Explaining in the Secondary School

The ability to explain something clearly is a skill which effective teachers use every day, with individuals, small groups, or the whole class. Explanation is the foundation on which the success or failure of a great deal of other forms of teaching can rest. Done well, it saves time and provides motivation. Done badly, it produces uncertainty, or even puts children off their studies, if they think a topic or a concept is beyond them, when it could have been made clear. In this text, The authors show what explanation is and what it aims to do. The book explores the various strategies open to teachers and, through a combination of activities and discussion points, helps them to build up a repertoire of ideas, approaches and techniques which are suitable for various situations, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of their explanations in the classroom. Along the way it covers such issues as the use of an appropriate language register, the place of analogies, building on children's questions and coping strategies for effective explanation when the teacher may be unfamiliar with the subject matter.

Dr George A Brown