Should "I do, We do, You do" in math?
Updated: 2 days ago
What is “I do, we do, you do”
Commonly referred to as “I do, we do, you do” the gradual release of responsibility (GRR) model is an instructional model where teachers deliver lessons in intentionally structured chunks. In their book, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching, Authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey define gradual release of responsibility as an, “instructional framework [that] is based on the belief that teachers can intentionally increase students' ownership of learning over time” (p. 2). They define each part of the framework as:
Focused instruction → “I do it”
Guided instruction → “We do it”
Collaborative learning → “We do it together”
Independent learning → “You do it alone”
What is “I do, we do, you do” in Math
As an instructional coach who’s been in hundreds of classrooms around the country, this is how I see interpreting “I do, we do, you do” in Math:
20 minutes of lecture or “I do”
20 minutes of classwork worksheet of “we do” (sometimes I hear “work with your team on this thrown in here)
20 minutes of homework from the book or another worksheet for the “you do”
Should "I do, We do, You do" in math?
The short answer is no. If you teach students who struggle with math the answer is definitely no.
Twenty minutes of “I do,” followed by twenty minutes of “we do,” followed by twenty minutes of “you do,” is not effective for students who struggle with math. I know because I tried it and it did not go well. My classroom was chaotic and my students weren’t learning. And it’s not just me. I’ve never seen it go well for students who are behind in any classroom that uses this strategy.
But why? Why isn’t it effective for students who struggle?
Lose focus: Twenty minutes of direct instruction is too long for many students to stay focused.
No formative checks for understanding: After lecturing for 20 minutes you have collected no formative feedback about if your students are understanding the material or not. Modeling it is not them understanding it. You have to build in randomized formative assessment between lecture and releasing them for group work or independent practice. Without it, you will continue to have students not complete group work or constantly be asking for help.
No student feedback: During the “you do” or “we do” portion students have no idea if they are getting the math correct. They could do the whole classwork worksheet incorrect or all of the book work problems incorrect and have no idea.
A Shift in Strategy
If you have my book or buy my book, you will see me (well, read me) speaking favorably about Gradual Release of Responsibility. But when you learn more, you can do better. Since the publishing of my book I’ve learned how polarizing words like “Gradual Release of Responsibility” and “I do, we do, you do” are in the math community. I believe using those words has contributed to more than a few people misunderstanding what I believe about math education. So as I’ve learned more, I’m trying to do better.
I still believe my Math Wars Method® is a super effective tool to have in your teaching toolbox, but I am shifting how I talk about it so that it’s not as polarizing. You can read more about Math Wars Method® on this blog post.
If you want to learn more about effective math instruction strategies for students who struggle with math, register for my totally FREE Math Intervention Masterclass, specifically for 6-12th grade teachers. Click here to save your seat.
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