What is Direct Instruction?Direct Instruction is a model to teach students that focuses on carefully plannedand well-developed lessons created around clearly explained teaching tasks and small learning increments. Direct Instruction is based on the theory that clear instruction eliminates misinterpretations, which can greatly enhance and accelerate the learning process. Show Direct Instruction (or DI) was begun by Wesley Becker and Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s, who mentioned in his principles of instruction that applying DI correctly can enhance student performance as well as certain behaviours. It is currently in use in many primary and secondary schools in the UK and other countries of the world. In this article, we will explore this concept further and offer you some ways to bring this to life with your lesson content using a new teaching framework. Unlike constructivist informed approaches, Siegfried Engelmann believed that letting students pursue their own lines of enquiry without the appropriate support would be deemed ineffective practice. Delivering interactive lessons is fine but students need absolute clarity in how they move through the lesson content. This alternative approach is based upon designing a well-crafted, well-taught lesson. The lesson material in this instructional approach is systematically taught in a way that reduces the chance of a student developing a misconception. What is the philosophical underpinning of Direct Instruction?The concept of Direct Instruction is based upon the following five key philosophical principles:
integrating the direct instruction conceptHow does Direct Instruction work?Direct instruction has four main features that ensure that the students learn quickly and more effectively than any other teaching strategy available:
Impact of direct instruction Direct instruction of a well-taught lesson occurs when teachers use explicit instruction to teach any particular skill to the students. This category of teaching is teacher-directed, in which a teacher presents information while typically standing at the front of a classroom. In this teaching method, teachers adjust their teaching according to the task to improve students’ understanding of a topic and follow a strict lesson plan with little room for any change. Direct instruction does not always involve active learning or active learning activitiessuch as case studies, workshops or discussions. Presenting a movie clip or video to the students can be considered a type of direct instruction (although the instructor is not actively teaching students, the presentation of material and content was chosen by the instructor). It must be remembered that basic techniques of teaching such as direct instruction, scaffolding or differentiation, are seldom mutually exclusive. Hence, in a variety of classroom settings,direct instruction can be incorporated with any other instructional approach in a given lesson or course. For instance, teachers can apply direct instruction to prepare learners for any activity in which the pupils work on a group project with coaching and guidance from the instructors as needed (the group activity is not considered a type of direct instruction). Show your class how to move their thinking forward with the Universal Thinking FrameworkWhat are the benefits of using explicit Direct Instruction in education?The independent practice of direct instruction does not only extend beyond demonstrating, presenting or lecturing but many are considered as foundational for effective teaching strategies. For example:
Direct instruction model What do critics have to say about direct instruction?In current times, the concept of scripted lessons with explicit direct instruction is seen as a negative practice among some teachers. As direct instruction is frequently associated with old lecture-style instruction in classrooms with many passive learnersobediently sitting on chairs and writing notes, it appears to be pedantic, outdated, or inadequately fulfilling student learning needsby some teachers and education reformers. But, most negative connotations for the direct instruction seem to result from either a misunderstanding of its techniques or a limited definition of this concept. For instance, every educator, essentially, use some degree of direct instruction in his/ her teaching such as, while preparing lessons and courses, at the time of demonstrating and presenting information, and when teaching clear directions and illustrations of topics. These are all necessary, and to some extent inevitable, teaching activities. The negative impact of direct instruction may arise when educators start to depend extraordinarily upon direct instruction, or when they fail to use alternative techniques that may bring better results in terms of improving student interest, comprehension and engagement. In a 21st century classroom, many teachers do not consider a single 45-minute lecture sufficient for learning content, but the alternative techniques they may advocate - like project-based learning or self-directed learning - certainly involve some degree of direct instructions by educators. Therefore, educators rarely use either the direct instruction method or some other type of instruction approach—in actual practice, diverse strategies are mostly a blend of explicit teaching strategies. Due to this, negative opinions of direct instruction mostly result from an over reliance on the approach, and due to viewing direct instruction as unimportant. Final ThoughtsThe application of Direct Instruction will bring an essential element in education: change. Educators will normally be required to teach differently than before and schools may need to apply a different organisation than they previously had. And, it is important that all concerned show hard work, commitment and dedication to students. The concept of Direct Instruction helps to internalise and adopt the belief that each student if properly taught, has the ability to learn. Whether you are designing special education programs or delivering mainstream provision, Siegfried Engelmann's philosophy has lasted the test of time and deserves consideration. This approach might have significant implications in helping your students engage with the curriculum content. From a philosophical perspective, this approach enables learners to build robust background knowledge which can be seen as a gateway to social mobility. If you are interested in improving the amounts of knowledge your students can process you might be interested in reading about the Universal Thinking Framework. If your school is interested in having a look at this approach, please let us know and we can organise a demonstration. |