![[Review] Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching (Zach Groshell) Summarized](https://episodes.castos.com/660078c6833215-59505987/images/2298838/c1a-085k3-z3prw7m0hjv3-xgflqv.jpg)
Show Notes
Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching (Zach Groshell)
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWCDPDGN?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Just-Tell-Them%3A-The-Power-of-Explanations-and-Explicit-Teaching-Zach-Groshell.html
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- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/B0CWCDPDGN/
#explicitinstruction #teacherexplanations #directteaching #instructionalcoaching #classroompractice #JustTellThem
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Why clarity beats guessing in learning, A central message is that students should not have to infer what the teacher means, what a task requires, or how success will be judged. When instruction depends on students picking up hidden rules, only those with the right prior knowledge, language proficiency, or confidence tend to thrive. Explicit teaching reframes this: the teacher anticipates where confusion will occur and addresses it upfront through precise language, clear models, and well structured examples. This clarity is not about simplifying content or lowering rigor. Instead, it is about removing unnecessary cognitive obstacles so students can invest their effort in the important thinking. The book positions explanations as a tool for equity, since transparent directions and criteria support learners who may be unfamiliar with academic norms. It also highlights efficiency, because time spent clarifying early can prevent repeated reteaching later. In practice, this topic points teachers toward making goals visible, defining key vocabulary, showing what quality looks like, and explicitly teaching the steps that experts often do automatically.
Secondly, Explanations as a teachable instructional skill, The book treats explanation as a craft that can be improved rather than a personality trait. Effective explanations are planned, coherent, and responsive to learner needs. They often include a clear purpose, an organized sequence, and an emphasis on the critical features that students must notice. Groshell encourages educators to move beyond talking more and toward talking better, using structure to prevent rambling and to keep attention on the essential ideas. This includes choosing examples that reveal patterns, using non examples to draw boundaries, and highlighting common misconceptions before they harden. A strong explanation also anticipates where students may misinterpret a term or step and addresses it directly. The book links explanation to cognitive load: if too many new elements arrive at once, students cannot retain them. Teachers therefore benefit from chunking content, pausing for quick checks, and using brief guided practice to confirm that the explanation landed. Over time, improved explanations can raise classroom confidence and reduce off task behavior driven by uncertainty.
Thirdly, Explicit instruction routines that build mastery, Beyond the concept of being explicit, the book emphasizes routines that translate clarity into learning gains. These routines typically include modeling, guided practice, independent practice, and feedback loops. Modeling shows students how an expert thinks and acts, making invisible decision points visible. Guided practice then gives students structured opportunities to try the process with teacher support, so errors are corrected early and success becomes repeatable. Groshell promotes frequent checks for understanding to prevent the class from moving forward with shaky foundations. This may involve cold calling, quick written responses, short quizzes, or targeted questioning that reveals student thinking rather than surface compliance. The overall aim is to build automaticity where it matters, freeing attention for higher level reasoning later. The routines also help teachers pace instruction, deciding when to slow down for clarification and when to release responsibility. In this topic, explicit teaching is framed as a pathway to independence, because students who understand the steps and criteria can later apply them without constant prompts.
Fourthly, Making thinking visible through worked examples and modeling, A recurring implication of explicit teaching is that teachers should show more of the process, not just the final answer. Worked examples, demonstrations, and think alouds help students see how to approach a task, how to monitor progress, and how to recover from mistakes. The book highlights that novices often fail not from lack of effort but because they do not know where to start, what to attend to, or how to check their work. Modeling addresses this by naming the steps, explaining why each step matters, and connecting actions to underlying principles. Importantly, modeling is most effective when it is deliberate: it focuses on the decision points students must learn, uses simple initial examples before increasing complexity, and includes opportunities for students to practice the same pattern soon after. The topic also points to the value of contrasting examples that show what changes and what stays the same across problems. Over time, these strategies help students internalize patterns and develop the ability to self explain, which is a powerful driver of retention and transfer.
Lastly, Balancing explicit teaching with engagement and deeper learning, The book challenges the false choice between explicit teaching and meaningful learning. Clear explanations and explicit routines can coexist with inquiry, discussion, creativity, and rich tasks. The key is timing and sequencing: students often need foundational knowledge and strategies before they can productively explore or debate. Groshells approach implies that explicit instruction can serve as the launchpad for deeper work by ensuring students have the tools to participate. Engagement is not only about entertaining activities, but about students experiencing success, understanding expectations, and feeling oriented in the lesson. Explicit teaching supports this by reducing anxiety and giving students a clear pathway to competence. The topic also suggests that teachers should be intentional about when to step in with explanation and when to step back to let students struggle productively. Good explicit teaching does not eliminate challenge. It eliminates needless ambiguity. When students know the goal, the constraints, and the method options, they can invest their effort in higher order thinking, collaboration, and applying skills in new contexts.
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWCDPDGN?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Just-Tell-Them%3A-The-Power-of-Explanations-and-Explicit-Teaching-Zach-Groshell.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Just+Tell+Them+The+Power+of+Explanations+and+Explicit+Teaching+Zach+Groshell+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/B0CWCDPDGN/
#explicitinstruction #teacherexplanations #directteaching #instructionalcoaching #classroompractice #JustTellThem
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Why clarity beats guessing in learning, A central message is that students should not have to infer what the teacher means, what a task requires, or how success will be judged. When instruction depends on students picking up hidden rules, only those with the right prior knowledge, language proficiency, or confidence tend to thrive. Explicit teaching reframes this: the teacher anticipates where confusion will occur and addresses it upfront through precise language, clear models, and well structured examples. This clarity is not about simplifying content or lowering rigor. Instead, it is about removing unnecessary cognitive obstacles so students can invest their effort in the important thinking. The book positions explanations as a tool for equity, since transparent directions and criteria support learners who may be unfamiliar with academic norms. It also highlights efficiency, because time spent clarifying early can prevent repeated reteaching later. In practice, this topic points teachers toward making goals visible, defining key vocabulary, showing what quality looks like, and explicitly teaching the steps that experts often do automatically.
Secondly, Explanations as a teachable instructional skill, The book treats explanation as a craft that can be improved rather than a personality trait. Effective explanations are planned, coherent, and responsive to learner needs. They often include a clear purpose, an organized sequence, and an emphasis on the critical features that students must notice. Groshell encourages educators to move beyond talking more and toward talking better, using structure to prevent rambling and to keep attention on the essential ideas. This includes choosing examples that reveal patterns, using non examples to draw boundaries, and highlighting common misconceptions before they harden. A strong explanation also anticipates where students may misinterpret a term or step and addresses it directly. The book links explanation to cognitive load: if too many new elements arrive at once, students cannot retain them. Teachers therefore benefit from chunking content, pausing for quick checks, and using brief guided practice to confirm that the explanation landed. Over time, improved explanations can raise classroom confidence and reduce off task behavior driven by uncertainty.
Thirdly, Explicit instruction routines that build mastery, Beyond the concept of being explicit, the book emphasizes routines that translate clarity into learning gains. These routines typically include modeling, guided practice, independent practice, and feedback loops. Modeling shows students how an expert thinks and acts, making invisible decision points visible. Guided practice then gives students structured opportunities to try the process with teacher support, so errors are corrected early and success becomes repeatable. Groshell promotes frequent checks for understanding to prevent the class from moving forward with shaky foundations. This may involve cold calling, quick written responses, short quizzes, or targeted questioning that reveals student thinking rather than surface compliance. The overall aim is to build automaticity where it matters, freeing attention for higher level reasoning later. The routines also help teachers pace instruction, deciding when to slow down for clarification and when to release responsibility. In this topic, explicit teaching is framed as a pathway to independence, because students who understand the steps and criteria can later apply them without constant prompts.
Fourthly, Making thinking visible through worked examples and modeling, A recurring implication of explicit teaching is that teachers should show more of the process, not just the final answer. Worked examples, demonstrations, and think alouds help students see how to approach a task, how to monitor progress, and how to recover from mistakes. The book highlights that novices often fail not from lack of effort but because they do not know where to start, what to attend to, or how to check their work. Modeling addresses this by naming the steps, explaining why each step matters, and connecting actions to underlying principles. Importantly, modeling is most effective when it is deliberate: it focuses on the decision points students must learn, uses simple initial examples before increasing complexity, and includes opportunities for students to practice the same pattern soon after. The topic also points to the value of contrasting examples that show what changes and what stays the same across problems. Over time, these strategies help students internalize patterns and develop the ability to self explain, which is a powerful driver of retention and transfer.
Lastly, Balancing explicit teaching with engagement and deeper learning, The book challenges the false choice between explicit teaching and meaningful learning. Clear explanations and explicit routines can coexist with inquiry, discussion, creativity, and rich tasks. The key is timing and sequencing: students often need foundational knowledge and strategies before they can productively explore or debate. Groshells approach implies that explicit instruction can serve as the launchpad for deeper work by ensuring students have the tools to participate. Engagement is not only about entertaining activities, but about students experiencing success, understanding expectations, and feeling oriented in the lesson. Explicit teaching supports this by reducing anxiety and giving students a clear pathway to competence. The topic also suggests that teachers should be intentional about when to step in with explanation and when to step back to let students struggle productively. Good explicit teaching does not eliminate challenge. It eliminates needless ambiguity. When students know the goal, the constraints, and the method options, they can invest their effort in higher order thinking, collaboration, and applying skills in new contexts.
