Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework

Effective Instructional Methods by Nabin Timilsina      

Part 1 - Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) Instructional Framework

Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) is one of the most effective instructional tools a teacher can use in the classroom. I was first introduced about this model at a professional development training during my first year of teaching. Working as a first-year teacher at an underperforming inner-city school was a great challenge, and on top of that, I taught middle school students. Teaching at this school was an absolute challenge for anyone who walked in those classrooms.  Discipline was a huge issue, and highly unstable administration only added fuel to the fire. Teachers joining and leaving was a normal phenomenon. But I stayed, learned, developed, and evolved for the wonderful kids I served at that school. My love for the students overcame all the challenges in that building. While I had discovered and learned  several ways to manage my students, I still had to find ways for effective instruction. And that’s where came in Gradual Release of Responsibility.

While GRR is a very effective tool used by many proficient teachers, it’s very surprising that many teachers are not aware of it. I didn’t know about it until we were introduced at that professional development training and neither did many of my colleagues. And then there are many teachers who studied it during their teacher preparation but never use it in their instruction. After all these years of classroom teaching experience and producing results, I strongly recommend all my fellow teachers to use GRR as the foundation of their lessons. GRR consists of four simple steps – focused instruction (I do), guided Instruction (We do), collaborative learning (You do), and Independent learning (You do individually). These sections can also be categorized into teacher responsibility and student responsibility. The main idea is to transfer the responsibility to the students with independent learning the end goal.

The gradual release of responsibility model of instruction requires that the teacher shift from assuming “all the responsibility for performing a task … to a situation in which the students assume all of the responsibility” (Duke & Pearson, 2002, p. 211). This model “emphasizes instruction that mentors students into becoming capable thinkers and learners when handling the tasks with which they have not yet developed expertise” (Buehl, 2005). The ultimate goal of this is to produce independent learners and thinkers who have clear understanding of knowledge and are able to apply that acquisition in other settings. As the teacher does less work and students do more work, both collaboratively and individually, GRR ensures student engagement and optimum learning. It purposefully shifts the cognitive load from teacher-as-model, to joint responsibility of teacher and learner, to independent practice and application by the learner (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983).

Everything changed as I learned about this pedagogical approach, and things continued to get better as I became proficient in using it effectively. The impact of the effective use of GRR was not only limited to student learning. It also increased student engagement and improved behavior of challenging students. As a practitioner, here are following ways this instructional framework helps facilitating instruction -

1.     The end goal of GRR is independent learning. As stated above, this model produces independent learners and thinkers. Students eventually develop thorough understanding of knowledge and learn to transfer that knowledge to other settings.

2.     GRR aligns perfectly with student centered instruction. Student learning is the center of this process, and teachers can actually use multiple ways to facilitate instruction to reach out to all the diverse learners in the classroom. ‘We do’ and ‘You do’ sections of this model allow teacher to work as a facilitator. This is when the teacher has ample opportunity to walk around the classroom, interact with every single student, and provide assistance. Traditional methods such as direct instruction is only a small fraction of this whole process.

3.     GRR is a perfect model for classes on block schedule. Time passes by very quickly as students are engaged in meaningful and effective work. Teachers does a small chunk of work as compared to students. This is when learning happens since students are actually working on something. Graves and Fitzgerald (2003) note that "effective instruction often follows a progression in which teachers gradually do less of the work and students gradually assume increased responsibility for their learning. It is through this process of gradually assuming more and more responsibility for their learning that students become competent, independent learners" (p. 98).

4.     It is also a perfect model to use in classrooms that have student behavior issues. In my experience of facilitating this process, classroom management gets easier if students are engaged in a process driven by meaningful activities. GRR sets up checkpoints so ensure that everyone is moving along. Yes, ‘You do’ section could also be very challenging and result in disruption. This can be avoided by strictly aligning this process to an assessment such as an Exit Ticket. Students will, of course, get distracted by lessons that lack rigor and alignment.

5.     GRR is a highly flexible instructional framework in a sense that it allows for maximum flexibility. Any section of the model can be repeated without complexity. It aligns with the concept of vertical alignment, and other pedagogical approaches could be fused with it to make instruction even more effective.

Please check out these links for further information – https://dpi.wi.gov/ela/instruction/framework 

https://www.ascd.org/publications/books/113006/chapters/Learning,-or-Not-Learning,-in-School.aspx

https://www.thinkport.org/grr/

 https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/the-gradual-release-of-responsibility-model-in-6-simple-words/

https://www.edglossary.org/coherent-curriculum/

 https://www.maneuveringthemiddle.com/vertical-alignment/

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6vVXmwYvgs