High Impact Teaching Strategies
to Enhance Student Learning Growth and Engagement

Every classroom activity can contribute to learning, but the key lies in discovering what methods yield the greatest impact. Our focus should be on refining and prioritizing these high-impact strategies to maximize student success.

High-impact teaching strategies (HITS) are evidence-based instructional practices that have been shown to have a significant positive effect on student learning. When used appropriately, these internationally renowned strategies enhance an educators ability to propel student learning. These strategies are often most effective when used in combination, tailored to the specific needs of students, and supported by ongoing professional development for teachers.

These include:

Setting Goals: Clearly defined learning goals provide students with a sense of direction and purpose, helping them understand what they are working towards and why it matters.
Explicit Teaching: This involves clearly explaining and demonstrating new concepts or skills, often breaking down complex ideas into more manageable parts. It includes modeling, guided practice, and checking for understanding.
Feedback: Providing students with specific, timely, and actionable feedback on their work helps them understand their progress and areas for improvement.
Differentiated Instruction: Tailoring teaching methods and materials to meet the diverse needs of students in the classroom ensures that all students can access the curriculum and achieve their potential.
Questioning: Thoughtful questioning stimulates critical thinking, encourages student engagement, and checks for understanding. Open-ended questions that promote discussion are particularly effective.
Worked Examples: Providing students with step-by-step demonstrations of how to solve a problem or complete a task can help them understand the process and reduce cognitive load.
Metacognitive Strategies: Teaching students how to think about their own thinking helps them become more self-aware learners. Metacognitive strategies include planning, monitoring, and evaluating their learning processes.
Collaborative Learning: Encouraging students to work together in groups promotes the exchange of ideas, peer teaching, and the development of communication skills. Collaborative learning can be particularly effective when tasks require higher-order thinking
Multiple Exposures: Revisiting key concepts or skills at different times and in different contexts helps reinforce learning and ensures students retain what they have learned.
Scaffolding: Providing temporary support to students as they learn new concepts or skills, and gradually removing that support as they become more independent, helps them achieve a deeper understanding.

Our aim is to support teachers to enhance their knowledge, skill and confidence in knowing when and how to implement HITS to support student learning.

AITSL Standards addressed in this Professional Learning / partnership:

Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 Understand how students learn

Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.4 Select and use resources