Our Approach to Teaching and Learning
Learning does not happen by chance. Learning happens by design.
At Clover Hill State School, we use Explicit Instruction as our whole school approach to teaching. This means learning is carefully planned, clearly explained, modelled step by step, practised with support, then applied with increasing independence.
Our approach is grounded in a simple belief that every student deserves access to high quality teaching in every classroom, every day. We do not leave essential learning to chance. Teachers make the purpose of learning clear, connect new ideas to what students already know, demonstrate new knowledge or skills, check for understanding, provide affirmative and corrective feedback, then adjust their teaching in response to what students need.
Explicit Instruction is not a script. It is not endless teacher talk. It does not mean that every lesson looks the same.
It is a responsive approach in which teachers use their professional expertise to decide when students require direct explanation, modelling, guided practice, further support, independent practice or opportunities to apply learning in new ways.
Why we use Explicit Instruction
Our approach reflects research from cognitive science, educational psychology, neuroscience, plus the broader Science of Learning.
Learning occurs when new knowledge or skills become securely stored in long term memory. Once knowledge can be recalled, students can use it to understand more complex ideas, solve unfamiliar problems, think critically or create something new.
The challenge is that working memory, where we consciously process new information, has a limited capacity. Too much information, unclear instructions or an overly complex task can overwhelm it. This is known as cognitive overload.
Explicit Instruction helps teachers manage this load. New learning is presented in carefully sequenced steps. Teachers use clear explanations, worked examples, modelling, guided practice, frequent checks for understanding, feedback, review, plus retrieval. This allows students to focus their mental effort on the learning that matters.
Research from the Australian Education Research Organisation identifies Explicit Instruction as an effective way to help students acquire, retain, recall, then apply new knowledge or skills. Cognitive Load Theory, developed through the work of Professor John Sweller, also explains why clear sequencing, modelling, scaffolding, plus guided practice are particularly important when students are learning something new.
Teaching that responds to the developing brain
Children's capacity to focus attention, manage impulses, organise their thinking, hold information in mind, then regulate their responses develops throughout childhood into adolescence. These abilities do not emerge through maturity alone. They develop through experience, interaction, instruction, plus repeated practice.
This is why calm classrooms, predictable routines, clear expectations, positive relationships, plus a strong sense of belonging matter at Clover Hill. These are not separate from academic learning. They create the conditions that allow students to direct their attention towards it.
Our teachers reduce unnecessary distraction, establish consistent learning routines, activate prior knowledge, then present new information in manageable parts. Students receive support while learning is new. That support is gradually reduced as knowledge becomes secure.
The goal is not dependence on the teacher. The goal is successful independence.
Knowledge supports deeper thinking
Explicit Instruction is sometimes wrongly described as being opposed to creativity, problem solving or student agency. This presents a false choice.
Students need knowledge to think deeply. A student cannot analyse a text without understanding its vocabulary, context or structure. A student cannot solve a complex mathematical problem without secure knowledge of number, operations or mathematical relationships. Creativity does not occur in an empty space. It draws upon knowledge held in memory.
At Clover Hill, Explicit Instruction builds the foundations students need to question, reason, investigate, create, collaborate, then apply learning in increasingly sophisticated ways. As students move from novice towards greater expertise, teachers adjust the level of guidance. Students take greater responsibility as they become ready to do so.
What this looks like at Clover Hill
Our Pedagogical Framework brings the research into daily classroom practice. It is built around two connected conditions:
- Learning Readiness: Students feel safe, connected, focused, plus ready to engage.
- Teaching Readiness: Teachers are prepared with precise curriculum knowledge, carefully sequenced lessons, clear explanations, suitable models, planned checks for understanding, plus responsive support.
Within these conditions, our teachers use eight shared core practices:
- Goal Setting
- Checking for Understanding
- Teaching Metacognition
- Chunking and Sequencing
- Affirmative and Corrective Feedback
- Adaptive and Responsive Teaching through Gradual Release
- Retrieval Practice and Spaced Repetition
- Effective Questioning
These practices create consistency across our school without removing teacher judgement. They provide a common language for planning, observation, coaching, professional dialogue, plus continual improvement.
Our commitment is clear, every student should experience teaching that is purposeful, evidence informed, responsive, plus designed for how learning occurs.
Selected research