Instruction characterized by high rates of teacher involvement and control during the initial stages of information acquisition and careful performance monitoring as the learner gradually assumes control over application; structured, modular, and sequential instruction that emphasizes practice and mastery and provides a high level of success experiences and positive feedback to the student.
is a teacher-centred approach used to provide information, teach standard procedures, or develop step-by-step skills. It involves the following strategies: demonstrations, didactic questions, drill and practice, explicit teaching, mastery lecture, guides for reading, listening, and viewing, and structured overview.
A form of instruction and/or instructional materials which divides learning and teaching into specific goals and tasks. This form of instruction emphasizes sequential learning steps, feedback, and reinforcement.
Direct Instruction refers to the practice where the necessary information is given directly to the student. Typically this is done via lecture but it need not be (e.g. overhead, video, worksheets, etc.). The advantage of direct instruction is that it is a particularly efficient form of instruction (and thus is commonly used in conference sessions). Its efficiency makes it a common choice for teacher-centered lessons, although it can also be used in student-centered lessons (e.g. in response to a perceived need by the students). During direct instruction, the focus is on the information being transmitted and thus it is not considered a constructivistic teaching method.
a widely used systematic instructional method which involves explaining, teaching, modeling, and practicing a skill as well as giving feedback on skill performance.
An instructional method developed and tested by Siegfreid Engelmann (See Engelmann & Carnine (1991)). The method follows a logical analysis of concepts and procedures, and presents to the learner examples and non-examples in an instructional sequence that fosters rapid concept learning. Direct Instruction has been shown to be the most effective form of academic preparation and maintenance during the Head Start and Follow-Through programs developed in the USA ( Watkins, (1988).
Specifically focusing instruction on the desired, targeted behavior.
Involves the organization of curricular content using modeling, scaffolding (providing strong support initially gradually reduced as the student gains independence), repetition, and frequent assessment taught through well-structured, briskly paced lessons with immediate error correction.
An instructional approach to academic subjects that emphasizes the use of carefully sequenced steps that include demonstration, modeling, guided practice, and independent application.
A specific instructivist curriculum developed by Siegfried Englemann at the University of Oregon, found to be the most effective teaching method in the billion dollar Project Follow Through study. Children receiving Direct Instruction were found to outperform controls on all scales, including achievement, basic skills, and self-esteem. Developed originally for disadvantaged children, it has been tested in all groups, including rural, urban, disadvantaged, working and middle class, and gifted children, showing success in all groups. See the Catalog of Schoolwide Reforms.
Instruction in which the teacher explains the intended purpose and presents the content in a clear, predictable manner£®The opposite of indirect, or Discovery Learning
Used as a method of delivery, Direct Instruction uses highly interactive lessons presented to small groups of students, with flexible grouping of students by performance level and frequent assessment of student progress (see Achievement Groups). The use of teacher "scripts" is designed to accelerate learning by making presentations more clear and rule out likely misinterpretations. For example, if 5+4 is (and always will be) 9, then this is what the teacher will teach and this is what the students will learn, without taking time to deeply examine the "whys and hows" of 5+4=9. (According to the trivium, older students are better able to address this type of "why and how" inquiry.)
A style of teaching where all students are actively engaged in oral responses and work toward mastery by all before new material is introduced. Teacher's role is heavily scripted.
A very structured teacher-driven approach to teaching in which the curriculum and instructional strategies are designed to quickly move learner toward mastery of per-determined objectives.
An educational philosophy based on the belief that learning takes place sot effectively when learners are told in specific detail what they would learn and are monitored close to ensure that they do so. Frequently contrasted with whole language.
Teacher-centered instruction with methods that include scripted lesson plans, teacher lectures and presentations and student recitation, fast-paced delivery, careful attention to components of skill development, intense teacher-student and student-student interactions, homogenous skill grouping, and frequent assessments. ( learn more)
Direct Instruction (DI) is an instructional design and teaching methodology originally developed by Siegfried Engelmann and the late Wesley C. Becker of the University of Oregon. Although they came from different backgrounds--Engelmann was a preschool teacher while Becker was a trained researcher from the University of Illinois--both sought to identify teaching methods that would accelerate the performance of historically disadvantaged elementary school students.