Gradual release of responsibility model (GRR model)
The Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model is an educational framework designed to transition the learning process from teacher-led instruction to student-led engagement. Initially, teachers demonstrate the material in a phase known as "I Do," laying the groundwork for understanding. This is followed by "We Do," where teachers and students collaborate on tasks, allowing students to practice with guidance. The model culminates in the "You Do" phase, where students apply their knowledge independently.
Originally detailed by F. David Pearson and Margaret C. Gallagher in the 1980s, the model has since evolved, incorporating insights from educators Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, who expanded it into a four-component framework that includes focus lessons, guided instruction, productive group work, and independent learning. This structured approach promotes scaffolding, where new concepts are built upon previously mastered material, fostering a deeper understanding.
The GRR model is adaptable and can be applied at various educational levels, from preschool to adult learners, emphasizing the importance of shared responsibility in the learning process. By guiding students through these phases, educators aim to empower learners to take ownership of their education, enhancing their skills and confidence in applying what they have learned.
On this Page
Gradual release of responsibility model (GRR model)
The gradual release of responsibility model (GGR model) is an educational philosophy that gradually transitions the learning process from teacher-led to student-led. The teacher first instructs the students or demonstrates the material to be learned. Then, through a series of steps in which the teacher helps learners master the material, students gradually take on more accountability for their own learning. The GGR model is a formal part of the education process and is often utilized by schools teaching all levels of students. However, some aspects of the model are intuitive and are similar to the methods used to informally convey learning. For instance, a parent may use the GGR model when they show a baby how to eat food with a spoon, guide their child through the process, and then allow the child to attempt self-feeding on their own. In either case, the responsibility for mastering the material gradually shifts from the instructor to the learner.
Background
The GGR model was first named and described in a report entitled The Instruction of Reading Comprehension in 1983. Written by F. David Pearson and Margaret C. Gallagher, the report outlined a three-step model for transferring learning responsibility from teacher to student. These steps are often referred to in simple terms as “I Do, We Do, You Do.” The emphasis on shared responsibility emphasized the interactions that are important to the learning process.
According to Pearson and Gallagher, in the “I Do” phase, the teacher models or demonstrates the subject matter. This is followed by the “We Do” phase in which teacher and student work together at exercises that help master the material. This can be done by scaffolding, or using a framework of information already learned as a basis for explaining and mastering new material. For example, if the students were learning grammar, they might start with the basic noun/verb structure and then add adjectives onto the scaffold of the basic sentence structure that they had already learned. In the final phase, the “You Do” phase, students attempt to use the newly learned material on their own.
Later research by educators Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher built on Pearson and Gallagher’s work. They developed a four-component GGR model that has since become widely accepted among educators and the standard format for the model.
Overview
The four components of the most widely-used formal version of the GGR model include focus lessons, guided instruction, productive group work, and independent learning. Instead of the “I Do, We Do, You Do” phases in Pearson and Gallagher’s model, the Frey and Fisher model includes the phases “I Do, We Do, You Do It Together, You Do It Alone.” It is used in group instruction at all levels, from preschool and kindergarten to adult learners.
Much like the earlier version, the four-component model includes a phase where the teacher provides direct instruction. This is the focus lesson phase. In this step, the teacher sets forth the material to be learned, its purpose, and the teacher’s approach and expectations related to the material. In other words, the student is told what they will learn, why it is important, and how the teacher expects the student to show what they have learned. This is important to help the student understand what their role in the process will be.
In the next stage, the teacher provides guided instruction to help the student or students grasp and understand the material. The teacher then provides related facts that will help connect, or scaffold, the new material to already mastered material. The teacher uses questions, reminders, and clues to help students make the necessary connections. This can be done with a full class but is often done in small groups. This is the “We Do” phase.
Eventually, the teacher will form the students into small groups to continue the learning process—the “We Do It Together” phase. Students are given a task such as creating a poster or presentation that they will work on collaboratively. While they are working, the teacher observes the groups, continues to provide prompts and ask questions, and identifies areas where students are not grasping or are misunderstanding the material. As this happens, the teacher might direct the students to reread a portion of the related text or revisit the original lesson in some way. This is done to help students identify their misunderstanding. In other words, the teacher does not simply tell them they are wrong and correct them, but helps them be responsible for finding the correct information on their own.
In the next phase, the “I Do It” step, students will be given tasks to do on an individual basis to help them master the material and learn how to apply what they have learned. The teacher continues to monitor the student’s progress and may take additional steps to help the student fully absorb the material. For example, a student who is having trouble understanding how to use adjectives might be given a reading assignment that uses many adjectives. They may then be asked to write their own version as extra practice.
Though these four steps are often explained in a linear fashion of moving from teacher to a group of students, and then to an individual student, the steps of the GGR model can be used in different orders. For example, individual students may be given an independent writing assignment first as a way of gauging what they already know about sentence structure. They may then be shifted into a focus lesson and work in a group. The key is for the students to first understand what they are expected to learn, and then realize how they will be aware they have learned it. It this way, they can accept responsibility for achieving that goal.
Bibliography
Bennett, Colette. “Gradual Release of Responsibility Creates Independent Learners.” ThoughtCo., 30 May 2019, www.thoughtco.com/gradual-release-of-responsibility-4153992. Accessed 9 June 2019.
Clark, Sandra. “Avoiding the Blank Stare: Teacher Training with the Gradual Release of Responsibility in Mind.” English Teaching Forum, no. 2, 2014, americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource‗files/etf‗52‗2‗28-35.pdf. Accessed 9 June 2019.
Frey, Nancy and Douglas Fisher. “Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework.” Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2013, pdo.ascd.org/lmscourses/pd13oc005/media/formativeassessmentandccswithelaliteracymod‗3-reading3.pdf. Accessed 8 June 2019.
“Gradual Release Model.” Alexandria Public Schools Talent Development, 2015, www.acpsk12.org/pl/coachs-cuts/gradual-release-model/. Accessed 9 June 2019.
“Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) Instructional Framework.” Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, dpi.wi.gov/ela/instruction/framework. Accessed 8 June 2019.
Heick, Terry. “The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model in 6 Simple Words.” Teach Thought, 15 Nov. 2015, www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/the-gradual-release-of-responsibility-model-in-6-simple-words/. Accessed 8 June 2019.
“Integrating the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model” Startalk, 2019, startalk.umd.edu/public/system/files/resources/panel‗integratinggrr‗2018.pdf. Accessed 8 June 2019.
McCaffrey, Tim. “Rethinking the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model.” National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 6 June 2016, www.nctm.org/Publications/Mathematics-Teaching-in-Middle-School/Blog/Rethinking-the-Gradual-Release-of-Responsibility-Model/. Accessed 8 June 2019.