How to build 21st century skills with ease by explicitly teaching in preschool today

By Michael Hilkemeijer

 

 

 

What is Explicit Teaching? A Guide for Preschool Educators

Educators in early childhood often ask, what is explicit teaching and how does it look in a preschool setting? According to the New South Wales Department of Education, explicit teaching is a structured, systematic approach where teachers clearly model skills, break down complex tasks, and provide guided practice before children apply their learning independently (NSW Education).

 

This method ensures children understand both the “what” and the “why” of their learning. The Australian Education Research Organisation highlights that explicit instruction is one of the most effective ways to optimise learning outcomes across all ages, as it makes expectations clear and reduces cognitive overload for young learners (AERO).

 

In practice, explicit teaching involves steps such as modelling, checking for understanding, scaffolding, and providing feedback. ClickView explains that this process is especially powerful in early learning, as children benefit from observing a task demonstrated, trying it alongside the teacher, and then practising independently with confidence (ClickView).

 

When applied in preschool contexts, this approach aligns with the developmental needs of young children who thrive on clear guidance combined with hands-on opportunities. As AERO notes, explicit instruction supports early literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving because children know exactly what to do and can build success step by step (AERO).

 

By understanding what is explicit teaching, educators can begin to see how structured strategies open up opportunities for preschoolers to explore concepts, build skills, and gain confidence.

 

Yet many teachers find the real challenge is turning this approach into daily practice. It’s one thing to know that explicit teaching involves modelling, scaffolding, and independent practice; it’s another to design lessons, check for understanding, and reflect on outcomes without extra support. This is where the ICT in Education Teacher Academy membership bridges the gap. It provides the lesson plans, tools, and community that bring explicit teaching to life in preschool classrooms.

 

 

 

How the Membership Helps You Apply Explicit Teaching

What You Learn About Explicit Teaching	How the Membership Helps You Apply It
Clear modelling and step-by-step instruction	Access ready-to-use preschool lesson plans that demonstrate modelling in action (e.g., teaching computer basics, outdoor digital storytelling, Bee Bot role play).
Guided practice and scaffolding	Lesson planning templates (Workbook pg. 114) guide you in breaking down learning steps, while observation tools (Workbook pg. 101) help track children’s responses.
Checking for understanding	Formative assessment strategies linked to lesson plans and reflection prompts (Workbook pg. 182) support you in evaluating progress.
Independent practice opportunities	Membership activities like QR code hunts and AR exploration encourage children to apply what they’ve learned confidently.
Professional reflection and growth	The Success Path shows you how to move from adoption to adaptation of teaching strategies, while the community helps you share experiences and refine ideas.

 

Inside the membership, you are never left to figure it out alone. Each explicit teaching strategy is paired with classroom-ready resources and the ongoing support of fellow educators who are applying the same approaches. This means your next step is not just knowing what is explicit teaching — but using it effectively to build children’s skills every day.

 

 

 

 

 

From Theory to Practice in Preschool Classrooms

In the first blog of this series, we explored what is explicit teaching and why it matters in early childhood education. Now, we turn to practice by looking at what explicit teaching examples look like and how they can be applied in preschool classrooms.

 

According to the NSW Department of Education, explicit teaching is most effective when teachers model skills, guide practice, and then support children to apply learning independently (NSW Education). The Australian Education Research Organisation adds that breaking down new content into small chunks, supported with explanation and modelling, helps children retain learning and reduces cognitive overload (AERO Practice Guide).

 

 

What Do Explicit Teaching Examples Look Like?

Research describes examples of explicit instruction as strategies teachers use to make learning clear. Key examples include:

• Modelling and think-alouds – teachers demonstrate while verbalising the decision-making process (Reading Rockets).

• Worked examples – step-by-step solutions shown before children attempt similar tasks (AERO Practice Guide).

• Chunking and sequencing – breaking complex skills into smaller steps (AERO Practice Guide).

• Guided practice → independent practice – the gradual release of responsibility (“I do, we do, you do”) (Mathematics Hub).

• Checks for understanding and feedback – frequent opportunities for children to respond and receive correction (NSW Education).

• Learning intentions and success criteria – making goals explicit in child-friendly language (Mathematics Hub).

 

 

 

How These Examples Look in Preschool

When applied in early childhood, these strategies guide the way digital and play-based learning unfolds:

• Modelling & think-alouds: A teacher demonstrates using the mouse in a drawing program, narrating each click.

• Worked examples: Children first watch a finished outdoor digital story to see how sounds and images combine.

• Chunking & sequencing: QR hunts are broken into steps – learning to scan a code, interpret information, then share findings.

• Guided → independent practice: Bee Bot role play starts with group programming, before children try their own challenges.

• Checks for understanding: During AR exploration, the teacher pauses to ask, “What did you find?”.

• Learning intentions: On a digital nature walk, the teacher frames the goal: “Today we will find and photograph three different leaf patterns.”

 

 

 

Why These Examples Matter

Each example ensures children are clear about what to do, reduces confusion, and builds persistence:

• Modelling gives children a visible pathway to success.

• Worked examples provide a reference to imitate.

• Chunking prevents overload and frustration.

• Guided practice ensures support before independence.

• Checks for understanding identify gaps early.

• Clear intentions keep children focused and motivated.

Together, these strategies help preschoolers gain confidence with technology, storytelling, problem-solving, and creative expression.

 

 

How the Membership Builds on Explicit Teaching Examples

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy doesn’t just give you activities — it develops your ability to use explicit teaching strategies with confidence and depth. Here’s how:

Explicit Instruction Example	Preschool Application	How the Membership Develops It
Modelling & think-alouds	Teacher narrates using a mouse to drag shapes.	In the community, members share phrases and scaffolding methods, refining clarity through peer feedback. Workshops explain why modelling reduces cognitive load, deepening understanding of when and how to model. The Wisdom Tool surfaces examples of effective think-alouds in activities like Bee Bots or storytelling.
Worked examples	Show a completed digital story before children create their own.	Lesson plans such as Outdoor Digital Storytelling provide contexts for worked examples. In the community, members debate how much detail to reveal. The Success Path shows how teachers progress from using worked examples to encouraging children’s independent storytelling.
Chunking & sequencing	Children learn to scan QR codes step by step.	Members discuss micro-steps for teaching ICT in the community. Workshops highlight sequencing theory, helping educators design tasks that avoid overload. The Wisdom Tool provides strategies for sequencing skills in coding, drawing, and digital play.
Guided → independent practice	Group programs Bee Bot together before children run their own paths.	The Success Path develops gradual release, guiding teachers from adoption (I do) to adaptation (We do/You do). Workshops on scaffolding show when to step back. Members reflect in the community on how to hand over responsibility in coding or art activities.
Checks for understanding	Teacher pauses during AR nature hunt to ask what children discovered.	The Wisdom Tool gives quick access to formative questioning strategies. Workshops explain why frequent checks matter for memory and transfer. Members post in the community about effective prompts for diverse groups.
Learning intentions & success criteria	“Today we will take three photos of different leaf patterns”.	Workbook templates help teachers phrase child-friendly goals. In the community, members share success criteria aligned to EYLF. The Success Path shows how setting intentions evolves from basic goals to transformational practice.

 

 

Inside the membership, explicit teaching is not treated as isolated techniques. It becomes a professional learning process:

• Workshops give you the theory and research foundations.

• Lesson plans let you practise strategies in real contexts.

• The community helps refine your implementation through peer feedback.

• The Wisdom Tool answers your strategy questions instantly.

• The Success Path ensures your practice grows step by step.

This means you don’t just know what explicit teaching examples are — you learn how to use them effectively, consistently, and reflectively in your preschool classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Clear Strategies Matter in Preschool Learning

In our first two blogs, we explored what explicit teaching is and gave examples of how it looks in preschool classrooms. Now, it’s time to focus on the benefits of explicit teaching — the positive impacts this approach has on children’s learning and development.

 

Explicit instruction is most effective when children know exactly what to do, why they are doing it, and when they receive clear feedback (AERO Practice Guide). Research shows that the benefits include reducing confusion, building confidence, and supporting mastery across different areas of learning.

 

 

 

The Benefits of Explicit Teaching Strategies in Preschool

1. Clarity and Confidence

   • Children understand expectations because instructions are direct and consistent.

   • They know the goal of the activity, reducing anxiety and hesitation.

2. Stronger Skill Development

   • Breaking tasks into smaller steps allows children to master foundational skills before moving forward.

   • For example, learning mouse control before typing words.

3. Better Retention and Transfer

   • Regular checks for understanding and practice help children transfer knowledge to new contexts.

   • A finished digital story shown as a worked example makes it easier for children to create their own.

4. Increased Persistence and Problem-Solving

   • Explicit scaffolds encourage children to keep trying when faced with challenges.

   • Activities like QR hunts and Bee Bots build resilience as children debug and adjust sequences.

5. Greater Equity in Learning

   • Every child benefits from the same clear starting point, which supports diverse learners.

   • This ensures children with varying abilities still achieve success through guided practice.

6. Deeper Engagement

   • Clear success criteria motivate children to complete tasks and reflect on progress.

   • For example, AR nature exploration helps children stay focused because they know exactly what they are looking for.

 

 

 

 

How Members Experience the Benefits of Explicit Teaching

In the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, educators don’t just hear about the benefits of explicit teaching — they see them unfold in their classrooms as part of their professional learning journey.

• Clarity and confidence: When members use planning templates (Workbook pg. 114) to set child-friendly goals, children enter activities knowing what to expect. Peer-to-peer community discussions refine how these goals are introduced.

• Stronger skill development: In workshops, members learn why scaffolding and gradual release matter. This theory strengthens their use of lesson plans like Learning About Computers, where children move from basic recognition to independent exploration.

• Better retention and transfer: Members use reflection prompts (Workbook pg. 182) to track how children apply skills across contexts. For example, a worked example in digital storytelling later supports sequencing in coding tasks.

• Increased persistence and problem-solving: Activities such as QR Code Nature Hunt or Bee Bot School Bus encourage resilience. In the membership community, teachers share scaffolding ideas that turn frustration into persistence.

• Greater equity in learning: Observation tools (Workbook pg. 101) help members adapt strategies while still ensuring fairness. Community exchanges highlight differentiation methods that keep all learners included.

• Deeper engagement: The Wisdom Tool provides instant access to success criteria and questioning strategies. Members use this to frame AR explorations or digital nature walks in ways that boost focus and motivation.

 

 

 

Why This Matters

The benefits of explicit teaching go beyond better task completion — they shape confidence, persistence, equity, and engagement in young learners. Inside the membership, these benefits don’t just happen by chance. They emerge because teachers are supported with:

• Workshops that explain the theory.

• Lesson plans that provide classroom contexts.

• The Success Path that structures CPD step by step.

• The community and Wisdom Tool that give practical, real-time answers.

This is where the real impact lies: explicit teaching strategies become embedded in practice, and the benefits for children’s learning compound over time.

 

 

Seeing the Benefits in Action

Benefit of Explicit Teaching	How the Membership Supports It	Impact on Children’s Learning
Clarity and Confidence	Planning templates (Workbook pg. 114) help members phrase clear intentions; peer community refines wording.	Children know what is expected, reducing anxiety and building self-assurance.
Stronger Skill Development	Workshops on scaffolding and sequencing show how to break tasks into steps; lesson plans like Learning About Computers guide practice.	Children master foundational skills, e.g., mouse control before typing.
Better Retention and Transfer	Reflection prompts (Workbook pg. 182) track how skills transfer; Outdoor Digital Storytelling provides worked examples.	Children recall and apply skills across contexts, e.g., sequencing in coding after storytelling.
Increased Persistence and Problem-Solving	Community discussions share scaffolding strategies; lesson plans like QR Code Nature Hunt and Bee Bot School Bus encourage resilience.	Children keep trying, adjust, and succeed instead of giving up.
Greater Equity in Learning	Observation tools (Workbook pg. 101) help track varied needs; community exchanges provide differentiation strategies.	All learners, regardless of ability, succeed through scaffolded support.
Deeper Engagement	Wisdom Tool surfaces strategies for success criteria; activities like AR Outdoor Exploration and Digital Nature Walk sustain focus.	Children stay motivated, engaged, and eager to participate.

 

 

 

When you experience the benefits of explicit teaching firsthand, the impact on children’s confidence, problem-solving, and engagement is unmistakable. Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, every strategy you learn is backed by theory, practical lesson plans, and peer support so you can apply it immediately in your classroom. With the Success Path guiding your growth, the Wisdom Tool answering your questions, and the community sharing real strategies that work, you won’t just know about explicit teaching — you’ll see its benefits unfold in your learners every day.

 

👉 Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy today and start turning these benefits into reality for your teaching and your students. Trial now for $20 AUD per month!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology Strategies that Strengthen Teaching in Preschool

Effective teaching strategies in early childhood education are grounded in intentional planning, clear guidance, and opportunities for children to explore and apply what they’ve learned. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) identifies strategies such as scaffolding, modelling, and setting learning goals as essential for developmentally appropriate practice (NAEYC). These strategies become even more powerful when paired with technology, as digital tools expand how children engage with concepts and collaborate with others.

 

 

Teaching Strategies in Preschool with Technology

In early learning settings, teaching strategies in preschool often include modelling, guided practice, and scaffolding. Technology provides unique ways to embed these strategies:

• Modelling with digital tools: A teacher demonstrates mouse control while narrating each step, then children practise on their own.

• Scaffolding through multimedia: Educators support storytelling with sound recording apps before children create independent digital stories.

• Guided practice in coding: Preschoolers work with Bee Bots in groups, sequencing steps with teacher support before solving challenges independently.

• Checks for understanding with AR: Teachers pause during augmented reality exploration to ask children what they see.

These are not just activities but explicit teaching strategies examples because they demonstrate modelling, guided practice, and feedback in action (Edutopia; Reading Rockets).

 

 

Why Technology Teaching Strategies Matter

When applied intentionally, technology teaching strategies benefit children by:

• Supporting skill development step by step (e.g., scanning QR codes).

• Making abstract concepts concrete through visuals, sounds, and interactivity (University of Wollongong).

• Encouraging collaboration in group projects, blogs, or digital storytelling (Drexel University).

• Providing equity of access, so every child participates regardless of ability (NESA).

This shows how technology teaching strategies are not an add-on but a way to embed intentional teaching in everyday preschool practice.

 

 

 

How the Membership Strengthens Technology Teaching Strategies

Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, educators go beyond learning about strategies — they experience how to use them consistently and reflectively.

Teaching Strategy Example	Preschool Application	How Members Develop It	Impact on Children
Modelling & scaffolding	Teacher demonstrates mouse control before children try.	In workshops, members explore theory behind modelling and cognitive load. In the community, they share and refine think-aloud scripts.	Children gain confidence using technology step by step.
Guided practice	Children co-create a Bee Bot path before working independently.	The Success Path helps teachers move from adoption to adaptation, showing when to release responsibility. Members reflect using workbook prompts.	Children build persistence and problem-solving resilience.
Checks for understanding	Teacher pauses during AR exploration to check knowledge.	Using the Wisdom Tool, members search for formative questioning strategies. In the community, they exchange prompts that engage mixed-ability groups.	Children stay focused and retain concepts more effectively.
Learning intentions & success criteria	“Today we will take three photos of leaf patterns”.	Workbook templates guide how to phrase intentions in child-friendly terms. Community discussions provide success criteria examples.	Children remain motivated with clear, achievable goals.
Collaborative learning	Children create a shared digital story.	Workshops and peer exchanges help members integrate collaborative tools (blogs, storytelling, group coding).	Children learn cooperation, communication, and joint problem-solving.

 

 

Why This Matters

For non-members, these strategies may appear as isolated activities. But within the membership, they are part of a structured journey:

• Workshops provide the underpinning theory.

• Lesson plans show strategies applied in context.

• The Success Path structures professional growth in technology integration.

• The community offers peer-to-peer support and shared reflection.

• The Wisdom Tool provides answers on demand.

This means that technology teaching strategies become more than one-off experiences — they evolve into sustainable explicit teaching strategies examples that consistently improve child learning outcomes.

 

 

By applying technology teaching strategies as part of your practice, you can turn everyday activities into powerful learning experiences. In the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, you’ll not only access lesson plans and digital activities but also gain the workshops, peer support, and professional tools to embed these strategies with confidence. With the Success Path guiding your growth, the Wisdom Tool answering your questions, and the community sharing real-world solutions, you’ll transform explicit teaching strategies examples into meaningful outcomes for every child in your care.

 

Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy today and see how technology teaching strategies can reshape your teaching and children’s learning.

 

 

 

 

 

Building 21st Century Skills with Explicit Teaching

When teachers adopt explicit teaching practices they clearly show students what to do and how to do it. Technology integration in early childhood education is in fact, ICT capability! 

And being largely practical, using explicit teaching practices makes perfect sense. The transparent use of technology is essential in both processes and so in this section, I will show you how to teach ICT capability in your early learning environment today. Here are explicit teaching strategies in early childhood education today.

 

 

The Effective Teaching of ICT capability

 

Just as with any other key learning area and because ICT capability is mostly practical, you need to show students what to do and how to do it.

 

Plan and seek to develop all components of ICT capability

As ICT capability is constituted of 5 key components you need to use strategies for each of these.

 

Routines 

if you have children who are slower to learn routines, they will make slower progress in the curriculum.

 

You will need to continually help them with basic operations such as selecting items and undoing mistakes.

 

If they do not meet these important ICT techniques sufficiently, focused practiced tasks may be necessary.

 

 

ICT techniques 

 

ICT techniques are the explicit, deliberate manifestations of ICT capability. It is important that children associate the actions involved in an ICT technique with the effect it achieves.

Have a name for the ICT technique and/or its effect. Examples you might know include ‘copy-and-paste’, ‘minimise a window’, ‘undo’ or ‘find-and-replace’.

The name should be seen as a means of communicating and thinking about the action and its effect. Not as something extra to learn!

By making ICT techniques explicit you will support concept development and make it far easier for children to transfer the ICT techniques to new situations.

 

Unfamiliar software will require the learning of new ICT techniques, underpinned by previously learned ICT skills and routines.

 

When monitoring and intervening, you will need to give those children who need help only the minimum amount of support. This support should be withdrawn as soon as possible.

 

Remember, it is not whether they know how to use an ICT technique it is whether they ‘know that they know’ and thus are able to decide whether it is appropriate to use.

 

 

Processes

 

Whenever possible you will need to discuss what it is they are doing at the process level. Don’t just identify the next ICT technique.

Draw on any relevant images and analogies where it is helpful so that children can gain a feeling for the whole process.

 

 

Higher order thinking skills

 

You will need to manage the planning, monitoring and evaluation of children’s work and involve them in the process through whole class teaching.

Eventually, children should be able to take over some of the thinking about their work and about their learning.

You can promote this by using strategic and evaluative questions in addition to encouraging children in groups to ask these questions of each other, and then, expecting individuals to ask these questions themselves.

 

 

Promote conceptual understanding

Behind every ICT skill and technique is a concept, an idea as to how and why it may be used and it is essential that young children do understand this. It forms part of their foundation for ICT capability.

You need to focus on the concepts behind the skills.

 

Through whole class teaching, you can discuss examples and non-examples of a concept, both with and without ICT, to highlight the important features of the concept.

For example, a poster is not a ‘message’, as it is not communicated to a particular person.

 

 

However, you need to challenge naïve ideas about handling ICT tools and techniques both in whole-class teaching where appropriate and when monitoring the progress of individuals.

 

Reflection is a vital element in the development of conceptual understanding.

 

You can have a reflective write-up activity to focus children’s thinking on the principles they have met.

 

As I stated earlier, the explicit teaching of ICT techniques will support the development of concepts and will make it possible to transfer those ICT techniques across contexts.

 

Concepts are developed through verbalisation of ICT activities.

 

ICT experiences that are carefully structured by you will engage the learner explicitly with examples and non-examples of the concept.

 

It is important that the child must find, and overcome, difficulties for learning to occur.

 

Learn more about explicit teaching strategies with technology in my full online PD.

 

 

 

Explicit Instruction in ECE

What is it?

Explicit teaching strategies clearly shows children what to do and how to do it. By applying these explicit practices you are ensuring that children have a clear understanding of why they are learning something (conceptual understanding), how it connects to something they already know and what is expected of them.

 

There are several steps to exploit instruction teaching:

1. A teacher decides on a learning intention for a class and sets specific, transparent success criteria. These criteria are shared with students and explained in detail.
2. The teacher clearly shows students what to do and how to do it through physical demonstration.
3. The teacher periodically checks for student understanding. At the end of a lesson, a teacher will revisit what was covered to summarise understanding and learnings.
4. In the context of an ongoing task or assessment, students are provided with all the information they need to complete this independently.

(Clickview.com)

 

Why is it important?

Studies have indicated that those children who experience explicit instruction make greater learner gains than children who do not experience teaching practices. The evidence for this is long standing and according to NESA the “cognitive load theory provides theoretical and empirical support for explicit models of instruction”.

 

The key benefits of explicit instruction include:

• Fast tracked performance – the explicit instruction example provided above helps to fast track child performance. Explicit teaching strategies such as this aims to move beyond rote learning and to attempt to sequence learning for children.
• Increased flexibility – these explicit teaching strategies can be applied in real time or by using video content. Today, technology has aided explicit instruction in many areas.
• Clear expectations – explicit teaching strategies are useful for ensuring that children are clear about the criteria.
• Systematic and sequential - Explicit instruction is always systematic and sequential. By directly supporting guided practice using a series of steps, it’s ideal for teaching practical hands-on skills, rather than more abstract concepts.

 

 

 

 

 

Turning Explicit Teaching Strategies into Real Results

Throughout this series, we’ve seen how explicit teaching strategies give preschool children clarity, confidence, and deeper engagement in learning. From modelling and worked examples to guided practice and technology-rich activities, these strategies make learning visible and achievable.

 

But the real challenge isn’t knowing about them — it’s using them consistently and effectively. That’s where the ICT in Education Teacher Academy comes in.

Inside the membership, you’ll find:

• 📘 Workshops that explain the theory behind explicit teaching strategies.

• 📗 Lesson plans that apply them in preschool contexts — from Bee Bots to AR explorations.

• 📕 Workbook tools to plan, observe, and reflect on strategy use.

• 📙 The Success Path to guide your professional growth.

• 🤝 Community and Wisdom Tool support so you’re never left figuring it out alone.

For just $20 AUD per month, you can trial the membership and experience how these supports turn explicit teaching strategies into real classroom impact. Then, switch to the annual plan for the best value and a full year of professional transformation.

👉 Are you ready to put explicit teaching strategies into action and see the difference in your children’s learning?