Teacher explanations…

…a structured approach.

Hello all. Welcome to the 174th edition of TEPS Weekly!

Ms. Nithya is a Social Science teacher. Today, she is continuing the chapter Democracy with Class 9A, and the focus is on the section ‘Principles of Democracy’. Ms. Nithya asks different students to stand up and read aloud four of the principles and their explanations – Popular Sovereignty, Rule of Law, Fundamental Rights, Separation of Powers. After each explanation is read, she asks students a few quick questions. For example, after a student reads Separation of Powers, she asks: “What does the legislature do? The executive? The judiciary?” “What is a PIL?” Students refer to their textbook and raise their hands to answer.

Ms. Nithya continues with the next three principles in the same way. And then, the bell rings right as a student answers the last question. On the face of it, Ms. Nithya’s class has gone well – students have read new concepts, and students have answered questions.

Why are teacher explanations important?

However, let’s now imagine what is happening in the minds of students. 

We have written a newsletter article explaining how the mind processes information and learns, and we also have a Mini Course and a Short Course on this. To summarise:

• We can think of our mind as having three parts – sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory. The goal is to get information into long-term memory and keep it there for a long time.

• Sensory memory takes in information into the mind through the five senses only when we pay attention to that information.

• Working memory is where information is thought about and actively processed, but it can hold very few pieces of new information for a very short time.

• Long-term memory is where memories are formed and stored in the form of webs of information, after that information has been processed in working memory and connected with existing information in long-term memory.

In Ms. Nithya’s class on the Principles of Democracy, each student’s mind had to process a lot of information in working memory. In fact, if we just focus on the Separation of Powers section, students had to actively think about pieces of information like: What powers are we talking about? What does executive mean? Legislature? Judiciary? What is the difference between making, implementing and interpreting laws? What does ‘checks and balances’ mean here? What does it mean to amend the Constitution? …and many more!

What this means is that this information remained in the student’s working memory. The student’s mind did not get the time, space or support needed to connect the pieces of information with each other and with existing information and become encoded in the web of information in long-term memory. The information was then discarded from working memory and lost as soon as the lesson moved onto the next principle.

This is where teacher explanations become crucial – 1) to make connections between separate words, 2) to organise them into one meaningful idea, and 3) to connect that idea to pre-existing information, all of which ensures that new information gets encoded into long-term memory instead of being lost from working memory as the lesson moves on. Teacher explanations are an integral part of every lesson, regardless of the pedagogical approach. So, teachers must give explanations whether you are using Direct Instruction, Inquiry-Based Learning or Project-Based Learning.

What makes a strong teacher explanation?

Before her next class, the HOD speaks to Ms. Nithya about the importance of including explanations in the lesson. Ms. Nithya quickly jots down her explanations before she heads to Class 9C. After each principle is read, she reads out the explanation. For example, after a student reads Separation of Powers, she explains: Separation of Powers means that the powers of the government are separated into three organs: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The legislature makes laws, the executive implements the laws, and the judiciary interprets the laws. This is important because, in a democracy, power should not be concentrated in one organ. There should be checks and balances. For example, Parliament can make laws, but the judiciary can review them. The executive also works according to the laws made by Parliament. So, the three organs have different functions, and together they help democracy work properly.

This explanation is better than only asking students to read the textbook. However, it still does not serve the core purpose of:

1. Making connections between separate words: It does not clearly connect separate words like legislature, executive, judiciary, laws, Constitution and checks and balances

2. Organising them into one meaningful idea: It does not organise them into one meaningful idea: in a democracy, power is divided so that no one organ can control everything.

3. Connecting that idea to pre-existing information: It also does not connect this idea to something students already know, such as fairness in a game, school rules or what happens when one person has too much control.

So, how can we structure explanations that serve these core purposes? Let’s continue with the example of Separation of Powers.

1. Frame the problem or question: A strong explanation should not begin by directly giving the definition. It should first help students see why the idea is needed. This gives students a clear purpose for listening and prepares their working memory to organise the new information around one central question, instead of treating each term as a separate piece of information.

What might happen if the same group of people made the laws, carried out the laws, and also decided whether those laws were fair?

2. Connect to prior knowledge: A strong explanation should connect the new concept to something students already understand. This gives students an existing mental “hook” to attach the new information to, making it easier for the idea to move from working memory into long-term memory.

Think about a school game. Would it feel fair if one student made the rules, played the game, and also decided who broke the rules?

3. Introduce the new idea: Once students understand the problem, the teacher can introduce the concept as the solution to that problem. This helps students see the new term as meaningful, not just as another definition to memorise.

This is why democracies separate power between three organs of government. The legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out, and the judiciary checks whether they follow the Constitution.

4. Give examples and/or analogies: A strong explanation should include examples that show the idea in action. Examples reduce the load on working memory because students do not have to understand the concept only through abstract words.

For example, Parliament may pass a law. But if that law goes against the Constitution, the judiciary can review it and declare it unconstitutional.

5. Use a visual or representation: A strong explanation should help students see how the parts of the idea are connected. A simple diagram or representation can organise information more clearly than a long verbal explanation.

6. Explain the rule or principle: A strong explanation should make the main principle explicit. This helps students store the concept as one connected idea in long-term memory, not as separate facts.

The main principle is this: in a democracy, power is divided so that no one organ of government can control everything.

7. Show limits and common errors: A strong explanation should also show what the idea does not mean. This prevents students from forming wrong connections in long-term memory.

Separation of Powers does not mean that the three organs never interact. They do interact, but each has a different main responsibility. The legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out, and the judiciary checks whether they follow the Constitution.

8. Summarise the idea: A strong explanation should end by bringing the parts together. This helps students rehearse the connected idea once more before it leaves working memory.

So, Separation of Powers means that government power is divided between three organs. This protects democracy because no one organ can make laws, carry them out, and judge them all by itself.

If the explanation contains most – if not all – components, it is a strong explanation.

Teacher explanations are important because they help make connections between separate words, organise them into one meaningful idea, and connect that idea to pre-existing information. This ensures that new information gets encoded into long-term memory instead of being lost from working memory as the lesson moves on.

A strong teacher explanation does not only give the definition. It frames the problem or question, connects to prior knowledge, introduces the new idea, gives examples, uses a visual or representation, explains the rule or principle, shows limits and common errors, and summarises the idea. So, students do not leave the lesson with a list of terms they heard or read. They leave with a connected understanding of the idea.

Would you like to share explanations from concepts in subjects you teach? Respond to this email and share your explanations! We will share them further with our community of educators.

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Edition: 5.29