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:

(NIFDI, 2017).

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.

Figure 1: With DI, teachers provide students with explicit instructions (Pixabay, n.d.).

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