Demonstration of HITS

The high impact teaching strategies (HITS) are 10 instructional practices that reliably increase student learning when they're applied. Here are some simple examples of how I put them into practice in my classroom.

Strategy 1: Setting goals

During the first lesson of the week, I go through the weekly learning plan with my students and allow them to review the weekly learning intention. They are then encouraged to plan and see their own goals for the week based on what they will need to do to meet the learning intention.

Strategy 2: Structuring lessons

Students understand that my lessons follow a particular structure. WHen the enter they know to open the weekly lesson plan which tells them what we will do each day. Generally then I have some lecture time at the board, followed up by independent working time, broken up by check ins, and at the end of the lesson we prepare for an exit ticket or summarise content to cement understanding.

Strategy 3: Explicit teaching

Students enter with the Lesson Intention and Success Criteria on the board, as well as an essential question designed to get them thinking largely. This intention is referred to throughout any direct instruction, or working time in the lesson. A variety of exit slips are used often to get students to demonstrate where they are at in their learning.

Strategy 4: Worked examples

Across all my subjects I created a website of worked examples for all assessments this year. These student exemplar works allowed scaffolding and guided the students through independent practice allowing them to review and improve their work.

Strategy 5: Collaborative learning

The Drama Classroom requires great collaboration when playmaking. Students regularly work in an ensemble to devise work learning to 'hold on tightly, let go lightly' to their ideas and creations.

Strategy 6: Multiple exposures

I use a range of strategies such as video lessons, worksheets, discussions to let students have multiple exposures to content and key knowledge and skills.

Strategy 7: Questioning

VTS

Strategy 8: Feedback

Google Forms

Strategy 9: Metacognitive strategies

I love using Canva to create scaffolds and thinking routines. Many examples can be found on the methods pages on this site.

Strategy 10: Differentiated teaching