Pedagogy First. Technology Second.

Clarity Over Novelty

The strategy, as published

Exactly as it appears on the card

Part of Structuring Explanations in 05 Explanations & Modelling, where it sits alongside its neighbouring strategies, the infographic and the thinking for the whole area.

Why you might use it

The problem it may help with

It is easy to assume the more sophisticated tool teaches better. The EEF found otherwise: clarity matters more than delivery method, and a diagram under a visualiser can outperform a polished video.

So the question to ask of any display is not whether it is impressive but whether it makes this idea clearest for this class.

What it might look like

One version of it, in a classroom

Planning to teach the structure of the heart, a science teacher weighs a slick animation against drawing and labelling the diagram live under a visualiser, and chooses the live drawing: the class sees the structure assembled one part at a time, at the pace of the explanation.

What to notice

Reading what happens

  • Whether pupils can restate the idea afterwards, whichever display you chose.
  • Whether time spent producing a resource is reflected in what the class understood. Effort and clarity are not the same thing.

Things to think about

Before and while you use it

  • Clearest is a judgement about a particular idea and a particular class, and only the teacher in the room can make it.
  • There is nothing wrong with a new tool as such; the test is whether it makes the idea clearer than what you already do.

The wider thinking

Where the evidence sits

The EEF's review of digital technology in classrooms sits behind this card; its finding that clarity beats delivery method is the whole strategy. The card’s attribution stands as published: EEF.

The fuller picture, sources included, is in further reading and evidence for Explanations & Modelling.

Keep exploring

Where next?

Back to this strategy in 05 Explanations & Modelling, across to what you're trying to improve, or into all 144 at once.

Want to take this further?

Support is available

Pedagogy First gives you a starting point. If you want support exploring how approaches like this can work across your school, trust or professional learning programme, that work is available.

Work with Mark