Support student learning with routines
Students learn content more deeply when the thinking and self-regulation skills behind learning are intentionally developed. Before we focus on advanced strategies, it is crucial to establish classroom systems that prepare students to engage, persist, and think independently. Two powerful levers for doing this are structured routines and executive function supports.
Predictable routines help students understand what you expect of them, how to begin work, and how to stay engaged. These routines reduce students’ cognitive load and increase their capacity to focus. The Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) framework provides a structure for introducing these routines early and consistently (Fisher & Frey, 2021). This framework is an instructional model in which teachers intentionally shift responsibility for learning from teacher to student through focused modeling (“I do”), guided practice (“we do”), collaborative learning (“you do together”), and independent practice (“you do alone”). By sequencing support in this way, GRR helps students internalize strategies, manage cognitive load, and apply skills independently with increasing confidence and accuracy.
Routines function as cognitive and metacognitive supports, helping students strengthen essential learning skills. Examples include:
- SCORE for cooperative learning, which teaches students how to contribute, respond, and encourage peers (Vernon, 1993);
- SLANT, which supports engagement by teaching students to attend to relevant stimuli (University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning, 2025);
- TREE, a writing strategy that helps students defend claims (IRIS Center, 2019);
- GIST, a summarizing strategy to support comprehension (Klingner & Vaughn, 1998); and
- Notice and Wonder, which encourages curiosity and reasoning in math and inquiry (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2021).
These routines align with new demands within the Virginia Standards of Learning. The Math Process Goals and the Developing Skilled Readers (DSR) strands emphasize reasoning, metacognition, problem-solving, stamina, and comprehension that can be incorporated in all disciplines (Virginia Department of Education, 2023, 2024).
Executive functions are the skills that help students regulate attention, manage working memory, resist distractions, shift between tasks, and control impulses, and are the strongest predictors of academic success across subjects (Diamond, 2013). Students with strong executive function are better able to follow directions, manage frustration, stay organized, and adapt to challenges (Diamond, 2013). Teachers support executive function every day by using:
- Visual cues, reminders, and anchor charts
- Consistent routines
- Chunked steps and instruction
- Think-alouds
- Reflection prompts such as “What strategy worked for you today?”
Executive function should be framed as a skill that grows with practice. This moves instruction from a compliance-focused to a coaching-focused model. Students are coached to manage their learning rather than just follow directions. Consistent routines create the learning conditions that help students engage deeply with grade-level content. They support all students to participate successfully in literacy, math, writing, and discussion.
References
Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168.
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2021). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility (3rd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Institute of Education Sciences. (2017). Executive function: Implications for education. U.S. Department of Education.
IRIS Center. (2019). POW + TREE writing strategy. Vanderbilt University. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/pow/cresource/q2/p04/
Klingner, J. K., & Vaughn, S. (1998). Using Collaborative Strategic Reading. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 30(6), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005999803000607
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2021). Notice and wonder. https://www.nctm.org/noticeandwonder
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. (2025). SLANT [PDF]. KUCRL Online Store https://kucrl.company.site/products/SLANT-FREE-PDF-Download-p749860609
Vernon, S. (1993). Teamwork: A strategy for the future. University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.
Virginia Department of Education. (2023). Standards of Learning for Mathematics.
Virginia Department of Education. (2024). English Standards of Learning.
For more information, contact Jennifer Askue-Collins ([email protected]), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.
Categories Autism Spectrum Disorder, Inclusive Practices, Intellectual Disabilities, Math, Reading