Instructional clarity, dare ask for more

Clarity is desired in many facets of life. In  education, when there is instructional clarity, learners understand lessons with ease. 

This creates a serene atmosphere in the classroom because both teachers and learners feel satisfied that the lesson’s objective has been accomplished.

Again, it may allow education stakeholders to conclude that a teaching methodology is effective and, thus, should be adopted during lessons.

But, have you ever experienced a lesson delivery session in which you felt lost, unseen, anxious and even wished for the closure of the session even though it was not the end because you were not clear on what the facilitator, lecturer or teacher was delivering?

Are you aware that some learners do not ask for clarity in lessons they do not understand due to fear of ridicule when they are wrong, being shut out, looking awkward and unintelligent?

In Ghana, it is common to hear some parents claim in the Akan dialect ‘omo nkyere ade yie’’ meaning, the school or teachers do not teach well or provide instructional clarity during lesson delivery.

This situation has resulted in some parents withdrawing their children to either home-school them or send them to a different school. To some extent, there have been cases where schools have folded due to poor instructional clarity.

Personally, I have witnessed the withdrawal of learners from schools because the parents claimed teachers ‘’no nkyere ade yie’’!

Some learners boldly ignore the lectures of such facilitators or teachers the whole of the school year and resort to textbooks, friends’ explanations and instructional videos.

If students do not understand the content and skills being taught, they may disengage and misbehave (Cothran et al., 2009).

Instructional clarity

Instructional clarity can be defined as a teacher’s capacity to deliver classroom instruction clearly and concisely (Maulana et al., 2016). It may be considered a parameter in judging the quality of teaching and learning in schools.

To foster instructional clarity that will engender learners to understand lessons can be a herculean task. This is because the classroom experience is complex, filled with learners of different backgrounds, attitudes, preferences and intellect but a teacher is expected to ensure each of them understands lessons with ease.

Notwithstanding, some teachers stretch limits just to provide clarity to help learners understand lessons.

Unfortunately, others simply rush through the lesson in order to complete the syllabus whether the learners have understood the lesson or not.

Ironically, some learners are also not bothered whether they understand the lesson or not. Their focus may be to memorise lesson content, download them during examinations, obtain at least a pass mark and graduate without resitting.

Others rely on assessment malpractices such as copying the work of peers to earn a pass mark and pretend to have gained mastery of the subjects so they won’t look stupid before them.

Such learners may struggle to transfer lessons learnt in the classroom to real-world experiences. Eventually, there would be no practical change in behaviour, systems, environment or organisation because there has been no real and useful knowledge and skills acquired that must be applied.

Value of dissent

Dissent may yield clarity. In fact, some learners may have prior knowledge about the lesson content. Because of this, teachers should endeavour to create room for all learners to discuss topics and voice their disagreements without fear of confrontation.

This presents an opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings, thereby enhancing  instructional clarity for easy lesson comprehension.

Planning, design

Not all learners may understand a lesson through the same methodology due to their personality differences.

Whilst some prefer visuals to get the concept clear, others may prefer group interactions. It is essential, therefore, for  educators, especially teachers, to have knowledge of the traits of each learner, various lesson methods and assessment strategies during the planning and design of lessons and apply them thoughtfully during implementation.

In conclusion, will learners push for more clarity when lessons look bizarre? Will they dare to ask questions, be curious and even challenge the teacher, lecturer or facilitator on issues they believe otherwise?

Remember, instructional clarity begets understanding, understanding begets learning and learning begets performance. Handle learners with care!

The writer is an institutional assessment practitioner.