Read About The Science of Opening a Lesson

Read the passage below. You can also use the immersive reader to have it read aloud.

Research in cognitive psychology and education consistently shows that how we frame a lesson at the beginning can have a significant impact on student learning and engagement. This initial framing serves several key purposes:

Activating prior knowledge: By connecting the new lesson to what students already know, framing helps them build on their existing knowledge structures.
Setting expectations: Clearly communicating the learning objectives and success criteria upfront helps students understand what is expected of them and what they should aim to achieve (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).
Providing a roadmap: Outlining the lesson steps gives students a sense of structure and sequence, which can reduce cognitive load and support understanding.
Establishing relevance: Explaining the purpose and value of the learning helps students see the lesson as meaningful and worth their effort.

Effective Framing Strategies

So what does effective lesson framing look like in practice? Research suggests several key strategies:

Advance organizers: Providing an overview of the main ideas and structure of the lesson before diving into specifics can help students grasp the big picture.
Essential questions: Posing thought-provoking, open-ended questions at the start of a lesson can pique students' curiosity and set the stage for deep inquiry (McTighe & Wiggins, 2013).
Concrete examples: Using specific, relatable examples to illustrate abstract concepts can help students connect new ideas to their prior knowledge and experiences.
Explicit instruction: Directly teaching and modeling the skills, strategies, and processes students will need for the lesson can support their success.

The Teacher's Role

Of course, simply including these elements isn't enough – how the teacher frames the lesson also matters. Effective framing requires:

Clarity: Communicating the objectives, criteria, steps, and purpose in student-friendly language.
Enthusiasm: Conveying genuine excitement and interest in the learning to help engage students.
Interaction: Inviting student questions, predictions, and reflections to make the framing a two-way dialogue.
Flexibility: Being willing to adjust the framing based on student responses and needs.

By skillfully framing lessons, teachers can set the stage for meaningful, motivated learning.

Try This Scenario: "Framing for Engagement"

Ms. Johnson, a high school history teacher, has been starting her lessons by simply announcing the topic and diving right into lecturing for the past semester. After attending a professional development workshop on lesson framing, she realizes that her current approach may not be effectively engaging students or supporting their learning. She knows that improving her lesson openings will require planning and practice.

Feeling inspired, Ms. Johnson sits down to plan her next lesson on the American Revolution. If you were Ms. Johnson, what would you do? Click on the three options below to see the likely outcome of each:

Start with an essential question and clear objectives

Ms. Johnson begins her lesson by posing an essential question: "How did the American Revolution shape the ideals of liberty and equality in the United States?" She then clearly states the learning objectives and success criteria for the lesson. By activating students' prior knowledge, setting expectations, and establishing relevance, Ms. Johnson sparks her students' curiosity and helps them engage with the material from the start.

Jump right into a lecture on key dates and figures

Ms. Johnson starts her lesson by launching into a detailed lecture on the key dates and figures of the American Revolution. However, she soon realizes that many students seem disengaged or confused. Some even express frustration, asking how this information relates to them. Ms. Johnson recognizes that she should have framed the lesson more effectively by connecting to prior knowledge, providing a roadmap, and establishing purpose. She resolves to pause the lecture and have students brainstorm what they already know and want to learn about the topic.

Collaborate with students to co-create a lesson roadmap

Ms. Johnson starts her lesson by asking students to share what they remember learning about the events leading up to the American Revolution. Together, they co-create a roadmap of the key topics they need to explore to deeply understand the Revolution and its impact. They also plan to connect the learning to current events and students' own experiences. By collaborating with students and incorporating their input into the lesson framing, Ms. Johnson is able to foster ownership and engagement from the outset.

Reflect and Plan an Opening

Think about your own lesson introductions:

Do you consistently communicate learning objectives, success criteria, lesson steps, and purpose?
Which framing strategies (advance organizers, essential questions, concrete examples, explicit instruction) do you use most often? Which could you incorporate more?
How do you gauge and respond to student understanding and engagement during your lesson framing?

Choose an upcoming lesson and plan out how you will frame it, using the research-based strategies discussed. Consider:

What prior knowledge will you activate and how?
How will you clearly communicate expectations and provide a roadmap for the lesson?
What questions, examples, or hooks will you use to establish relevance and pique curiosity?
How will you directly teach and model key skills and strategies students will need?

Deliberately planning your lesson framing with these evidence-based practices in mind can help ensure your students are primed and ready for the learning ahead.