Explicit teaching gradual release of responsibility model

How to teach the “WE DO” in the gradual release of responsibility model known as I DO, WE DO YOU DO?

Scaffolding, modelling and worked examples become more important than ever. The Gradual Release Model is a best practice instructional model where teachers strategically transfer the responsibility in the learning process from the teacher to the students (Fisher & Frey). Typically, the model of teaching has four phases: I DO- where the teacher models the lesson objective in a focus lesson, WE DO- guided instruction with both input from the teacher and the students, YOU DO TOGETHER: Collaborative learning in small groups or partners and YOU DO ALONE- independent practice. The following diagram from a document titled Framework for Quality Education in Northern Territory Schools illustrates the explicit teaching gradual release of responsibility model.

A model that I have found very useful to adhere to which is evidence informed (Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction) is the Gradual Release of responsibility, better known as “I do, We do and You do.”

When teaching in face to face or distance learning, how do we approach the “we do it” together (shared instruction) in the gradual release of responsibility.

How do teachers do the “WE DO it together and YOU DO I watch/guide” in an online learning environment or indeed a regular face to face classroom?

The answer is richly informed by Harry Fletcher-Wood’s book Responsive Teaching –

1. Write a model answer yourself in front of the class. As you are doing this, explain your thought process. Show how you are overcoming the issues and common errors on your list: “Notice I am explaining this point by…”and model academic language. An alternative is when a teacher models live on the board, asking students what their next move should be and why. I would say on Zoom, you start by live modelling and then say what would we write next and ask them to contribute while you type.
2. Compare models of varying answers, students read examples of strong, average and weak paragraphs. This begins as a game of ’spot the difference’ and then they highlight and describe strengths and weaknesses of each paragraph. Then use the weakest model as a completion problem, ask students to rewrite it using the strengths they have identified.
3. Model the errors. Ultimately, we want students to be able to self-regulate their learning. An important aspect of this is the ability to spot and correct errors in their own work. Take your list of common errors for a piece of work and use them to create a terrible model answer that includes as many of these mistakes as possible. Ask the class to identify the issues and suggest how it could be improved. When students notice the mistakes of others, they are less likely to make the same mistakes in their own work.
4. Employ the completion problem effect. Give partially completed models and ask students to complete the missing steps.
5. Ask students to identify criteria. Have students look at a strong & a weak model. They compare them section by section and formulate what a strong report must include. This forms a checklist for them, but also leads them to return to the models as they attempt their own, rather than relying on the list of criteria alone.
6. Examining improvements. Show the process of improvement by sharing a weak paragraph and at the same paragraph edited and improved. Invite students to identify the changes and explain the impact they have had. Ask the students to apply the changes they have noticed to a new weak paragraph, or to their own work.
7. Articulating success. After encountering a model ask students what advice would you give to the person who wrote this? Return to models across units. Ask students to return to strong models and identify what they have missed or return to weak models and identify the traps into which they have fallen. Ask students to draft answers first and then examine models; having begun the task, students can identify the choices made in the model better.
8. Use feed forward and the students re draft.
9. Try getting students to peer assess. When students evaluate their peer’s work they gain more factual & conceptual knowledge and greater skill than students with the same teacher who were not shown how their work would be assessed. Caveat – students needed to be shown how their work was to be assessed/critiqued, for me be kind, specific and helpful is a good guide.
10. Have students analyse the models. Conduct the class as a critique lesson on what makes a good essay/report/project etc. Every student looks through the model essay/report/project and marked it up with their thoughts about what was done well and what questions it raised. They conferred with each other, and then, as a whole group, we discussed the features of the essay/report/project that they felt were strong

Two ways for teachers to model writing to students.

Sentence reveal

One very simple strategy is instead of just showing students an exemplar paragraph that you have produced, use PowerPoint to show the paragraph one sentence at a time. This gives you the opportunity to discuss particular aspects of each sentence.

Shared writing

Models writing in a highly effective way and is one of my favourite and most effective teaching strategies. ‘Shared writing’ begins with the sharing of the key information or language related to the written task, before the teacher then leads the students in co-constructing the writing, scribing the writing with targeted questioning and feedback. In my experience there are few better ways to illuminate each step of the complex writing process for students and it can work across the curriculum.

Harry Fletcher Wood in his blog wrote an update to his book recently which is a fantastic read

https://improvingteaching.co.uk/2019/06/30/ensuring-students-respond-to-feedback-responsive-teaching-2019-update/

To sum up the explicit teaching gradual release of responsibility model is a great way to view learning from the lens of a novice to expert trajectory. As the student acquires the new information and skills, the responsibility of learning shifts from teacher-directed instruction to student processing activities. In the “We do” phase of learning, the teacher continues to model, question, prompt and cue students; but as students’ move into the “You do” phases, they rely more on themselves and less on the teacher to complete the learning task.