Instruction Is Organized around Student Interests Effective teachers know when to be explicit, because they know what their students know, what they need to learn, and what they can figure out for themselves. These teachers are planners who are prepared to depart from their plans. In fact, their plans tend to open instructional opportunities and seek learner engagement. They provide managed choice so that students have meaningful choices and can learn from their errors. They use a range of instructional formats, with much interaction.
Students learn to consult with one another and to make their thinking available to others.
In these effective classrooms, evaluations are based more on improvement, progress, and effort than on standard testing methods. And all students work hard. Evaluation is personalized, often holistic, and focused on complex activities. Self-evaluation is encouraged, and students are often provided with rubrics as part of the evaluation process. Students in these exemplary classrooms make superior educational gains as measured by standard achievement tests.