Clarity is the heart of what people usually mean when they think of teaching: cognitive interaction. |
Clarity Concepts for Supporting Students’ Understanding
Clarity is the heart of what people usually mean when they think of teaching: cognitive interaction. There are 10 categories of teacher behavior in Clarity, each with its independent, deep, and validated research base . We have grouped them into five functions (see Figure 11.1).
In this chapter we examine each of the categories of behavior and discuss the choices or repertoires available to us within each category. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the purposes and knowledge about good questioning skills.
Clear teachers guide student thinking in deliberate ways along a structured route engineered for thinking and learning. |
Effective explainers cue students explicitly to make the connections and use the kinds of thinking that will lead to learning the material. |
It is essential that the teacher knows in clear terms what the objective is and eventually guides and enables the students to produce language that captures this understanding in their own words. |