Research-Based Direct Instructional Approach - Essay Example

DIRECT INSTRUCTION RESEARCH BASED DIRECT INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH As educators we eachdevelop our own specific methods of instruction that not only denote our unique personalities but address the skills that are most important in our own minds. As we become experienced educators we must assess how these methods impact our students and whether they are truly the most effective techniques available. Just as we change and mature in our profession, our students change and the methods which we use to teach them must mature and change as well. As various implications of our methods are discovered, good educators will strive to work out problems and identify ways to better implement and manage our chosen instructional methods. There are a variety of categories and disciplines we could address but here our main concentration is on the possible usefulness of the DIRECT INSTRUCTION (DI) method of teaching in today's classrooms. According to the Baltimore Curriculum Project fact sheet (1997), "DI is an embracing model in instructional strategies which is filled with carefully structured and edited lessons that are backed by texts and worksheets." In DI the educator works with a group of students who are performing at roughly the same level. Through exceedingly careful organization, direction and pacing a rapport is formed with the students that facilitates the creation of a healthy, interactive learning environment. This type of interaction is finely crafted to focus on the subject and the pace of the learning activities. The students in these activities respond to questions as both an individual and a group further ensuring that the method of instruction "leaves no individual unengaged" (Baltimore Curriculum Project, 1997). Direct instruction is primarily based on previous theories of instruction which strive to eliminate misinterpretation by the students of goals, necessary skills, and instructions. The theory of DI is purported to greatly accelerate and improve academic performance as well as specific learning when applied in the prescribed manner. Direct instruction has also shown promise in correcting certain affective behaviors that can lead to academic problems. The resulting DI theory emphasizes the use of a small group in which teachers and aides conduct face-to-face (or one-on-one) instruction. This allows educators to carefully articulated lessons so that specific cognitive skills are broken down into small units and/or action sequences. The research of Mr. Siegfried Engelmann and Dr. Wesley Becker is not only a focal point in DI discussions, it also prescribes the correct method for using DI. Their work provides educators with five areas by which all class activities can be organized: GOAL SETTING: Educators emphasize the importance of setting goals for school work. Students are required to write and explain their goals which will ead them to complete the task set before them. Educators and other students provide regular reassurance on the progress toward meeting these goals as well as hints for improvement. ASSIGNMENTS: Educators should endeavor to break the ultimate task into small, manageable parts. Students should be encouraged to further devise personally manageable parts that will lead to successful completion of the task. The true key here is to set a pace that is comfortable to the individual and the class as a whole while ensuring timely completion of the task. Such structuring should lead to a better understanding of the ultimate goal as well as provide more immediate success and feedback. EXPLANATION: The variation in explanation lies at the heart of what makes DI unique. Examples that relate more closely to real life and/or appeal to the students(s) make the subject clearer and personal. Students more readily engage in learning activities that they find personally linked. If an activity seems like fun or useful to the student, it is now personal and worth doing. OUTSOURCING: Frequently asking questions during the lecture can also serve as a way to make the task personal. The right question could make students more inquisitive towards the subject and dispel any doubt they might harbor about their ability to complete the task and answer the question at hand. PRACTICE: Retaining the skills learned or the information gained does not come without repeated use. Giving sufficient time to practice what has been learned is vital but this must be conducted (as possible) in that personal manner previously described. Regular practice can prepare students for further studies in the present class and for remembering its essence during the life ahead. While most other learning systems are teacher-oriented and designed, direct instruction relies on the learners to assist in the development of instruction. In a modern classroom filled with 30+ students, individual instruction is almost impossible. Many instructional methods are designed to promote the success of the average student in a whole-class method that will reach the most students possible. In contrast the primary focus of DI is in helping individual learners maximize their logical thinking, incorporate their self knowledge and engage in work that demonstrates successful completion of an academic goal. Student input into the creation of secondary goals and pace-setting to create a more individualized learning process is highly valued in DI. In DI students are no longer the simple recipients of knowledge; they are active participants in the learning process. As an example let us now explore the implementation of the DI method as might be experienced in a real science class. Primary science education lends itself quite easily to DI. In a standard science classroom the learning cycle goes: exploration phase, concept introduction phase and application phase. This cycle works very well for both individual instruction as well as whole group-collaborative work. It also allows for hands-on exploration which further engages self-knowledge and real life examples. Take for example the concept of static electricity. We should all be familiar with the concept of "static electricity" from experiences in our daily lives. In dry weather silk clothes have a tendency to stick to our body. Woolen brushes attract tiny particles from the air as well as our hair Some clothing will stick together in the dryer and crackle as you pull it apart. The list goes on as we think of reaching for the doorknob only to receive a minor but unpleasant shock. If we rub a balloon in our hair for a bit (say long enough to count to fifteen) it becomes charged and will stick to our clothes and/or the wall. How can DI be used with this self-knowledge and learning cycle to teach the concept of static electricity EXPLORATION PHASE: Here the educator will provide the opportunity for students to engage in actual situations in which rubbing items together result in attraction to at least one of the objects. This can be done using computer programs, video demonstration, pictures, or interactive simulation but the key is for the students to see the entire process without the pressure of having to explain it. If the supplies are available, students should be encouraged to try their hand at producing the same effect and discussing similar happenings with other objects. CONCEPT INTRODUCTION PHASE: Once it has been determined that a scientific explanation exists for these happenings, students should now be exposed to terminology and concepts involved in the subject: ions, charges, positive, negative, how charges build up, the definition of static charge etc. Practice should be given in which students apply terminology and concepts to correctly explain the demonstrations they have seen in the previous phase. APPLICATION PHASE: Once the concepts have been mastered, it is time for the student to take over. Application requires the student to design a demonstration of the process involved in generating static electricity that has not already been demonstrated and provide a conceptually accurate explanation. Here the student will use self-knowledge and personal goal-setting to complete the task. It is the job of the educator during this phase to ask questions that will not only lead to continued interest in the project but will assist the student in demonstrating the learning of this concept. A balance must be attained in which individual interest and achievement is as important as the performance of the class as a whole. During the application phase it is vitally important for the educator to monitor the students. Assistance should be offered when students have trouble determining the steps necessary for the task, if they are having difficulty identifying a practical application, if they are getting sidetracked by extraneous behaviors (their own or those of others students), and if they are not focused on the task at hand. It is in this phase that the educator must give the simplest, facts-oriented feedback possible to keep students inquisitive and positively engaged in their task. Learning can be enjoyed only in a convivial atmosphere in which students perceive a give-and-take relationship with the educator. Questions that show an interest in the individual's work and an understanding of what is being attempted will engender such an atmosphere. Such will also help keep students from falling into the erroneous practice of memorizing trivial facts and applying them incorrectly in an attempt to finish; this is the exact opposite of what DI strives to achieve. As is the case with every invention or theory ever made, DI has its drawbacks as well. This method of instruction works well in a majority of subjects that are easily divided into subtopics (e.g. biology). DI is also especially successful in areas that teach skills that lie at the heart of a complex activity (e.g. basic mathematics, computer applications). However, when working with academic areas that cannot easily be split into subtopics (e.g., English composition, analysis of social issues) or that do not teach such basic skills, DI is impractical and usually results in failure if attempted. Reports of the implementation of DI make it quite clear that virtually any educational institute can benefit from DI but that some schools will naturally benefit more than others. Those educational facilities in which a significant percentage of students are not performing at the expected level or who test below the norm often benefit the most from DI. This method of instruction empowers the students by seeking their input and more closely focusing on the individual interests and abilities. Schools in which overall achievement is simply average may wish to look carefully at what changes could be made to improve the situation at hand. The implementation the DI method could be the very thing needed to change average students into excellent student. DI can make learning an enjoyable experience which will ensure student-teacher rapport and excellence in student achievement. REFERENCES Baltimore. (1996). Direct instruction and open court fact sheet. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from Baltimore Curriculum Project Website http://www.baltimorecp.org/docs/DI_OPEN_COURT_FACT_SHEET.pdf Jatin, S. (2002). How we learn Education Times. Vol11, 15-16. Leah, V. (1997). DIRECT INSTRUCTION. Retrieved April 9, 2002 from Direct Instruction Website http://www.wpri.org/WIInterest/Vol11No2/Vukmir11.2.pdf Price, k. Nelson, K. (2000). Journal of instruction Psychology. March. Website http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/slm/AdjCI/Teaching/Direct.html Quenzy, J. (2008, April 13). Education: Different Approaches to teaching. The Hindu.p.4. Zeena, K., Hunsun, M. (1999). Knowlegde: Appraches to learning. Pakistan:Aslam Books. Read More