Gradual Release of Responsibility

What Is It?

The goal of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework (also known as the I do, we do, you do model) is to provide appropriate instruction, moving students towards independence. Students move back and forth between each of the component of the model as they master skills, strategies, and standards.

Why Use It?

The Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework is an evidence-based practice in education and suggests that cognitive work should shift slowly and intentionally from teacher modeling, to joint responsibility between teachers and students, to independent practice and application by the learner (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). This model provides a structure for teachers to move from assuming “all the responsibility for performing a task . . to a situation in which the students assume all of the responsibility” (Duke & Pearson, 2004, p. 211). From https://pdo.ascd.org/lmscourses/pd13oc005/media/formativeassessmentandccswithelaliteracymod_3-reading3.pdf

Instructional Steps:

I DO: Focus Lessons. Here, the teacher establishes the purpose of the lesson and models his or her thinking. The purpose should be based on the expected learning outcomes, such as standards, and be clearly communicated to students in plain language. Teacher modeling should provide students with examples of the thinking and language required to be successful. This builds opportunities for you as the teacher to model metacognitive thinking and problem solving!

WE DO (Teacher + Students working with guidance): Guided Instruction. In guided instruction, the teacher strategically uses questions, prompts, and cues to facilitate student understanding. This can be done with whole groups of students but is probably more effective with small groups that are convened based on instructional needs. During guided instruction, the teacher focuses on releasing responsibility to students while providing instructional scaffolds to ensure that students are successful. Teacher feedback is imperative at this stage.

WE DO (Students working together to build independence): Productive Group Work. Students work in collaborative groups to produce something related to the topic at hand. To be productive, the group work must involve students using academic language and being individually accountable for their contribution to the effort. This phase of instruction should provide students with an opportunity to consolidate their understanding before they apply it independently.

YOU DO: Independent Learning. Finally, students apply what they have learned in class and outside of class. Many independent learning tasks are used as formative assessments, designed to check for understanding and to identify needs for reteaching. Of course, independent learning tasks should not come too soon in the instructional cycle, since students need practice before they can sufficiently apply knowledge in new situations. When students struggle to complete the task independently, the teacher may need to revisit skills that the student still needs to become independent.

From: https://pdo.ascd.org/lmscourses/pd13oc005/media/formativeassessmentandccswithelaliteracymod_3-reading3.pdf