Guided+Practice

During guided practice, teachers provide observed, direct practice with feedback during class time. After introducing students to a knowledge, concepts, or skills at home or in the beginning of class, teachers give students an opportunity to demonstrate their learning in class while the teacher circulates around the room, observing their efforts and providing feedback.


 * 1. State Learning Objective and Activate Prior Knowledge**

Teachers begin by providing explicit instruction about the new knowledge, skill, or behavior related to a learning objective. Alternately, if students have already been introduced to the new material the night before, teachers begin with a check for understanding (CFU) and perhaps expand on that material.


 * 2. Relate the Importance of the Learning Objective and Develop Familiarity and Relevance of the Concept**

Teachers can make connections with other factual knowledge or events the reflect similar concepts or provide other examples of the behavior or skill in multiple real-world contexts. If students were asked to brainstorm or explore a topic the night before, teachers can call on students to share their ideas about the significance of the learning objective or concept.


 * 3. Employ Guided Practice**

After students have demonstrated a basic understanding of the knowledge, concept, or skill, teachers assign a relevant guided practice during class (e.g., working a problem set, reading aloud, emulating a model, demonstrating a behavior, collaborating with others).


 * **Initial Practice:** This phase involves close teacher supervision with praise, prompt, and leave. As students are working, the teacher observes their work, praises their achievement, provides further direction, and circulates to other students. This formative assessment of individual student learning allows teachers to identify students' strengths, analyze errors, and provide corrective feedback.
 * **Reteaching**: Once the teacher has a good grasp on the strengths and weaknesses, the teacher can reteach the lesson to individuals, small groups, or the entire class, using new examples or different contexts.
 * **Continued Practice**: After reteaching, the teacher continues to guide student practice, perhaps drawing upon stronger students as peer tutors.


 * 4. Provide Closure**

Teachers end the lesson with a class-level activity that checks for understanding of the group and provides remediation, if necessary.


 * 5. Assign Independent Practice**

Only after students have demonstrated a sufficient level of mastery (many sources recommend 80%), teachers assign work that students should be able to complete in an unguided setting.