Rosenshine's principles of instruction

Barak Rosenshine spent decades watching effective teachers and reading instructional research. In 2012 he published a ten-principle summary in the American Educator. It became the closest thing teaching has to a one-page evidence-based handbook.

What it is

Ten principles, each backed by a paragraph of practical examples. In order, they are: review previous learning, present new material in small steps, ask questions, provide models, guide pupil practice, check pupil understanding, obtain a high success rate, provide scaffolds for difficult tasks, build independent practice, and engage pupils in weekly and monthly review.

Why it matters

The list is short enough that a teacher can hold it in mind during planning. Each principle is grounded in cognitive science (small steps reduce cognitive load), in research on master teachers (models help novices), or in classroom management evidence (high success rates protect motivation).

Tom Sherrington’s 2019 book translates each principle into UK classroom practice. The EEF cognitive science review covers much of the same ground from a different angle.

How to use it

Pick one principle per half term and audit your lessons against it. A common starting point is the daily review: a five-minute starter retrieving last lesson, last week, and last term. After that, work on worked examples and guided practice.

The Chalk Retrieval Task and Worksheet Creator tools support the review and scaffolding principles directly.

When not to use it

The principles describe what tends to work in direct instruction. They are less useful as a sole guide for project work, inquiry learning, or extended writing tasks, where other research applies.

Related Chalk tools

Retrieval Task supports principle one. Worksheet Creator supports principles two through five. Lesson Plan helps structure a lesson against the full ten.