Daily Reviews
In addition to our Explicit Instruction lesson design and implementation, we also implement Daily Reviews in Literacy which provides students with the opportunity to practise retrieving learned concepts and skills so that knowledge is committed to their long-term memory. In our lower primary classes we also implement the program Let’s Decode, which is a highly effective approach that teaches phonological awareness and essential decoding skills.
Spelling Mastery and Sounds Write
Dawson Park Primary adopts a whole school approach to spelling with Pre Primary to Year 6 students. Four times a week students attend a Spelling Mastery or Sound Write lesson which is targeted based on skill level rather than year level. Spelling Mastery builds essential spelling skills for students through a highly structured method that interweaves Phonemic, Morphemic, and Whole word approaches to help effectively teach the spelling skills students need to become proficient readers and writers.