Maximizing Student Achievement with Hattie’s Research and EDI: Practical Insights for School Leaders
In the pursuit of effective teaching, educators continuously seek strategies that yield the highest impact on student learning. Two highly influential approaches in educational research—John Hattie’s Visible Learning and Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) —offer compelling insights into maximizing student achievement.
By integrating these frameworks, teachers can create structured, evidence-based instructional practices that lead to significant learning gains in all types of schools.
What Did John Hattie Find About Effective Teaching?
John Hattie’s Visible Learning: A Data-Driven Approach
John Hattie, a renowned education researcher, conducted an extensive meta-analysis of over 50,000 studies involving more than 80 million students to determine the most effective influences on student achievement. His work, published in Visible Learning, introduced the concept of effect size to quantify the impact of various teaching strategies.
Some of the highest-impact factors Hattie identified include:
- Teacher Clarity (Effect Size: 0.75): Clearly communicating learning objectives and expectations significantly improves student understanding.
- Feedback (Effect Size: 0.73): Providing timely and specific feedback helps students refine their knowledge and skills.
- Direct Instruction (Effect Size: 0.59): Explicit teaching with structured lessons has been proven to enhance learning outcomes.
- Self-Reported Grades (Effect Size: 1.44): Encouraging students to reflect on their own learning progress fosters metacognition and deeper understanding.
What is EDI?
Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI): A Structured Approach to Teaching
Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI), developed by John Hollingsworth and Silvia Ybarra, aligns closely with Hattie’s findings by emphasizing structured and effective lesson delivery.
- Learning Objectives: Clearly state what students will learn and why it is important.
- Concept Development: Introduce new concepts explicitly, using clear language and examples.
- Skill Modeling: Teachers demonstrate the skill or concept step by step, ensuring students understand the process.
- Guided Practice: Students engage in structured practice with teacher support.
- Checking for Understanding: Formative assessments and questioning techniques ensure students grasp key concepts.
- Independent Practice: Students apply their learning in independent or collaborative settings.
How can we integrate Hattie’s research & EDI?
Hattie’s Research and EDI: Creating Impactful Instruction
Integrating Hattie’s high-impact strategies with EDI’s structured framework creates a powerful combination for improving student achievement. However, for these strategies to truly make a difference, administrators must play a central role in ensuring successful implementation across their schools.
For example:
- Teacher Clarity and EDI’s Learning Objectives: Clearly defining and explaining learning goals align directly with Hattie’s emphasis on teacher clarity, which has been shown to significantly improve student understanding and achievement.
- For instance, at the start of an EDI lesson, the teacher explicitly states the learning objective, so students know exactly what they are expected to learn. For example, in a science class, the teacher might say, “Today, we will identify the life cycles of animals.” This practice directly reflects Hattie-backed research, as clarity around learning goals helps students focus, engage, and perform better.
- Feedback and Checking for Understanding: Both approaches stress the importance of ongoing assessment and feedback to guide student progress.
- In an EDI lesson, Checking for Understanding (CFU) is woven throughout the lesson. Students are asked about the learning objective, read it aloud together, and discuss the lesson goal with their peers.
- For example, during Concept Development, the teacher may ask, “Which is an example of a theme? Explain your answer.” This helps ensure students grasp the core concept. During Skill Development, CFU ensures that students understand how to solve problems or complete activities by asking reflective questions such as, “How did I identify the theme of the story?” or “How did you identify the theme?” This ongoing feedback throughout the lesson aligns with Hattie’s research, which underscores the importance of continuous checks for understanding to boost student learning.
- Direct Instruction and EDI’s Skill Modeling: Hattie’s research validates the effectiveness of direct instruction, which is at the core of EDI’s methodology.
- For example, during the Skill Development phase of an EDI lesson, a teacher might introduce a new math concept, such as solving linear equations. The teacher models the process step-by-step, thinking aloud as they solve the equation.
- For instance, they might say, “First, I subtract 5 from both sides to keep the equation balanced.” This modeling provides students with a clear example of how to apply the skill, helping them understand the “how” and “why” behind each step before they practice independently.
The Role of Administrators in Supporting EDI and Hattie’s Research
To fully capitalize on these high-impact strategies, school leaders must prioritize professional development and create a culture of evidence-based teaching. Administrators should actively support teachers by offering ongoing professional development focused on:
- Teacher Clarity and Feedback: Ensuring educators can effectively communicate objectives and provide meaningful, timely feedback to students.
- Structured Lesson Design: Helping teachers build lessons that are explicit, clear, and rooted in research-backed methods like EDI.
- Formative Assessment: Fostering a culture of regular Checking for Understanding to monitor and respond to student progress.
By supporting teachers in these areas, administrators create an environment where strategies based on Hattie’s research can thrive, leading to better student engagement and academic success.
To realize the full potential of Hattie’s research and EDI, school leaders must go beyond simply supporting these frameworks. By providing teachers with the tools, resources, and professional development needed to implement these evidence-based strategies, administrators can create a culture of continuous improvement. With effective guidance, feedback, and a focus on regular formative assessments, administrators will ensure that these high-impact teaching strategies become deeply embedded in the classroom, leading to greater student engagement and achievement.
By applying John Hattie’s research-backed strategies alongside the structured framework of Explicit Direct Instruction, educators can create highly effective learning environments.
This integration ensures that teaching practices are not only research-based but also systematically implemented for maximum impact.
As education continues to evolve, embracing these evidence-based approaches will improve classroom instruction and achieve greater success in classroom engagement.
For more information about Checking for Understanding, check out our blog or explore our bestselling book on Explicit Direct Instruction and other effective strategies. Contact us at info@dataworks-ed.com or call 800-495-1550.