Start the New Year Strong: Refreshing EDI Fundamentals for a Successful Year Ahead
As we celebrate the holiday season and welcome a new year, DataWORKS Educational Research team would like to wish educators, administrators, and students a happy and successful New Year! This time of year provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, celebrate the progress students have made, and prepare for the opportunities ahead.
As educators return from the holiday break, the beginning of the new year is the perfect time to refresh and revisit the fundamentals of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI®). Just like students benefit from reviewing important skills and concepts, teachers benefit from reconnecting with the instructional practices that create strong, effective lessons.
EDI fundamentals provide a foundation for ensuring students receive clear explanations.
Meaningful practice, and frequent opportunities to demonstrate their understanding. Reviewing key components such as Learning Objectives, Activating Prior Knowledge, Concept Development, Guided Practice, Checking for Understanding, and Closure helps teachers start the year with a renewed focus on effective first teaching.
A refresher on EDI strategies also helps strengthen classroom routines and student engagement.
Techniques such as Pair-Share, Whiteboards, Complete Sentences, and TAPPLE® Checking for Understanding allow teachers to quickly identify what students know, address misconceptions, and adjust instruction when needed. These practices help ensure that all students—not just the most confident learners—have opportunities to participate and show their understanding.
To support teachers in implementing EDI practices, DataWORKS Educational Research offers thousands of ready-to-teach lessons available through Educeri.com.
These lessons are designed with EDI principles in mind and provide teachers with high-quality instructional resources they can use immediately in their classrooms. Whether teachers need support in English language arts, mathematics, science, English language development, or other content areas, Educeri provides resources to help make planning and instruction more efficient.
