{"id":6407,"date":"2022-01-02T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/blog\/?p=6407"},"modified":"2022-01-05T15:05:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T20:05:18","slug":"the-benefits-of-direct-instruction-balancing-theory-with-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/the-benefits-of-direct-instruction-balancing-theory-with-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Direct Instruction: Balancing Theory with Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

When teachers hear that \u201cresearch shows we should do X,\u201d we have at least two broad\"\"<\/a> questions:<\/p>\n

First Question<\/strong>: what\u2019s the research?<\/p>\n

Second Question<\/strong>: what EXACTLY does X look like in the classroom?<\/p>\n

People who have the expertise to answer the first question (researchers) might not have the K-12 classroom experience to answer the second question.<\/p>\n

And, of course, people who can make it work in the classroom (teachers) might not know or understand the research.<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t it be great if we could find one<\/em> book that answers both<\/em> sets of questions?<\/p>\n

In fact, it would be especially<\/em> great if that book focused on a controversial topic. In that case, we could see a complete argument \u2013 both the why<\/strong> and the how<\/strong> \u2013 before we make a judgment about the controversy.<\/p>\n

Does that sound tempting? I have good news\u2026<\/p>\n

Embracing Controversy<\/h2>\n

A feisty battle has raged in edu-circles for many years now: \u201cdirect instruction\u201d vs. \u201cconstructivist pedagogy.\u201d *<\/p>\n

In one corner, \u201cconstructivists\u201d argue that problems or projects or independent inquiries help students discover and build enduring understanding. And, such exploration fosters authentic motivation as well.<\/p>\n

In the other corner, \u201cdirect instruction\u201d advocates argue that working memory limitations sharply constrain students\u2019 cognitive workspace. For that reason, teachers must explicitly shape learning experiences with small steps and carefully-designed practice.<\/p>\n

Both approaches can be \u2013 and frequently are \u2013 parodied, misunderstood, and badly practiced. So, a book explaining the WHY (research) and the HOW (classroom practice) would be greatly helpful.<\/p>\n

Sage on the Page<\/h2>\n

Adam Boxer teaches chemistry at a school in London, and has been blogging about his work for some time now. (If you follow our twitter account, @LearningandtheB, you\u2019ve seen links to his work before.)<\/p>\n

In his book Explicit & Direct Instruction: An Evidence-Informed Guide for Teachers<\/em>, Boxer gathers eleven essays that explain the research background and then then get SUPER specific with classroom suggestions.<\/p>\n

In the first chapter, Kris Boulton tells the history of \u201cProject Follow Through,\u201d a multi-decade program to discover the best way of teaching children.<\/p>\n

Researchers tracked more than 200,000 children<\/strong> in 13 different programs<\/strong> over several years<\/strong>, and compared their learning across three dimensions: basic skills, cognitive skills, and affective skills.<\/p>\n

Which approach proved most effective?<\/p>\n

Direct Instruction<\/em>, created by Siegfried Engelmann.** It was, in fact, the only program of the 13 that benefitted students in all three dimensions.<\/p>\n

When advocates of Direct Instruction (and direct instruction) insist that research shows its effectiveness, they reasonably enough point to Project Follow Through. (Can others critique this study? Of course\u2026)<\/p>\n

Both Boulton and Greg Ashman (in the second chapter) then emphasize the alignment of direct instruction with psychology models: cognitive load theory, schema theory, and so forth.<\/p>\n

In brief: we\u2019ve got LOTS of research explaining why direct instruction should<\/em> work, and showing that it does<\/em> work.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Get Practical<\/h2>\n

After Boulton and Ashman explain the why<\/em>, the next several chapters deliver on the classroom how<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For me, the book\u2019s great success lies in the number, variety, and specificity of these chapters.<\/p>\n

What does direct instruction look like for teaching math<\/em>?<\/p>\n

How about science<\/em>?<\/p>\n

How about writing<\/em>?<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best number of examples<\/em> to use?<\/p>\n

And so forth.<\/p>\n

I especially enjoyed Sarah Cullen\u2019s chapter on fading<\/em>. Cullen begins with an important question\/critique:<\/p>\n

How, then, can a teaching method that so depends on instruction \u2013 on teachers leading learning and controlling the content to which pupils are exposed \u2013 foster autonomy?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Her answer focuses on having<\/em> scaffolds and removing<\/em> scaffolds \u2013 aka, \u201cfading.\u201d<\/p>\n

In particular, Cullen wisely conceptualizes fading over many different time spans: fading across grades (which requires planning across years), fading within a term\u2019s curriculum (requiring planning across months), and fading within a lesson (requiring skill, insight, and practice).<\/p>\n

Like the book\u2019s other chapters, Cullen\u2019s offers many specific examples for each of her categories. In other words, she ground theoretical understanding with highly specific classroom realities.<\/p>\n

In Brief<\/h2>\n

If you already think direct instruction sounds right, you\u2019ll be glad to have a how-to guide.<\/p>\n

If you think it sounds suspect (or even oppressive), you\u2019ll be glad to read a straightforward explanation of the research behind the approach. (You might not be persuaded, but you\u2019ll understand both sides of the argument more clearly.)<\/p>\n

And, if you want realistic classroom examples explained with loving detail, this book will launch 2022 just right.<\/p>\n

\n

* I\u2019ve put those labels in quotation marks because both are familiar, but neither one really works.<\/p>\n

** Direct Instruction (with capital letters) is the name of Engelmann\u2019s specific program. On the other hand, direct instruction (without capital letters) is a broader approach to thinking about teaching and learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When teachers hear that \u201cresearch shows we should do X,\u201d we have at least two broad questions: First Question: what\u2019s the research? Second Question: what EXACTLY does X look like in the classroom? People who have the expertise to answer the first question (researchers) might not have the K-12 classroom experience to answer the second […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":6414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[113],"class_list":["post-6407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-lb-blog","tag-constructivism-direct-instruction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6407"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6415,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407\/revisions\/6415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}