Use ‘preview–do–review’ lesson framing (what/why/how + reflect)
Aim (what it achieves)
Increase buy-in and reduce resistance by making lesson purpose and route clear.
When to use
Start of lesson; before independent work; when motivation is low.
How to use (steps)
Teacher language (examples)
“Today we’re learning X so we can do Y later.” “By the end you’ll be able to…”
Top tips (makes it work)
Keep it short; link to success; make the review concrete (one question, one check).
Common pitfalls
Over-explaining; vague purpose; skipping the review so students feel ‘stuck’.
SEND/PP considerations
Helps SEND/PP with predictability and motivation; reduces anxiety about unknown tasks.
Useful for these SEND needs
Relevant SEND Needs
Why this strategy helps
- Builds predictable routines before disruption.
- Reduces cognitive load and supports completion.
- Supports regulation and relational safety.
Universal SEND-friendly: Yes
SEND-targeted: Yes
Tags
Sources
Used in
Common Behaviour Issues (Behaviour Hub)
- Proactively Prevent Slow starts / dawdling transitions
Related strategies
Normalise error and struggle (safe mistakes culture)
Reduce avoidance, shutdown and ‘attitude’ driven by fear of failure.
Think–Write–Pair–Share (processing time for all)
Reduces calling out and avoidance by building in private thinking time before talk; improves confidence and quality of responses.
Confidence ladder: Team–Pair–Solo
Reduces work avoidance and disruption by building structured support that fades to independence.
Make success visible (worked example + success criteria)
Reduce avoidance by showing what good looks like and how to start.
Vocabulary access for all (glossary / pre-teach)
Remove language barriers that cause disengagement and misbehaviour.
Plan ‘first success’ (easy start ramp)
Reduce avoidance and disruption by making the first task step accessible.