Clarity in the classroom?

#TeacherClarity

Teacher Clarity is about “the clarity of communication between teachers and students” (Fendick, 1990) and is a vital factor in ensuring students learn. Indeed, with an effect size of 0.75 (Hattie, 2016) there is strong evidence that teachers whose students perceive them as demonstrating a high degree of clarity in their communication are more likely to succeed.

But what actual is is Teacher Clarity about? Well, it about much more than whether a teacher speaks clearly. For a teacher to have Teacher Clarity it means they (1) have a complete understanding about what their students are to learn, know, and be able to do in an upcoming unit of work before they plan any instruction and assessment; combined with, (2) an ability to communicate this effectively with their students.

What this means is that Teacher Clarity is not one single thing but an umbrella that captures the that capture: organisation, explanation, examples and guided practice, and assessment of student learning as defined by Fendick (1990).

So what are these?

Organisation

This relates to whether a teachers lessons are constructed in a logical manner that links learning intentions, success criteria, and outcomes. For a teacher to be perceived as demonstrating Clarity of Organisation they must deliver structured lessons (and units/courses). A prerequisite to this is that from the outset stating learning intentions and relating them to success criteria. They must also explicitly link teaching to the stated learning intentions as well as regular review what has been learnt by students.

Explanation

The focus of this is related to whether or instruction is comprehensible to students. Essentially, this is about a teacher being able to clearly explain new content to students. To do this the teacher must introduce new content in small, engaging, steps whilst at the same time relating it to past learnings. They must repeat and stress directions and draw students’ attentions to common mistakes and areas of difficulty. A further consideration is being able to teach at a pace that is appropriate to the topic and the students.

Examples and Guided Practice:

This is about how effectively a teacher demonstrating relevant skills and processes that students are expected to be able to do (i.e. Work Examples) and, of equal importance, giving students practice tasks clearly focused on they need to know and be able to do (i.e. Deliberate Practice). As a part of this a teacher must provide examples of answers to post-test type questions students are likely to be assessed with which makes the success criteria for learning obvious. Teachers must provide enough time, support and guidance to students to practising and consolidate their learning (i.e. answering questions, providing appropriate feedback).

Assessment of student learning:

A teacher cannot communicate to their students well without regularly seeking and responding to feedback from their students. Within the classroom this can involve and seeking and responded to various forms of feedback from their students. This is about teachers having a clear understanding of how students are engaging with new learning by utilising appropriate Formative Assessment strategies to evaluate the impact of their teaching (Formative Evaluation). Teachers cannot communicate well without receiving feedback from the students.

Want to know more about your Teacher Clarity?

Clearly Teacher Clarity is an important aspect of teacher practice. If you would like to find out more about your credibility in the classroom then check out our Classroom Vibe Student Perception Survey which is helping teachers around the world make evidence of their teaching visible. Or, contact me, Dr Timothy O'Leary, at [email protected].