The first three books address specific components of the teaching process, namely instruction, management, and assessment. The final book puts all three components together into a comprehensive model of teaching. It also makes a strong case for the fact that research (in other words, science) must certainly guide good teaching, but teachers must also develop good teaching as art. Even if they use precisely the same instructional strategies, two highly effective teachers will have shaped and adapted those strategies to adhere to their specific personalities, the subject matter they teach, and their students’ unique needs. Stated differently, we can never accurately articulate effective teaching as a set of strategies that all teachers must execute in precisely the same way.
The comprehensive model in the book The New Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2017) reflects a greatly expanded and updated version of The Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2007). One of the unique aspects of The New Art and Science of Teaching is that it focuses on student learning, rather than being teacher focused, as we depict in figure I.1:
Source: Marzano, 2017, p. 5.
Figure I.1: The teaching and learning progression.
According to figure I.1, the intervening variables between effectively applying an instructional strategy and enhanced student learning are specific mental states and processes in the minds of learners. If teachers do not produce these mental states and processes as a result of employing a given strategy, then that strategy will have little or no effect on students. This implies that teachers should heighten their level of awareness as they use instructional strategies for maximum efficacy.
The Overall Model
At a basic level, the model in The New Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2017) is a framework that educators can use to organize the majority (if not all) of the instructional strategies that research and theory identify. The model has several parts: three overarching categories, ten design areas, and forty-three specific elements.
Three Categories
At the highest level of organization, the model has three overarching categories.
1. Feedback refers to the all-important information loop teachers must establish with students so that students know what they should be learning about specific topics and their current level of performance on these topics.
2. Content refers to the sequencing and pacing of lessons such that students move smoothly from initial understanding to applying knowledge in new and creative ways.
3. Context refers to those strategies that ensure all students meet these psychological needs: engagement, order, a sense of belonging, and high expectations.
Embedded in these three overarching categories are more specific categories of teacher actions (design areas).
Ten Design Areas
In The New Art and Science of Teaching framework, each of the ten design areas is associated with a specific teacher action, as follows.
1. Providing and communicating clear learning goals
2. Using assessments
3. Conducting direct instruction lessons
4. Conducting practicing and deepening lessons
5. Conducting knowledge application lessons
6. Using strategies that appear in all types of lessons
7. Using engagement strategies
8. Implementing rules and procedures
9. Building relationships
10. Communicating high expectations
Table I.1 shows the ten teacher actions within the three categories and describes the desired student mental states and processes for each. For example, when the teacher conducts a direct instruction lesson (the third design area), the goal is that students will understand which parts of the content are important and how they fit together.
Table I.1: Teacher Actions and Student Mental States and Processes
| Teacher Actions | Student Mental States and Processes | |
| Feedback | Providing and Communicating Clear Learning Goals | 1. Students understand the progression of knowledge they are expected to master and where they are along that progression. |
| Using Assessments | 2. Students understand how test scores and grades relate to their status on the progression of knowledge they are expected to master. | |
| Content | Conducting Direct Instruction Lessons | 3. When content is new, students understand which parts are important and how the parts fit together. |
| Conducting Practicing and Deepening Lessons | 4. After teachers present new content, students deepen their understanding and develop fluency in skills and processes. | |
| Conducting Knowledge Application Lessons | 5. After teachers present new content, students generate and defend claims through knowledge application tasks. | |
| Using Strategies That Appear in All Types of Lessons | 6. Students continually integrate new knowledge with old knowledge and revise their understanding accordingly. | |
| Context | Using Engagement Strategies | 7. Students are paying attention, energized, intrigued, and inspired. |
| Implementing Rules and Procedures | 8. Students understand and follow rules and procedures. | |
| Building Relationships | 9. Students feel welcome, accepted, and valued. | |
| Communicating High Expectations | 10. Typically reluctant students feel valued and do not hesitate to interact with the teacher or their peers. |
Each of the ten design areas corresponds with a design question. These questions help teachers plan units and lessons within those units. Table I.2 shows the design questions that correspond with each design area.
Table I.2: Design Questions
| Design Areas | Design Questions | |
| Feedback | 1. Providing and Communicating Clear Learning Goals | How will I communicate clear learning goals that help students understand the progression of knowledge they are expected to master and where they are along that progression? |
| 2. Using Assessments | How will I design and administer assessments that help students understand how their test scores and grades are related to their status on the progression of knowledge they are expected to master? | |
| Content | 3. Conducting Direct Instruction Lessons | When content is new, how will I design and deliver direct instruction lessons that help students understand which parts are important and how the parts fit together? |
| 4. Conducting Practicing and Deepening Lessons | After presenting content, how will I design and deliver lessons that help students deepen their understanding and develop fluency in skills and processes? | |
| 5. Conducting
|