Explain it to me
Draft wording, until a teacher has checked it.
1 of 4
They can do it, but they can't explain it
A learner checks a tyre perfectly, but can't say why. Explaining is part of the job, in a , an interview or with a customer. You wouldn't let one learner practise while the rest watch, and explaining is no different.
For example"Why do we check the tread?" "Dunno. You just do."
Pick an activity. Each takes two or three minutes.
Model it, give three words, explain to a partner, then say it again better.
Why this works in your room
When they explain it, they find out what they know.
For your learners: Putting a skill into words shows them the gaps, and fixing the gaps is the learning.
For you: You hear whether they understand it or can only do it.
Model it first
Once, out loud
Say each step and why it matters, using the key words.
Give three key words
On the board
Tread, water, grip.
A explains, B checks
Four checks
All three words? Why it matters? Could someone new follow it? Clear, and looking at you?
Note who gives a reason. Check again in three weeks.
Say it again better
Name one thing to add
Say it again, and use the word grip.
Then write it: once they can say it well, they write it down.
Two listeners
Supervisor, then customer
Now say it as if I'm the customer.
Support or stretch
Make it easier, or go up a
Hard to start? Give the first words: "First you... because..."
Ready for more? Rehearse in pairs with in PowerPoint.
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Big 4Copilot: writing detailed prompts that say who it is for and exactly what you want.Open Big 4 (opens in a new tab)
WalkThrusLive modelling, Say it again better.Open WalkThrus (opens in a new tab)
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Two prompts to paste into Copilot. They are our own wording, not Big 4 training. Change what is in brackets, and leave out learners' names.
Three key words and a model
I teach [subject] to [level] learners at a further education college. For [skill or process], give me a model explanation of under 60 words that I can say out loud, the three key words learners must use, and three checks a partner can use to judge their explanation.
Two listeners
Here is how a [level] [course] learner might explain [process] to a supervisor: [explanation]. Rewrite it for a customer with no technical knowledge, in under 50 words. Keep the reason why, and cut anything the customer doesn't need.
Explaining builds understanding
Learners asked to explain each line of a text in their own words understood it more deeply than learners who simply read it twice.
Chi, de Leeuw, Chiu and LaVancher (1994), Cognitive Science 18(3), 439 to 477 (opens in a new tab)Explaining to someone else helps it last
Students who explained material to others remembered it better a week later than students who only prepared to explain it.
Logan Fiorella (2013), The cognitive benefits of learning by teaching and teaching expectancy, University of California, Santa Barbara (opens in a new tab)Model it before they talk
When learners talk through an idea they don't yet know well, they can fill gaps with their own wrong ideas. A full model first helps.
Tom Sherrington, Discover Oracy (teacherhead, 2026) (opens in a new tab)How sure is this?
Fairly sure that explaining helps learning. Most studies are with school or university students, not FE workshops. Explaining to two different listeners is a common workplace skill, but we found no study testing it in class, so treat that part as good practice, not proven.
No source claimed