Clarify: What Strong Observation Evidence Can Look Like

Use the 7Cs as a student-experience lens: care, control, clarity, challenge, captivation, conferencing, and consolidation should be felt in the lesson. For Clarify, the strongest preparation question is not “Did I mention it?” but “What student evidence will make this part of Tripod 7Cs observable?”

A classroom micro-scenario

Before students begin, the teacher asks two students to restate the target and success criteria in their own words, then students use those criteria to check the first example.

Teacher moves that fit this component

• state the learning purpose in student-usable language
• check that directions are understood before release
• refer back to success criteria during work

Evidence students can produce

• students explain what they are learning
• students can describe what quality looks like
• fewer procedural questions interrupt the task

What an administrator may be able to see

• clear modeling or explanation only where it is needed
• students doing the intellectual work for a substantial portion of the lesson
• teacher adjustments based on student responses

What students might be doing

• apply, explain, compare, create, solve, or revise
• use a model and then move toward independence
• respond to a changed prompt or scaffold when evidence shows a need

What students might be saying

• “The model helped me start, but now I can…”
• “I changed my strategy because…”
• “Our group found a different method and can explain why it works.”

Artifacts that can make evidence concrete

• student work across lesson phases
• teacher decision-point notes
• task sequence moving from access to rigorous application

Weak evidence vs. stronger evidence

Common missed opportunities

• Clarify is named in the lesson plan but no student behavior demonstrates it.
• The teacher can explain the intent, but the observer would have to infer too much because the evidence remains hidden.
• Only one student produces the evidence, so it is difficult to judge how broadly learning is occurring.
• The teacher collects information but the next instructional move does not respond to it.

Planning questions for Clarify

1. At what exact moment should Clarify become visible?
2. What should students be doing differently because this component is strong?
3. What student language would tell me the intended thinking is actually happening?
4. What artifact, response, or behavior can provide evidence beyond my own explanation?
5. What will I change if the evidence is weaker or stronger than expected?

Related Tripod 7Cs components