Necessary and Unknown: What to Teach - and What Not to

Coaching conversations sometimes focus around a scope and sequence of instruction: What to teach now and what to teach next.  Sometimes there is a pacing guide involved; in some schools, this is a strict page-by-day requirement; more generously, it is what its name implies: A guide that can be adjusted to meet the needs of students. In any case, we hope that a scope and sequence is guided by developmental trajectories of how students learn. This knowledge is invaluable as teachers consider which skills to teach to individual students and to whole classes. But let’s caution teachers to use knowledge of developmental processes in conjunction with ongoing formative assessment to determine instructional next steps. Instruction should target only what is necessary and unknown.
 
I heard this concise guideline (Teach only what is necessary and unknown) at this year’s ALER conference in an excellent presentation by Mary Roe about the Science of Reading. But it reflects my long-held beliefs about rigor and relevance.
 
As a classroom teacher, I worked with students who might have been labeled “high-risk,” because of family income levels, language knowledge, etc.  For me, this translated into “high responsibility” for ensuring that every minute counted, Yes, that meant bell-to-bell teaching and efficient transitions, but more importantly, it meant that instruction was intentional.  Intentional instruction is focused on what is essential for students to know, understand, and be able to do.*  Intentional instruction means that each lesson targets an ever-escalating zone of proximal development. Teachers can do this only if they know what their students already know – thus, the focus on formative assessment that includes both formal evaluations and lots of kid-watching.
 
The conversation about necessary and unknown arose multiple times this week,  I talked with a parent whose second-grade son has independently read the first 3 Harry Potter books but is sitting through whole-class phonics instruction every day and developing behavior problems because of boredom. Not only is Nick already a reader, he already has solid phonics knowledge (this can’t be assumed). Classroom phonics instruction does not fit the “unknown” criteria for Nick.
 
A similar concern arose this week when an applicant for an open faculty position emphatically described the need for every child to have explicit, systematic phonics instruction, “even if they were already a reader.” While it is true that every child benefits form extensive phonics knowledge, it is not true that every child needs to be marched through the paces of daily whole-class phonics instruction. They may already possess this knowledge. Let’s test and see!
 
Sandy, a veteran first-grade teacher I was talking with this week was well-aware of the “as needed” concept. Again, the focus was phonics instruction, and again, there are students in the class that don’t need it. As we talked, Sandy focused on Christy, who she knows already has the knowledge taught in the weekly phonics lessons prescribed by her district. In addition to targeting Christy’s needs during small group instruction, Sandy was thinking with me about which parts of the literacy block Christy could appropriately participate in to maintain social participation and whole-group experiences while moving her own learning intentionally forward. Since Christy is an independent technology user, Sandy is thinking of valuable extensions and projects that will engage Christy’s interests and help her grow as a learner. Such differentiation isn’t easy, but it is important. Ask Nick’s mom.
 
Although the examples that surfaced for me this week focused on phonics instruction, the necessary and unknown principle applies across the curriculum. Don’t teach use of active verbs to writers who already do it. Don’t drill students on mathematical equations they can already solve. Don’t assign “main idea/detail” worksheets to students who clearly understand these concepts, even if that worksheet is the next one in the resources or the next step on the pacing guide. Whether a student is considered advanced or at risk, the necessary and unknown principle guides responsible teaching.  Teaching what is necessary and unknown is high-responsibility teaching, and coaching teachers to take this stance is high-responsibility coaching.
 
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*Here I am mainly discussing skills. Of course, students’ interests should play a major role in determining content.
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This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Make plans for flexible grouping:
 
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/use-flexible-grouping-classroom/
 
 
Supporting students in monitoring comprehension:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/building-a-reflective-community/
 
 
Affirmation stations for staff:
 
https://blog.teachboost.com/build-a-culture-of-appreciation-with-affirmation-stations
 
Beyond author’s chair: Ways for young writers to share their work:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/writing-share-structures/
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/a-variety-of-share-sessions/
 
 
Building capacity with warmth and wisdom:
 
https://ccira.blog/2021/11/23/the-ted-lasso-effect-how-to-build-capacity-with-warmth-wisdom-and-walk-throughs/
 
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
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