Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

UWA SPOT/SET Project

120)          clear and concise instructions have been given

"The key to explaining clearly," says one economics professor, "is to limit the amount of material covered by a single lecture. The critical error made by many faculty members is trying to include too much by a factor of six." (Davis, Wood, & Wilson, 1983)

·         In the online publication "Executive Summary of the Research Synthesis on Effective Teaching Principles and the Design of Quality Tools for Educators" (Ellis, Worthington, & Larkin, n.d.) Rosenshine (1986) is cited reporting that when effective teachers teach concepts and skills explicitly, they routinely:

·         begin each lesson with a concise statement of goals.

·         give clear and detailed instructions and explanations.

·         Davis et al. (1983) presents seven suggestions concerning "Explaining Clearly"

 

Davis, B. G., Wood, L., & Wilson, R. C. (1983). A Berkeley compendium of suggestions for teaching with excellence [World Wide Web]. The University of California. Retrieved 20 October, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/compendium/sectionlists/sect5.html

Ellis, E. S., Worthington, L. A., & Larkin, M. J. (n.d.). Executive Summary of the Research Synthesis on Effective Teaching Principles and the Design of Quality Tools for Educators. National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators. Retrieved 26 September, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents/techrep/tech06.html