Purposes of Explanations

Explaining why we explain - Thinking about how explanations are used in the classroom

Lesson idea. The resource comprises one 3 page DfES document (drawn from a larger document - see related resources). It explores some types of 'explanation' - lesson purpose/objectives, processes/procedures/skills (how), cause and effect (why), relationships (effect over time), concepts. It finishes with an activity for teachers to consider exploring the types of explanation they have used in their KS3/4 and Post-16 lessons.

Teaching approach. This resource focuses on 'explanation' in relation to learning objectives^(ta), concept and process learning, and engaging higher order^(ta) reasoning^(ta) skills.

Resource details
Title	Understanding the Purposes of Explanations
Topic
Teaching approach
Learning Objectives	By the end of the document you should have considered some of the things you have explained, how, and why, and how this might relate to your classroom practices.
Format / structure	.doc
Subject
Age of students / grade
Table of contents
Additional Resources/material needed
Useful information
Related ORBIT Wiki Resources	See other DfE(i) resources
Other (e.g. time frame)
Files and resources to view and download	File:Purpose of Explanations.doc also available as WikiText here
Acknowledgement
License

• This resource is part of the DfES resource "Pedagogy and practice: Teaching and learning in secondary schools" (ref: 0423-2004G) which can be downloaded from the National Archives http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110809101133/nsonline.org.uk/node/97131 The whole resource (512 pages) can be downloaded as a pdf File:Pedagogy and Practice DfES.pdf
• The resource booklets, and many 'harvested' documents are available to download, generally in editable formats from the ORBIT resources, see Category:DfE.
• The videos from the accompanying DVDs are available: Video/Pedpack1 and Video/Pedpack2