Mastering HITS Teaching: A Comprehensive Guide to High Impact Teaching Strategies

The start of a new school year is always filled with promise and a dash of stress. As you prepare your lesson plans and get to know your new students, we're here to help you make the most of your teaching experience. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into two key High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS)—structuring lessons and multiple exposures—to set you up for a successful year ahead. We'll also show you how the Edrolo platform can seamlessly integrate these strategies into your teaching routine.‍

What are High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS)?

High Impact Teaching Strategies, commonly referred to as HITS, are evidence-based approaches designed to significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. These strategies are universally effective and can be adaptedto various educational settings, including the New South Wales curriculum, where HITS are known as “What Works Best”.

Structuring Lessons for Maximum Impact

Effective lesson planning is a cornerstone of HITS teaching. It's not just about planning a single lesson but creating a roadmap that spans the entire school year, term, and week. This meticulous planning ensures that you stay on course, providing ample opportunities to reinforce classroom routines, scaffold learning, and introduce targeted activities. Here's how you can maximize the impact of your lessons:
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• Set Clear Learning Goals: Begin each lesson by outlining the learning objectives and success criteria
  

• Provide Detailed Instructions: Communication is key. Make sure to offer clear and detailed instructions and explanations
  

• Highlight Transitions: Clearly indicate transitions between different parts of the lesson to maintain student focus
  

• Emphasize Key Concepts: Use various teaching aids like models and examples to emphasize main ideas
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• Review and Recap: End each lesson by revisiting the main concepts and asking students to self-rate their understanding based on the success criteria
  

Leveraging Edrolo for Structured Lessons

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The Edrolo platform offers a range of features to help you implement HITS teaching strategies effectively. For instance:

• Unit Planners: Use the Unit Planners that Edrolo offers to guide your lesson planning, complete with links to relevant study designs or syllabus points
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• Learning and Teaching Frameworks: The Edrolo platform supports frameworks like Jane Pollock’s GANAG to help you sequence learning effectively
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• Data Grids: Use Edrolo's data grids to assess student prior knowledge and tailor your teaching approach
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The Art of Chunking Information

One of the challenges in HITS teaching is avoiding cognitive overload for students. The human short-term memory can only hold 5-9 new pieces of information at a time. To navigate this limitation, the technique of 'chunking' can be invaluable. Here's how:

• Break It Down: Divide complex information into smaller, manageable units
  

• Identify Patterns: Look for recurring themes or concepts that can be grouped together

• Use Titles: Introduce new concepts with descriptive titles to guide the learning process
  

Tip: Set your learning goals using the Edrolo learning intentions, which you can find in the textbooks and in each video lesson.

Multiple Exposures for Deep Learning

Multiple exposures are crucial in HITS teaching for deep and lasting learning. Research shows that repeated, spaced interactions with new knowledge and concepts significantly enhance learning outcomes. Here are some ways to plan for multiple exposures:

• Spaced Practice: Distribute learning sessions over time to allow for better retention and understanding
  

• Interleaving: Combine similar topics in a single lesson to maximize the benefits of spaced practice

• Quick Quizzes: Use quizzes to re-engage students with previous content, helping them identify areas that need further practice

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Edrolo's Role in Facilitating Multiple Exposures

The Edrolo platform is designed to support the concept of multiple exposures in HITS teaching:

• Questions from Multiple Lessons: The textbooks Edrolo offers, contain question sets that span multiple lessons, encouraging spaced practice
  

• Review Mistakes: The platform allows students to revisit their mistakes on topic exams, providing immediate feedback for improvement
  

As we've explored, High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) offer a robust framework for elevating the quality of your teaching and the learning outcomes for your students. From structuring lessons to providing multiple exposures to new knowledge, these strategies are indispensable tools in the modern educator's toolkit.

What makes these strategies even more powerful is the support of a platform like Edrolo. With its array of features designed to facilitate HITS teaching, from Unit Planners to data grids and more, Edrolo is your go-to resource for making the most of these impactful strategies.

Ready to take your teaching to the next level with HITS teaching strategies? There's no better time than the start of a new school year to implement these proven methods. With Edrolo by your side, you're well-equipped to make this school year your most successful yet.

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