HIGH-LEVERAGE PRACTICES IN Life Skills and Transition Programs

Say It, Show It, Support It:
Making Learning Attainable

Episode Description

In this episode, Heather and guest Veroncia explore High-Leverage Practice #16: using explicit instruction to support student learning, especially in low-incidence classrooms. They discuss how clear, systematic, and structured teaching helps students build foundational skills, gain confidence, and eventually develop creativity. Veronica highlights strategies like modeling, guided practice, scaffolding, and progress monitoring, showing how they make complex skills attainable for students with additional needs or limited background knowledge.
They also address common misconceptions, emphasizing that explicit instruction is not boring and can include flexibility and personalization. The conversation extends to coaching teachers and instructional assistants, demonstrating how modeling and feedback help educators implement these practices effectively. Throughout, the episode underscores the power of explicit instruction to increase student engagement, reduce frustration, and ensure meaningful learning outcomes for all students.

Key Points and Takeaways

  • Explicit Instruction Benefits: Consists of a highly structured method effective in breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps for better student understanding.
  • Misconceptions Debunked: Although sometimes perceived as boring, explicit instruction, with its clear and structured framework, enables creativity and engagement.
  • Student Confidence: Through repetitive and systematic instruction, students build confidence, leading to improved competency in foundational skills.
  • Educator Support: School leaders can significantly assist teachers in implementing explicit instruction through targeted coaching and professional development.
  • Versatility and Research-backed: Proven effective for all grades and educational settings, explicit instruction stands on decades of empirical research supporting its use.
Podcast Guest

Veroncia Monford, MEd, BCBA

Veroncia Monford is a special education instructional specialist who specializes in special education curriculum, functional communication, and daily living skills. She has been a comprehensive development classroom educator and instructional specialist in the public education sector. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time with her family. Veroncia is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with her Bachelors in Speech and Language Pathology and Masters in Special Education.
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High-Leverage Practice #16:
Use explicit instruction.
Teachers make content, skills, and concepts explicit by showing and telling students what to do or think while solving problems, enacting strategies, completing tasks, and classifying concepts. Teachers use explicit instruction when students are learning new material and complex concepts and skills. They strategically choose examples and non-examples and language to facilitate student understanding, anticipate common misconceptions, highlight essential content, and remove distracting information. They model and scaffold steps or processes needed to understand content and concepts, apply skills, and complete tasks successfully and independently.
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Explicit instruction does build confidence and I've seen that in students.

Veroncia Monford, MEd, BCBA

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Host: Heather Volchko

Guest: Veroncia Monford

This week, we're talking about High Leverage Practice #16: Using explicit instruction, and my goodness, Veroncia, in low-incidence classrooms, this is like everything. So, for you, when you're supporting these students, what does this look like?

Well, in the low incidence classrooms, everybody likes a. ‘I do, we do, you do,’ right? It's that systematic approach. I believe it really leaves no room for error. It's very intentional and systematic instruction. And so what that looks like is just that repetitive instruction that kids can just be guided and build those foundational skills. Research tells us that it's effective for everybody, but I find that it is especially effective with those who have disabilities, those who have limited background knowledge, and possibly those with limited functional communication.

It just builds those again, those foundational skills that could lead later on to them being creative. Oftentimes, I hear teachers say it's boring, it's rote. But with that systematic approach, there is room for flexibility. You know, I was just in a classroom today and was delivering curriculum to the educational assistants in the classroom. Their teacher is off for maternity leave. And so it's, it's even easy for them to jump in and to look at the book they can read and be guided by the words there.

Again, I tell them that there could be some flexibility. You'll know once you know the student and you build rapport with that student. You may be able to scaffold and drop a couple of words here or there, add some language in there. But again, it depends on the learner. But there is room for it. It doesn't have to be boring. It's all in the person who delivers it. But explicit instruction does build confidence, and I've seen that in students.

And that repetitive when students actually know what's expected, and the content may change, but the pattern or the overall structure of the curriculum is the same. And it does build confidence in that student. Later, building in creativity, they can eventually get that creative piece, which again is a misconception that explicit instruction doesn't leave room for the creativity piece of it.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, what you're talking about is so many different directions because you're talking from that teacher's perspective. A lot of teachers want to have more flexibility and creativity in their instruction. But then students, by building that structure around it, then that gives them the framework within which they can start to learn how to be creative. So it is really that both/and.

Absolutely, absolutely. It, it makes the learning expectations not in a clear for the student, but also the teacher or the adult who's delivering, you know, nothing missed. You know, it's again, if that student has limited background knowledge, those skills are being built for all of them. So that when it comes to a skill that needs to be learned, they will have it. You know, it's just that foundation piece. I just think it's just, it's a component that is necessary in those low-incidence classrooms. It decreases frustration as well. So yes, I am a big component of explicit instruction.

Well, and it works especially when you're looking at those foundational skills or the basic skills that you're really needing to firm up before you can start building on them. I mean this, it works right? You hit right where they're at. You get right what they need, and then they can see that like, incremental strategic progress that's happening through that. And in behavior analysis, we would start talking about things like errorless learning or precision teaching. Like, how close to perfect from the jump can we just hold their hand to get them through? Because then they can catch that as they're being successful with it.

Yes, absolutely. And there are so many different programs out there that are not one-size-fits-all. There are other programs that are still systematically delivered to the student. And just the parts of it, even the assessment piece, it's clear to know where to place them in the curriculum. I love the explicit instruction that has the progress monitoring that's more like beginning year, mid-year, and end-year.

Because you can then analyze that data to determine, okay, this approach is best for this student, or we need to supplement some things in, you know, in addition to that particular curriculum. But I love even the assessment piece of it. Now, oftentimes, you may have to dig a little deeper because they can be general. But again, it's still, it's a guide when you're in the classroom. As a teacher, I go to school, and I can go off topic. I can go to the left or right because I have that knowledge, or I've gone to and learn how to navigate. But when you think about the other adults in your classroom who may not have their teaching license, it's nice for them to use that particular curriculum or that guide to support them and help them.

Yeah, but even as I was running a lot of these, like scripted curriculums and this explicit instruction side of things, it. It gave me kind of like, I don't know, like I put me at peace knowing that I was catching those foundational pieces. And then by using that assessment data, I could determine where I needed to add on. And then that, for me as an instructor, that was where I could breathe life into my instruction, where I'm like, okay, so we're gonna do this to get through those basics. And then you also need. So we can also do. And then that's that creative instructional piece. For me, as an educator, it's bigger than just that one lesson.

Absolutely, absolutely. It can also build on that generalization piece. You talked about analyzing the data to find out if you have to add in that supplement. But what about those skills that are, you're like, oh, they're are, they are solid on this piece of it, you know, you can start to generalize those skills across different settings or across different people. And you can use that data to demonstrate that. So it's, that's another piece. You may see the breaks to where they do need some extra supplement instruction, but you also see the strengths to keep pushing, you know. So yes, explicit instruction is again, it's research-based. It's effective not just for those low-incidence students, but for all students, actually. It's necessary. It's around, it's here for a reason, and we use it all so well.

I know, because it's been around for quite a while and there's a ton of research backing this. There are also a lot of misconceptions that are out there. So I know one of the ones that you're calling out is that it's boring, right? I don't like teaching this way. The students want to engage. Like all of these misconceptions. But I think you already kind of addressed that saying, well, it's how you show up. I've been able to get very resistant learners through explicit instruction that seemed very rote because of how you show up, and you engage in that.

So what are some other tips and tricks on how to get through explicit instruction when it doesn't really seem like it's something that is super engaging, or other misconceptions that you're like, that's not exactly what it is, though. If you could see it this other way, then you might actually get the benefit out of it.

You're absolutely right. When you talk about it is boring. And it is. It's all based on the relationship that you have with that learner. One of the other misconceptions that comes up is that it limits creativity. But you have to have those foundational skills so that you can build, so they can be confident, so that creativity can come. So that, that is. Again, that's another misconception that they have explicit instruction brings about for all of us.

Again, it does not have to be boring. It's all in the eyes and the presentation of that adult. And I'm noticing now there are more and more students who are coming within our district and within the school, those students who are not vocal. And so adding that piece, that component piece, that assistive technology, please, it slows it down a little bit, but it also brings another creative component to it as well, is navigating that possible AAC.

And that's not boring at all. Just adding that piece just for them to navigate and see, oh, this device brings language, brings learning. You know, putting it all together again, in my opinion, is not boring at all. I can see why people can say it, but. But it does. It's not.

I know you coach a ton of teachers and paras, and you're helping them understand not just explicit instruction, but all of that instruction that they're running in their classroom, how they can really occasion student change, student learning over time. How are you coaching them through seeing how this fits into all of the things that they are doing in their classroom?

When I do coach again, there is explicit instruction in that in itself. And so in doing so, I may have to model those things. And so it's, let me try, let me, let me do it. You watch me, and then I watch you, and then I give you feedback on how to navigate those things. Oftentimes, it comes down to rapport. We talked about this in a previous session. That relationship is key when delivering this instruction.

You can have all the systems in the world. You can have all the guides and the words written out, the guidelines, the material. If you don't have that rapport with that student, it is hard to get them to be engaged in that instruction. That's key too. Again, I'm going to go back to the motivator. They have to be motivated to sit there and to engage in that instruction. But modeling for the assistance or for other stakeholders that are in the. That's a key component as well. It's just watch me do this, and then I watch them do it. And then there's some feedback back and forth, and they may have questions in doing so. But it takes practice. It takes repetition. You have to find your niche in it, learning the curriculum. Oftentimes, you may have to take it. There are times when I've taken books home just to practice saying it out loud because it can sound rote. But when you get feedback from that student, the confidence that they have when they actually respond correctly or even just respond, not even just the correct piece of it, it's a material, it's an approach that does work.

I love that I asked, like, how does it fit into your coaching? And you basically described behavioral skills training, which is explicit instruction for helping adults learn things, even kids learning new skills. Like, it's all together. And it truly is like just one of the many tools in the toolbox that has so much research behind it. And it's so strong when it does work, and you're right, you get to see that learning in that aha moment, it comes so much, I don't know, just easier. Even when we're asking students and maybe our colleagues or our peers to do hard things, it really just makes that learning curve so much more accessible.

I believe that you may not necessarily be a believer in the beginning, but once you actually follow through with it and you see the aha moments and you see the kid and where once they couldn't read and now they can read, that's where the excitement comes in. That's why I'm such a believer in it. And it's effective. I mean, again, research says it, but experience says it too. When you've experienced explicit instruction and you see the fruit of it, you won't go back. You will continue to do it again. You can be flexible and veer off, but there's that guideline, there's that skeleton piece that we must abide by.

Thank you so much. I know you've done a ton of coaching with a bunch of different professionals and a variety of different types of classrooms, and you are such an advocate for making sure that we can help some of our most resistant and struggling learners to really get it right. And that comes through seeing where they're at, meeting them where they're at, and then leveraging those skills and competencies as adults, as those practitioners around them, to really see that learning happen.

So thank you so much for being such an advocate for just good instruction and being able to embed that creativity and that flexibility within that instructional practice for the adults as well. Thank you so much.

Absolutely.



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Oftentimes I hear teachers say it's boring, it's rote. But with that systematic approach, there is room for flexibility.

Veroncia Monford, MEd, BCBA

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Explicit instruction (EI) is a highly structured, supportive, and systematic approach to teaching academic skills. It’s about the teacher guiding the learning process from start to finish—starting with clear explanations or modeling, followed by guiding students through practice, and finally providing opportunities for independent application to ensure mastery. This approach is particularly effective for students who are struggling to learn, as it breaks down complex tasks into manageable steps, offering clear direction every step of the way.


What makes EI stand out is that it taps into research-based principles that are proven to enhance learning outcomes. These include active student engagement, ensuring high levels of success, comprehensive content coverage, and thoughtful instructional grouping. EI also allows for the use of scaffolding, making sure that students are supported until they can perform tasks independently, as well as addressing different types of knowledge. Rosenshine’s six teaching functions—reviewing, presenting new content in small steps, guided practice, corrective feedback, independent practice, and cumulative reviews—serve as the backbone of this method.


The real power of explicit instruction lies in how it increases "academic learning time," a key factor in student success. The more time students spend actively engaged in meaningful, well-structured learning experiences, the better their performance tends to be. When educators consistently implement EI, they create an environment where students, particularly those facing challenges, have a much greater chance of mastering the skills and content they need to succeed.


When we talk about essential High-Leverage Practices (HLPs), there are a few that consistently show up across a range of teaching strategies, and one of the most prominent is HLP 16, which focuses on the use of explicit instruction. This practice is foundational because it plays a role in almost every aspect of supporting students, whether it's academic, social, or behavioral, and it's effective across all grade levels and content areas. Explicit instruction is one of those core techniques that underpins the implementation of many other HLPs, particularly those in the social, behavioral, and instructional domains.


The reason explicit instruction is so critical is that it’s not limited to one specific area of teaching—whether you're helping a student improve their reading comprehension, manage their behavior, or develop social skills, you're likely using principles from this methodology. It’s about clear, structured teaching that ensures students understand the "what" and the "how" of a task before they’re expected to take it on themselves. That’s why for new professionals entering the field, understanding explicit instruction is key. It’s like the gateway to mastering all the other HLPs, especially when it comes to supporting the unique needs of students with disabilities.


Teachers who use explicit instruction effectively create lessons that are carefully sequenced and focused on essential content. They begin each lesson with a clear statement of both the learning goals and their expectations, ensuring that students know what they’re working towards. Before introducing new material, these teachers review prior knowledge and skills, helping students make connections and build a foundation for the new content. Complex skills or strategies are broken down into smaller, manageable parts, making the learning process more approachable and less overwhelming.


Throughout the lesson, clear and concise language is used to ensure students can follow along without confusion. Teachers also provide step-by-step demonstrations, especially when introducing new concepts, offering clarity through concrete examples. They make sure students have plenty of opportunities for guided practice, adjusting support levels based on the student's needs, and using scaffolded approaches that allow for distributed practice over time.


Monitoring student performance closely, teachers provide immediate feedback—whether corrective or affirmative—ensuring that students stay on track and understand both what they’re doing well and what needs improvement. The pace of the lesson is also carefully maintained, responsive to the students’ needs to keep engagement high without overwhelming them.


Teachers who excel at explicit instruction are attuned to their students' learning progress. They use strategic supports to help students organize and retain new knowledge, while continuously adapting their instruction to best meet the shifting needs of their students.


School leaders play a crucial role in helping teachers implement explicit instruction effectively. By offering targeted instruction, professional development, and coaching, leaders can guide educators in how to thoughtfully plan and deliver lessons that incorporate key elements of explicit instruction. Observing teachers in the classroom allows school leaders to assess how well these instructional strategies are being used and to offer specific coaching or feedback on areas needing improvement.


Additionally, support around breaking down complex skills and concepts is essential. Leaders should work closely with teachers or teams to design lessons that logically sequence these skills in a way that students can easily grasp. This process helps ensure that teachers not only understand the principles of explicit instruction but can also apply them in a way that maximizes student success.


Explicit instruction is a powerhouse of an educational methodology, celebrated for both its effectiveness and efficiency. Developed from over four decades of empirical research, explicit instruction (EI) is built on well-defined principles that guide teachers in designing and delivering impactful lessons. This approach boosts academic learning time, a key factor linked to improved student achievement.


EI isn’t just a one-size-fits-all strategy; it’s versatile and applicable across all educational settings—whether in general or special education, and for students of all ages and grade levels. While it benefits all learners, it's especially crucial for those who struggle. Even novice teachers can quickly grasp and adeptly use this method, making it a vital tool for supporting all students in their educational journey.

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