3a. Communicating with Students

• Expectations for learning
• Directions for activities
• Explanations of content
• Use of oral and written language

The teacher links the instructional purpose of the lesson to the larger curriculum; the directions and procedures are clear and anticipate possible student misunderstanding. The teacher’s explanation of content is thorough and clear, developing conceptual understanding through clear scaffolding and connecting with students’ interests. Students contribute to extending the content by explaining concepts to their classmates and suggesting strategies that might be used. The teacher’s spoken and written language is expressive, and the teacher finds opportunities to extend students’ vocabularies, both within the discipline and for more general use. Students contribute to the correct use of academic vocabulary.

I like to address this component daily with students at the very beginning of class. Objectives are always posted clearly on the board when students walk in the room, and we review those goals before beginning the lesson. Often the students will reiterate or explain instructions in other words to their own classmates as well when necessary. I also point out specific components of each assignment that might cause difficulty. Usually I will have the students mark these elements with a star or underline when necessary.

In Virginia, we utilize the "Today we will," "So we can," "I will know I've got it when" format. This allows students to understand the reasoning behind their learning, which I hope to continue using.