Explicit Instruction Guide for Australian Teachers

What Is Explicit Instruction — and Why Is Every State Talking About It?

Explicit instruction is a structured, evidence-based approach to teaching in which the teacher clearly explains and effectively demonstrates what students need to learn, then guides them through supported practice before moving to independent application. It is grounded in cognitive science — specifically how working memory processes new information — and has one of the strongest research bases of any teaching practice.

In 2026, explicit instruction is no longer optional in many Australian classrooms. The NSW Department of Education's What Works Best 2025 framework identifies explicit teaching as "the thread that runs through every theme" of effective practice. Victoria's High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) framework lists explicit instruction among its 10 evidence-based strategies, embedded within the revised Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. And the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has reviewed more than 328 studies and concluded that explicit instruction "has a strong evidence base that meets our highest standards of evidence" and is "likely to work in most contexts."

This guide explains what explicit instruction looks like in practice, how to structure lessons around it, and where to find ready-to-use resources for your classroom. Whether you are new to explicit teaching or looking to refine your approach, this page brings together the research, the models, and the practical strategies you need.

The most widely used framework for explicit instruction is the gradual release of responsibility model — often referred to as I Do / We Do / You Do. It is built on the principle that students learn best when instruction moves from high teacher support to full student independence in a deliberate, scaffolded sequence.

I Do — Teacher Modelling

The teacher demonstrates the skill, strategy, or concept while thinking aloud. This is not a lecture — it is a window into expert thinking. The teacher names the steps, explains why each step matters, and makes the invisible process of reasoning visible to students.

Example (Year 3 persuasive writing): "Watch me write my first argument. I'm going to start with my opinion — I believe school lunchtimes should be longer — and then give a reason. I'll use the word because to connect my opinion to my reason: I believe school lunchtimes should be longer because students need time to eat and play. Notice how I used a linking word to make my argument clear."

We Do — Guided Practice

The teacher and students work through examples together. The teacher provides prompts, asks questions, and gradually reduces support. This stage is where most of the learning happens — students practise the new skill with a safety net.

Example (Year 3 persuasive writing): "Now let's write the next argument together. Who can give me an opinion about lunchtimes? Great — Lunchtimes should include more outdoor play. What reason could we give? Let's use because again…"

You Do — Independent Practice

Students apply the skill independently. The teacher circulates, monitors, and provides corrective feedback. Independent practice should only begin once the teacher is confident that most students can succeed — if too many students are struggling, return to guided practice.

Example (Year 3 persuasive writing): "Now it's your turn. Write your own persuasive paragraph using the structure we practised: opinion, reason with a linking word, and a concluding sentence."

Key principle: Never rush from I Do to You Do. The We Do phase is where students build the confidence and understanding they need to succeed independently. Skipping or shortening guided practice is the most common implementation mistake.

Barak Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction (2010) — drawn from research in cognitive science, studies of master teachers, and cognitive support research — provide the foundation for structuring an explicit instruction lesson. Here is a practical lesson framework aligned to those principles and to AERO's practice guide for explicit instruction.

1. Daily Review (3–5 minutes)

Begin every lesson with a brief review of previously taught content. This activates prior knowledge, strengthens retrieval pathways, and gives you a quick check on what students remember.

• Use mini whiteboards, choral response, or quick-fire questions
• Focus on content from the previous lesson and key concepts from earlier in the unit
• Keep it brisk and engaging — this is about fluency, not new learning
• For maths-specific warm-up ideas, see our maths warm-up activities page

2. State the Learning Intention and Success Criteria

Tell students exactly what they will learn and how they will know they have learned it. This reduces cognitive load by giving students a clear focus.

• Learning intention: "Today we are learning to identify the main idea in an informational text."
• Success criteria: "I can read a paragraph, identify the topic, and write a sentence that captures the main idea."

3. Teach in Small Steps (I Do)

Present new content in small, manageable chunks. Each chunk should include:

• Clear explanation of the concept or skill
• Think-aloud modelling showing your reasoning process
• Worked examples that students can refer back to

4. Guided Practice (We Do)

After each chunk, practise together with the class. Ask many questions, check all students' understanding (not just volunteers), and provide immediate corrective feedback.

• Use strategies like think-pair-share, mini whiteboards, or numbered heads
• Aim for a high success rate (80% or above) before moving on
• If success rate is low, reteach using a different example or explanation

5. Independent Practice (You Do)

Once students have demonstrated understanding during guided practice, release them to practise independently. Monitor closely and provide feedback.

• Circulate to check work and address misconceptions immediately
• Use peer support structures if appropriate
• Provide additional scaffolding for students who need it — see our differentiation strategies page for practical approaches
• Have fast finisher activities ready for students who complete independent work early

6. Review and Check for Understanding

End the lesson with a brief review that connects back to the learning intention and success criteria.

• Exit tickets, summary questions, or self-assessment against success criteria
• Use this data to plan the next lesson — if most students haven't met the success criteria, reteach before moving on

Explicit instruction is not subject-specific — it works across the curriculum. However, it looks slightly different depending on the learning area. Here is how to apply it in two of the most common contexts in primary school.

Explicit Instruction in Literacy

In reading and writing, explicit instruction aligns closely with the science of reading and structured literacy. Key applications include:

Reading comprehension: Rather than simply asking comprehension questions after students read, explicitly teach comprehension strategies — predicting, questioning, summarising, making inferences — using the I Do / We Do / You Do model. Model your own thinking as you read a text aloud, then guide students through applying the strategy with a shared text before they try independently. For more on this approach, see our reading comprehension activities page.

Spelling and phonics: Teach spelling patterns explicitly and systematically rather than relying on word lists alone. Segment complex patterns, model how to apply them, and provide cumulative practice. The AERO practice guide specifically identifies segmenting complex skills and systematic scaffolding as core components of explicit instruction. For structured spelling activities aligned to this approach, browse our collection.

Writing: Explicitly teach text structures, sentence types, vocabulary choices, and editing strategies. Use mentor texts to model, shared writing for guided practice, and independent writing for application. A Year 2 class learning to write an informational text, for instance, needs explicit modelling of how to write a topic sentence before being asked to produce one.

Explicit Instruction in Maths

In mathematics, explicit instruction is particularly effective for teaching procedures, strategies, and mathematical reasoning.

Number facts and operations: Model the strategy (e.g., partitioning for addition), work through examples together, then provide independent practice with immediate feedback. Worked examples — where students study a completed solution before attempting their own — are one of the most effective tools in maths instruction.

Problem solving: Explicitly teach problem-solving steps: read the problem, identify what is being asked, choose a strategy, solve, and check. Model your thinking for each step using a think-aloud, and give students guided practice with increasingly complex problems.

Mathematical vocabulary: Don't assume students understand terms like difference, product, or array. Explicitly teach mathematical vocabulary with definitions, examples, and non-examples, and revisit regularly.

For classroom-ready resources, see our Australian curriculum resources page, which includes materials aligned to the v9 curriculum across all learning areas.

As explicit instruction has moved to the centre of Australian education policy, several misconceptions have emerged. Understanding what explicit instruction is not is just as important as understanding what it is.

"Explicit instruction is just lecturing."

This is the most common misconception. Explicit instruction is deeply interactive. During the I Do phase, the teacher is modelling and thinking aloud — not delivering a lecture. During the We Do phase, students are actively responding to questions, practising with support, and receiving feedback. The research is clear: high levels of student engagement and frequent checking for understanding are defining features of explicit instruction, not optional extras.

"Explicit instruction kills creativity and inquiry."

Explicit instruction and inquiry-based learning are not mutually exclusive. Explicit instruction is most valuable when students are learning new content, skills, or strategies — particularly when the content is complex or unfamiliar. Once students have a strong knowledge base, they are better equipped to engage in inquiry, problem-solving, and creative tasks. As AERO notes, explicit instruction builds the foundational knowledge and skills that make higher-order thinking possible.

"Explicit instruction means every lesson looks the same."

While the I Do / We Do / You Do structure provides a consistent framework, the way it is applied varies across subjects, year levels, and contexts. A Year 1 phonics lesson looks very different from a Year 5 science lesson, even though both use explicit instruction. The framework is a scaffold for effective teaching, not a rigid script.

"Explicit instruction doesn't work for all students."

AERO's review of more than 328 studies found that explicit instruction is effective for students with and without additional learning needs, across primary and secondary settings, and across multiple subject areas including reading, mathematics, spelling, problem solving, and science. It is one of the most inclusive teaching approaches available because it does not rely on students having strong prior knowledge or being able to learn through unstructured exploration. For more on supporting diverse learners, see our learning difficulties classroom strategies page.

"If I teach explicitly, students won't become independent learners."

The opposite is true. The gradual release model is specifically designed to build independence. By moving from full teacher support to collaborative practice to independent application, students develop the knowledge, strategies, and confidence to learn on their own. Explicit instruction gives students the tools they need for independence — it does not create dependence.