Say, See, Do Teaching
“I hear, and I forget
I see, and I remember
I do, and I understand” (Jones, 2007, p.84)
“Perfect practice makes perfect.” (Jones, 2007, p. 89)
There are three parts of a lesson plan. These three parts are setting the stage, acquisition, and consolidation. Say, See, Do teaching falls under the acquisition part of the lesson and is following by the consolidation stage where guided and independent practice occur. Say, See, Do teaching is just what it sounds like. This method incorporates the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic types of teaching and learning. While Say, See, Do teaching is fundamental, it is not seen enough in the classroom. This is a physical type of learning that students respond to very positively. It is interactive and slow moving. By slow meaning, I mean that when doing this type of teaching, a teacher can go at the students’ pace. If they are having trouble with one aspect of the lesson, the teacher can do it over and over again. Effectively teaching a lesson the first time will minimize questions after.
This method is important because it saves time later, prevents questions, compatible with all learning types, can be with an individual or in a group setting, and there is room to be creative. Students would rather do than get talked at; when all students are doing is imputing information in their brains, a problem of cognitive overload and forgetting can occur. It should be input, output, input, output etc.
Like previously stated, Say, See, Do teaching is composed of three different types of instruction. First, the teacher first states one simple prompt of what to do first; “the less said the better” (Jones, 2007, p. 91). Next comes the modeling stage (See). Students watch as the teacher does the step correctly on the board; this allows for students to watch a correct demonstration of the problem. Lastly is the structured practice or the Do of the lesson. This phase is very important because the goal is to have the students practice the lesson correctly, without forming bad habits (Jones, 2007, p. 91). By using these three parts in your teaching lesson, students will be sure to form good habits and perform the assignments with no error.
An example of Say, See, Do teaching is:
-Teacher (Say): “Students, next we are going to add the ones column”
-Teacher (See): I will have the problem on the board and demonstrate how to add the ones column first
-Student (Do): “Now why don’t you try?” Have students add the ones column on their papers, or even at the board for easy assessment. If the students do a step incorrectly, it is time to give corrective feedback to prevent bad habits from occurring.
Spiritual Application: 1 Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you were called, because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” Christ lived his life as the perfect example. He told us what to do and showed us what to do, so that now we can model his ways. Yes, sometimes we will mess up, but if we keep correcting out lives with HIS steps, we can be successful. Say, See, Do teaching does the same for our students. This method is basically saying, “Let me explain what to do, watch as I show you, and now you do it.” We are giving our students exact examples to follow and which steps to take to be successful.
