Month: May 2022

Hi Joshua,

I really enjoyed reading your post about direct instruction (DI) this week. While I wrote a blog post on the same topic, it was great reading about the teaching approach from a different perspective. When I think about DI, I often picture a lecture hall with students seated at desks, and a professor speaking at the front of the class; therefore, I agree with your definition of DI as a teacher-centred pedagogy, with an “I talk, you listen” approach. Additionally, I like that you mentioned DI should not be strictly implemented as the sole teaching approach, but rather paired with pedagogies which support student-centred learning. Like you, I also do not find strictly teacher-directed lessons to be the most effective. As a result, for my learning pod’s Interactive Learning Resource, I suggested we use other teaching approaches in addition to DI. Seeing that you mentioned brain breaks should be implemented with DI, I believe combining the approach with other activities will be beneficial for student learning.

Overall, really great post!

Xinh

Hi Mia,

Your blog post this week was a great read. I had not previously heard of the Cooperative Learning approach, and you explained it in a manner which was clear and easy to understand. My blog post this week focused on a teacher-centred approach to learning; therefore, I appreciated reading your post which focused on a student-centred approach. In particular, I like how you emphasized students can learn through communicating information in social environments with this approach. I personally have friends who find it effective to test each other with questions in study groups, and I would consider Cooperative Learning as the foundation to this style of learning. As you mentioned in your blog post, this is because in such settings, a form of social interdependence manifests as students work together to achieve a common goal. Considering the effectiveness of this teaching approach in promoting learning, I believe it is a great idea to use Cooperative Learning in your Interactive Learning Resource.

Awesome post!

Xinh

What is Direct Instruction?

Presenting information is considered the most frequently used instructional event (Merrill, 2018). During this learning event, information can be delivered through a variety of formats, such as lectures, videos, PowerPoint presentations, and more. This instructional approach can be defined as Direct Instruction (DI): an explicit teaching method where teachers provide information, and guided instructions to students (Renard, 2019). According to Stockard, DI is considered one of the most effective teaching strategies for increasing students’ levels of achievement; however, to be effective, instruction must be logical, organized, and sequential (2015). For more information on this approach, please watch the video below which explains DI in further detail:

My Experience with Direct Instruction

Although I have never had to teach a classroom before, I have used DI as an instructional approach during my co-ops. For instance, during my previous work term, one of my tasks was to onboard new students, and to train them on how to perform various operational processes. To begin the instructional event, I provided students with a background on, and a rationale behind, the process they would be learning. In doing so, I was able to engage students, and garner their attention (Renard, 2019). After providing an introduction, I taught students the process through guided instructions and demonstrations. More precisely, I presented and explained visual flowcharts which broke down the process into a series of sequential steps, and subsequently provided a live demonstration of the process. Pairing my oral instructions with a demonstration was beneficial, for “visual demonstrations will engage more students than a pure auditory lecture” (Renard, 2019). Once I finished explaining the material, both the students and I went through the process together. During these sessions of guided practice, I assisted students through the process, retaught material as necessary, and provided corrective feedback and guidance. Eventually, when students felt comfortable enough to perform the process without assistance, I switched them from guided practice to independent practice. During independent practice, students integrated the information, and applied the skills they learned to new situations (Renard, 2019). To ensure students understood and completed the process correctly, I reviewed their work and identified anything which needed to be retaught.

Direct Instruction and My Chosen Topic

My learning pod’s topic for our Interactive Learning Resource (ILR) is stress, and our resource is intended for elementary/middle school students. I would consider stress as an abstract concept, for there is no direct physical representation of stress in the real world. As a result, I think DI would be an effective instruction method when explaining the more factual aspects of stress, such as the types of stress, and the symptoms associated with stress. Comparatively, explaining the abstract aspects of stress may be more challenging with DI. For instance, it may be difficult for teachers to provide students with a demonstration of the emotions associated with stress. Given this, other learning approaches should be used in addition to DI for our ILR.

References

Merrill, M. D. (2018). Using the first principles of instruction to make instruction effective, efficient, and engaging. In R. E. West, Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology: The Past, Present, and Future of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/using_the_first_principles_of_instruction

National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). [NIFDIINFO]. (2017, May 18). Intro to DI: What is direct instruction? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/TkjxO3PSzwk

Pixabay. (n.d.). [Image of teacher teaching class]. https://pixabay.com/photos/teacher-learning-school-teaching-4784916/

Renard, L. (2019, March 28). Direct instruction – A practical guide to effective teaching. BookWidgets. https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2019/03/direct-instruction-a-practical-guide-to-effective-teaching

Stockard, J. (2015, January 18). A brief summary of research on direct instruction [PDF]. National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). https://www.nifdi.org/research/recent-research/whitepapers/1352-a-brief-summary-of-research-on-direct-instruction-january-2015/file.html

Hi Mia,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post about learning theories, and the examples you provided for each learning method. Your descriptions of the theories were clear and well-defined, and your real-world examples helped improve my understanding of the concepts.

One example of yours I particularly enjoyed is the application of behaviourism to learning American Sign Language (ASL). Although our readings described cognitivism as a well-suited learning theory to more complex cognitive processes, such as language development, I agree behaviourism can apply to learning ASL. Behaviourism provides learners with target stimuli and repeated cues to reinforce knowledge; therefore, with ASL, a target stimulus could be the verbal command to “sign ‘DOG’”, and the cue would be repeated exposure to the signing expression for “DOG.” Additionally, I really liked your example for the constructivism learning theory. In fact, I thought of the same example while reading about the theory: my interactions with the people in my life allow me to perceive the world through a unique lens, and construct knowledge through these experiences. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, Mia, and I look forward to reading your future responses in the upcoming weeks!

Xinh

Hi Ariana,

Like you mentioned in your blog post, I also consider my instruction style as behaviourist. In school, I always find myself performing well in math and statistics-based classes. This is because given the appropriate information, variables can be inputted into a formula, and a definite correct answer can be generated for every question. Additionally, as you said in your post, once I learn the process for solving an equation, I can perform repeated practice to reinforce my knowledge, and improve my performance. Given my apt for behaviourist instruction styles, I often find interpretive classes such as English difficult, for questions in these areas of study typically have no exact answers. As a result, formulating answers for such questions require more information processing and critical thinking – a learning style more suited to the cognitivism theory. Considering this, I would like to ask if you also struggle with interpretive classes? While I primarily possess a behaviourist learning style, I am sure there are students who consider themselves equally dominant in different learning theories.

I really enjoyed reading your post, Ariana, and I am looking forward to your future responses!

Xinh

According to Ertmer and Newby, learning theories “are a source of verified instructional strategies, tactics, and techniques” (2013). Different learning theories exist including behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism; however, to ensure effective learning design, one must be able to appropriately select the ideal method of instruction for specific groups of learners (Ertmer et al., 2013).

Behaviourism

Behaviourism is a learning theory which emphasizes the arrangement of environmental stimuli and consequences to reinforce knowledge (Ertmer et al., 2013). In other words, behaviourism provides learners with target stimuli and repeated cues in specific environmental conditions to strengthen their ability to formulate appropriate responses. An example of when I was taught using the behaviourism theory is when I learned the proper deadlifting form. In this case, my target stimulus was the verbal command to “perform a deadlift.” Although I was unable to execute the movement correctly at first, I began to perform the exercise appropriately after consistent exposure to various visual cues (e.g., send hips back, keep barbell close to shins). Learning was achieved when I was able to execute the movement without guidance from previous learning resources.

Cognitivism

While behaviourism characterizes learners as reactive, cognitivism characterizes learners as active: cognitive approaches acknowledge the mental activities, mental planning, and organizational strategies used by learners to formulate a response (Ertmer et al., 2013). Additionally, cognitivism claims the learning process is influenced by factors such as the learner’s beliefs, values, and attitudes (Ertmer et al., 2013). During my statistics class at UVic, my professor used the cognitivism method to instruct students. For example, to gauge students’ current thoughts and beliefs, a pre-class quiz was distributed to evaluate our existing mental structures. Additionally, my professor facilitated knowledge transfer by chunking information into various units, and information learned from previous units would subsequently be applied to following units.

Constructivism

Unlike cognitive and behavioural theories which possess an objectivistic view, constructivism adopts a subjective view where individuals draw on their own experiences to create knowledge (Ertmer et al., 2013). Constructivists contend humans do not acquire meaning, but rather create meaning from experience (Ertmer et al., 2013). I was taught using the constructivism method during my co-ops in the Health Information Science program. For instance, the topic of electronic health records (EHR) is broadly addressed throughout various classes in my learning curriculum; however, I was able to construct knowledge, and establish a self-chosen position on the topic after being exposed to various EHRs during my work term experiences. Depending on which EHRs students encountered during their co-ops, it is likely my knowledge on the topic differs from other students. This supports constructivists’ belief that knowledge does not fit into a single definition, for it is acquired through interpretations of personal experiences (Ertmer et al., 2013).

References

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.

Pixabay. (n.d.-a). [Image of math equation]. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/back-to-school-abc-school-enrollment-2629361/

Pixabay. (n.d.-b). [Image of human cranium]. https://pixabay.com/vectors/cranium-head-human-male-man-2099128/

Pixabay. (n.d.-c). [Image of subjective lens]. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/subjective-lens-hand-woman-5057615/

Hi everyone! My name is Xinh, and I am a fourth year student in the Health Information Science Program at the University of Victoria. I am taking this class as one of my final senior electives, and am looking forward to our next few weeks together! Outside of school, some of my interests and hobbies include reading, baking, exercising, watching movies, and going on walks.