Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching (Zach Groshell)
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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 ov...

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