The Instructional Learning Environment, using gradual release of teaching to student learning, has three critical learning phases: Large Group Instruction where the teacher links the instructional purpose of various concepts to the current unit of study/standards/key vocabulary using “I do” (model new learning) and “We do” (adult-prompted student practice of skill). Small Group Instruction, the “You do”, where students apply their knowledge and productively work individually and with other students through “You do together” or “You do with Me” to build fluency and flexibility in key learning concepts. Independent Learning and Choice Centers are where the teacher/teaching associates/additional educational staff and volunteers support students through “You do independently or inter-dependently with peers” to extend learning through a variety of modalities. All three phases of early learning instruction are focused on the “learning tasks requiring students to engage intellectually, to think; some may involve productive struggle” (Framework for Teaching Cluster 4: Student Intellectual Engagement 1e; 2b/3a/3b/3c).
