Direct instruction

The idea that you teach kids how to ask and answer questions, rather that just
asking them question, came as a revelation to me.

Although base on the studies of effective teachers, direct instruction has its
theoretical origin in the behavioral psychologists. Training psychologists have
focused on training people to perform complex behaviors that involve a high
degree of precision and often coordination with other for example. Being a crew
member on a submarine. Their main contributions to learning situations are task
definition and task analysis. The instructional design principles they porpose
focus on conceptualizing leaner performance into goals and tasks, breaking these
tasks into smaller component task, developing training activities that ensure
mstery of each subcomponent, and finally arranging the entire learning situation
into sequences that ensure aequate transfer from one component to another an
achievement of prerequisite learning before more advanced learning.

Whereas training psychologists have emphasized the design and planning

of instruction, behaviorl psychologist aress the interaction be tween teachers and
students. They speak of moeling, reinfoforcement, feeback, and successive
approximation. Behaviorists sometimes refer to their approach as modeling with
reinforced guieded performance.

Goals and assumptions

Direct instruction plays a limited but important role in a comprehensive

educational program. Critics of direct instruction caution that the approach should
not be used ali the time, for all educational objective, or for all students cautions
we agree with.

Despite the cautions and the caveats, direct instructional has a relatively
solid empirical track recor, getting consistent if moest effects.

The learning environment for direct instruction

The most prominent features are an academic focus, a high degree of

teacher direction and control, high expectations for pupil progress, a system for
managing time, and an atmosphere of relatively neutral effect.

Academic focus means one place highest priority on the assignment and
completion of academic task. During instruction academic activity is emphasized
the use of nonacademic materials for example , toys, games and puzzles is
deemphasized or even discouraged, as is nonacademically oriented student teacher
interaction , such as question about self or isscussions of personal concern.
Several studies have shown that a strong academic focus prouces greater student
engagent and subsequently achievement.

Teacher irection and control occu