Better Learning Through Structured Teaching: A Framework for the Gradual Release of Responsibility

by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey

Overview

In this updated 2nd edition of the ASCD best-seller, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey dig deeper into the hows and whys of the gradual release of responsibility instructional framework. To gradually release responsibility is to equip students with what they need to be engaged and self-directed learners. On a day-to-day level, it means delivering lessons purposefully planned to incorporate four essential and interrelated instructional phases: 1. Focused Instruction: Preparing students for learning by establishing lesson purpose, modeling strategies and skills, thinking aloud, and noticing how students respond. 2. Guided Instruction: Strategically using prompts, cues, and questions to lead students to new understanding. 3. Collaborative Learning: Allowing students to consolidate their understanding through exploration, problem-solving, discussion, and thinking with their peers. 4. Independent Learning: Requiring students to use the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired to create authentic products and ask new questions. The authors explore each phase, using real-life examples from a variety of disciplines. You’ll find tips and tools for classroom implementation, including checklists for planning and assessment; advice on feedback, homework, group work, differentiated instruction, and blended learning; answers to frequently asked questions; and examples that align to Common Core State Standards. No matter what grade level or subject you teach, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching is your essential guide to helping students expand their capacity for successful and long-lasting learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416618300
Publisher:	ASCD
Publication date:	12/02/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	158
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Douglas Fisher is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame and was honored as an exemplary leader by the Conference on English Leadership. He has published numerous articles on improving student achievement, and his books include The Purposeful Classroom: How to Structure Lessons with Learning Goals in Mind; Enhancing RTI: How to Ensure Success with Effective Classroom Instruction and Intervention; Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom; How to Create a Culture of Achievement in Your School and Classroom; and Intentional and Targeted Teaching: A Framework for Teacher Growth and Leadership.

Nancy Frey is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University. Frey also teaches classes at Health Sciences High & Middle College in San Diego. She is a recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Early Career Award from the Literacy Research Association. She has published many articles and books on literacy and instruction, including Productive Group Work: How to Engage Students, Build Teamwork, and Promote Understanding; The Formative Assessment Action Plan: Practical Steps to More Successful Teaching and Learning; and Guided Instruction: How to Develop Confident and Successful Learners.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Third Edition vii

1 Learning and the Intentional Act of Teaching 1

2 Focused Instruction: Purpose and Cognitive Apprenticeship 20

3 Guided Instruction: Questions, Prompts, and Cues 44

4 Collaborative Learning: Creating Student Learning Communities 73

5 Independent Learning: Practicing and Applying What Has Been Taught 103

6 Implementing the Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework 126

References 151

Index 156

About the Authors 162