Explicit Instruction: Teaching in Ways the Brain Can Manage
Explicit instruction does not mean lecturing while students sit passively and listen. It is a purposeful approach to teaching in which new learning is presented clearly, modeled carefully, practiced with support, and gradually transferred to the learner.
One simple way to think about this process is I Do, We Do, You Do. First, the teacher models and explains the new learning (I Do). Next, the teacher and students work through the learning together with prompts, questions, practice, and feedback (We Do). Finally, as students demonstrate understanding, responsibility gradually shifts to the learner (You Do).
Explicit Instruction Makes Learning Visible
Explicit instruction makes the steps, thinking, and expectations involved in new learning clear to students. Rather than expecting learners to figure out an unfamiliar process on their own, the teacher deliberately explains what is being learned, demonstrates how to approach it, and provides opportunities for supported practice.
This does not mean that students are passive. In effective explicit instruction, students are frequently asked to respond, explain, practice, apply, and demonstrate their understanding. The teacher remains highly involved while learning is new, but responsibility gradually shifts as students become more proficient.
The purpose is not to keep the teacher at the center of learning. The purpose is to make new learning clear enough that students can eventually succeed without the teacher's support.
I DO: Model New Learning Clearly
When students are learning something new, they benefit from seeing what successful performance looks like. During the I Do phase, the teacher clearly explains the new concept or skill, breaks complex processes into manageable steps, and demonstrates how to complete the task.
Modeling is more than simply showing students the correct answer. The teacher draws attention to the important features of the task, demonstrates the steps in a logical sequence, and provides examples that help students understand what they are expected to do.
At this stage, teacher guidance is intentionally strong because the learning is unfamiliar. The goal is not for students to remain dependent on the teacher; it is to provide a clear model that prepares them for successful guided practice.
Think Alouds Make Invisible Thinking Visible
Some of the most important parts of learning cannot be seen. When an experienced reader analyzes a difficult paragraph, a mathematician decides which operation to use, or a writer chooses how to organize an argument, much of the thinking happens silently.
A think aloud makes that invisible thinking visible. As the teacher models a task, the teacher verbalizes the decisions, questions, and reasoning involved: “First, I'm going to look for the information the problem gives me. Now I'm asking myself which information I actually need. I notice the word…”
Think alouds give students access not only to what an expert does, but to how and why the expert makes particular decisions. Over time, students can begin using these same thinking processes independently.
WE DO: Practice Together Before Expecting Independence
After the teacher has clearly modeled new learning, students need opportunities to practice it with support. During the We Do phase, the teacher and students work through examples together while the teacher asks questions, provides prompts, gives feedback, and corrects misunderstandings as they occur.
Guided practice is more than completing an example together. Students should be actively thinking and responding. They may explain a step, solve part of a problem, identify an important feature, discuss their reasoning with a partner, or respond simultaneously to a question. The teacher uses these responses to determine what students understand and where additional support is needed.
The amount of support should change as students become more successful. The teacher gradually does less while students do more, but does not remove support simply because the lesson has reached a particular point. Students move toward independence when their responses show that they are ready.
Check for Understanding Before Moving On
In explicit instruction, checking for understanding is not something that happens only at the end of a lesson. It occurs throughout instruction and helps the teacher decide whether students are ready for the next step or need additional explanation, modeling, or practice.
Effective checks for understanding provide information about all or most students, not simply the few who volunteer to answer. Teachers might ask students to respond orally together, write a brief response, show an answer, explain their reasoning to a partner, or demonstrate a step in a process.
Most importantly, the teacher uses the information gathered to make an instructional decision. If many students are confused, the teacher may reteach or model another example. If understanding is developing but not yet secure, students may need additional guided practice. When students demonstrate sufficient understanding, the teacher can begin reducing support and moving them toward greater independence.
YOU DO: Gradually Move Students Toward Independence
Independent practice is important, but it should come after students have developed sufficient understanding during modeling and guided practice. During the You Do phase, students apply the new learning with less teacher support while the teacher continues to monitor performance and provide feedback when needed.
Independence does not necessarily happen all at once. Some students may be ready to work independently while others need another example, an additional prompt, or more guided practice. The goal is to gradually reduce support as students become more accurate, confident, and proficient.
Explicit instruction is successful when students no longer need the explicit support that helped them learn. The progression from I Do → We Do → You Do is therefore not about keeping students dependent on the teacher—it is about deliberately preparing them for independence.
What This Means for Teachers
Explicit instruction is most effective when support is deliberate, responsive, and temporary. The teacher provides greater guidance when learning is new, continually checks students’ understanding, and gradually transfers responsibility as students become ready to work more independently.
1. Make the learning goal clear.
Tell students what they are learning and what successful performance will look like.
2. Break complex learning into manageable steps.
When a skill or concept is new, teach it in smaller parts rather than presenting the entire process at once.
3. Model before expecting students to perform independently.
Show students what successful performance looks like and demonstrate the process clearly.
4. Think aloud as you model.
Don't only show students what you are doing. Verbalize the questions, decisions, and reasoning that guide your thinking.
5. Provide guided practice.
Work through examples with students before asking them to work independently. Prompt, question, clarify, and support as needed.
6. Give every student frequent opportunities to respond.
Don't rely only on volunteers. Use oral responses, written responses, partner explanations, demonstrations, or other methods that allow you to see what many students are thinking.
7. Check for understanding throughout the lesson.
Use student responses to decide whether to continue, provide another example, reteach, or offer additional guided practice.
8. Give specific and timely feedback.
Tell students what they did correctly, identify errors or misunderstandings, and help them understand what to do next.
9. Gradually reduce support.
As students become more accurate and confident, decrease prompts, examples, and teacher assistance so they take increasing responsibility for the task.
10. Move to independent practice when students are ready.
Don't move automatically from I Do to We Do to You Do simply because time has passed. Student understanding—not the clock—should guide the transition.
TRY THIS TOMORROW
You don't have to redesign your entire lesson. Choose one small piece of new learning tomorrow and teach it using this simple sequence:
I DO: Model one example clearly. Explain what you are doing and think aloud so students can hear the reasoning behind your decisions.
WE DO: Work through another example together. Ask students to respond, explain their thinking, and help complete the process. Give prompts and specific feedback as needed.
YOU DO: Give students a similar example to try with less support—but only after checking that they are ready. Continue to monitor and provide feedback as needed.
Support Now Builds Independence Later
Explicit instruction provides students with strong support when learning is new—but that support is never intended to remain forever. As students gain knowledge, accuracy, and confidence, the teacher gradually steps back and students assume greater responsibility for their own learning.
The I Do → We Do → You Do progression reflects this gradual transfer. The teacher begins by making the learning visible, then shares the work with students through guided practice, and ultimately creates opportunities for students to apply what they have learned with increasing independence.
The goal of explicit instruction is not dependence on the teacher. It is independence made possible by effective teaching.
Research Behind This Resource
This resource draws on established research on explicit instruction, effective teaching, cognitive science, modeling, guided practice, checking for understanding, and the gradual transfer of responsibility to the learner. For readers interested in exploring the research and classroom applications further:
Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching. Guilford Press.
Read a sample chapter from Explicit Instruction →
Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know. American Educator, 36(1), 12–19, 39.
Center for Reading and Dyslexia
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