High-Impact Learning Phases

The surface → deep → transfer progression (Visible Learning) that underpins Problem-Solving Teaching (PST) — see the PST units and strategy dashboard. Strategies tagged PST are the ones the PST units use. Click any strategy for a definition, a classroom example, and a link to its Visible Learning MetaX page.

Uni-structural
Multi-structural
Relational
Extended abstract
Phase 1: Surface Learning

Mastering basic facts, vocabulary, and separate skills. Focus on the foundational "what."

SOLO Levels: Uni-structural & Multi-structural (Click to view)
Uni-structural: Focus on one relevant part of the task (e.g., naming one step in a process).
Multi-structural: Identifying several relevant aspects independently (e.g., listing all steps but not how they interact).
Jigsaw Method (Surface) PST d = 0.92
Definition: Students master sub-topics in expert groups and teach them to home groups.

Example: In a science unit on animal types, each group learns about one class (Mammals, Reptiles, etc.) to share with the home group.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Outlining and Organizing d = 0.84
Definition: Structuring information into a logical, hierarchical format to prioritize key ideas.

Example: 4th graders use a graphic organizer to list the main characters and setting before reading a new story.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Repeated Reading d = 0.80
Definition: Reading a text multiple times to improve fluency, accuracy, and basic comprehension.

Example: 3rd graders practice reading a short poem aloud three times to improve their speed and expression.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Vocabulary Programs d = 0.65
Definition: Explicit instruction of word meanings and roots to build foundational knowledge.

Example: 5th graders use a Frayer Model to define "biodiversity," listing its characteristics and drawing an example.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Spaced Practice d = 0.62
Definition: Distributing study sessions over days or weeks rather than cramming.

Example: 6th graders review history dates for 5 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday for a month.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Retrieval Practice d = 0.49
Definition: Actively recalling information from memory through low-stakes testing.

Example: Students take a quick, ungraded quiz at the start of class to remember yesterday's science lesson.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Direct Instruction PST d = 0.56
Definition: Clear, structured teaching where the teacher states the goal, models, guides practice, then checks for understanding.

Example (PST): Before the immigration jigsaw, the teacher explicitly teaches what "push and pull factors" mean and how to spot them.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Phase 2: Deep Learning

Connecting ideas, identifying patterns, and understanding the "why" through interaction.

SOLO Level: Relational (Click to view)
Relational: Integrating several parts into a coherent whole. Understanding relationships between concepts and the big picture.
Micro-Teaching d = 0.99
Definition: Recording and reviewing teaching segments to reflect on student engagement and understanding.

Example: A teacher reviews a video of their lesson on "Theme" to see which students participated during the group discussion.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Jigsaw Method (Deep) PST d = 0.92
Definition: Collaborating to foster connections between sub-topics learned by different experts.

Example: Home groups discuss how the different landforms they learned about in Phase 1 affect local weather patterns together.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Constructivist Teaching d = 0.90
Definition: Active exploration where students generate and evaluate their own solutions.

Example: 5th graders explore simple machines by building them and discovering which ones make lifting a weight easier.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Feedback (Timing) d = 0.89
Definition: Adjusting feedback timing—delaying it for complex tasks can encourage deeper self-reflection.

Example: Instead of immediate grading, a 6th-grade teacher leaves questions on student drafts to guide their next round of editing.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Argumentation PST d = 0.86
Definition: Using evidence to construct and evaluate claims in structured debates or dialogues.

Example: 4th graders debate which character in a novel was the most courageous, using text evidence to defend their pick.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Reciprocal Teaching d = 0.74
Definition: A structured group dialogue using predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.

Example: In a reading circle, students rotate roles to lead their peers through a challenging informational text.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Concept Mapping PST d = 0.64
Definition: Visually organizing ideas and the relationships among them to reveal structure.

Example (PST): Students build a push–pull factor concept map linking causes of immigration to its effects on U.S. cities.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Elaboration & Organization PST d = 0.72
Definition: Connecting new ideas to prior knowledge and structuring them meaningfully rather than in isolation.

Example (PST): Students analyze a primary source, organizing what it shows, whose point of view it reflects, and what it leaves out.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Phase 3: Transfer Learning

Applying knowledge to novel situations and generalizing concepts across domains.

SOLO Level: Extended Abstract (Click to view)
Extended Abstract: Generalizing to a higher level of abstraction. Creating hypotheses or connecting the learning to a new field.
Self-Reported Grades d = 0.96
Definition: Students assess and predict their own performance to foster self-regulation.

Example: Before turning in a project, 5th graders "grade" themselves against the success criteria and set a goal for their next task.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Mathematics Problem Solving d = 0.88
Definition: Applying math strategies to solve complex, real-world, ill-structured problems.

Example: 6th graders calculate the area and materials cost needed to build a vegetable garden in a small community space.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Virtual Reality (Science) d = 0.80
Definition: Using VR simulations to apply science theories in immersive, unfamiliar environments.

Example: Students use VR to "walk" through a human lung to apply what they learned about the respiratory system in class.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX (influence index)
Transfer Strategies PST d = 0.75
Definition: Explicitly prompting students to connect learning across different contexts or subjects.

Example: 4th graders explain how the "Patterns" they see in music are similar to the patterns they find in their math multiplication tables.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Problem-Solving Teaching PST d = 0.61
Definition: Teaching students the skills and strategies to solve problems they don't yet know how to solve — the strategy the whole PST suite is built on.

Example (PST): Across a unit, students run the full problem-solving process — define the problem, gather information, weigh options, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate it — on a real, ill-structured historical problem.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Problem-Based Learning PST d = 0.53
Definition: Students learn by working a real, ill-structured problem as stakeholders while the teacher guides rather than tells.

Example (PST): Grade 5 students step into Ellis Island in 1914 and decide whether — and how — a family should build a new life.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX
Evaluation & Reflection PST d = 0.75
Definition: Evaluating a solution and reflecting on the reasoning that produced it (metacognition).

Example (PST): In the debrief, students ask whether their solution addressed the real causes and whose point of view they still missed.

↗ Visible Learning MetaX (influence index)