ABSTRACT

Research has shown that explicit instruction is significantly associated with students’ achievement gains. This is because it presents learning material in a way that reduces the cognitive burden on students as they learn. Then, as students develop sufficient knowledge and skill, they can be provided with more autonomy and independence as learners—such as through discovery learning. Introducing discovery learning too early in the instructional process can overload learners’ working memory; however, if they do not move to discovery learning after they have become fluent in the required knowledge and skill, they can become bored and disengaged. This being the case, explicit instruction and discovery learning do not represent a false dichotomy; rather, the success of one is inextricably intertwined with the success of the other. Load Reduction Instruction (LRI) has been recommended as an instructional approach that emphasizes explicit instruction in the initial stages of learning and then a progression to guided autonomy and independence as the automaticity and fluency in knowledge and skill develop. The purpose of this policy document is to provide the rationale, purpose, scope, and statement for implementing LRI in the school as a means of gaining the optimal balance between explicit instruction and discovery learning.