Direct Instruction
Learn more about explicit instruction, as well as the teaching method called Direct Instruction that uses scripted lessons
Teaching
Direct Instruction: What to Know About the Topic of the Next 'Sold a Story' Podcast
The Direct Instruction program and explicit instruction are in the spotlight again. What are they?
Reading & Literacy
When Older Students Can't Read: How This Middle School Is Tackling Literacy
Structured literacy classes at a New Hampshire middle school have helped some students crack the code.
Curriculum
One-Fourth of K-12 Math Instruction Occurs Digitally, Survey Suggests
Print is still popular, and math teachers still want time for direct instruction and group work, according to market-intelligence firm Simba Information.
Teaching
Opinion
Why Does Teacher Talk Still Dominate High School Classrooms?
Teacher talk still dominates high school classrooms, but it doesn't have to, and here are a few reasons why.
Teaching
Opinion
The Human-Proof Classroom
I am a big believer in having a teacher toolbox chock full of many and varied tools. But some approaches simply don't belong in a classroom.
School & District Management
Study: Struggling Math Students Need Direct Instruction, Not 'Fun' Activities
Music, movement, and manipulatives, while fun, may hinder 1st graders struggling in math, study suggests.
Equity & Diversity
Is Direct Instruction a School-Equity Issue?
Direct instruction can to help students' acquire basic skills, but also embodies a highly restrictive view of learning.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Karl Wheatley: Has Direct Instruction Banished Exploration? Not So Fast!
Guest post by Karl Wheatley
A recent guest post here by John Thompson, Neither Teacher-less nor Teacher-proof: Constructivism Meets Guided Instruction, led to a lively discussion in the comments. I asked one reader to expand on his thoughts, and this post is the result.
A recent guest post here by John Thompson, Neither Teacher-less nor Teacher-proof: Constructivism Meets Guided Instruction, led to a lively discussion in the comments. I asked one reader to expand on his thoughts, and this post is the result.
Reading & Literacy
Researchers Disagree On Improving Reading In Rural Areas
Researchers debate the Direct Instruction model in teaching reading to rural students, in a series of Journal of Research in Rural Education articles.
Curriculum
Does Lecturing Work Better After All?
This is bound to spark some interest. Harvard scholar Paul E. Peterson points to new research finding that 8th graders who received more direct instruction scored higher on an international math and science test than those whose teachers' predominantly engaged them in problem-solving activities. He notes that this is the direction that KIPP and other charter schools have already been moving, but that—sadly, in his view—most middle school instruction in the U.S., influenced by the "child-centered" theories of John Dewey and his progressive-education followers, "is weighted more towards problem-solving."
Reading & Literacy
McWhorter Makes Case for Direct Instruction
John McWhorter offers a scathing critique in the New Republic of New York City's approach to bridging the reading gap between black and white children.
Federal
NCLB Could Alter Science Teaching
Soon, schools across the country could face a new, powerful incentive to consider new mode of science instruction, some observers say.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
The President's Reading Lesson
English professor Dennis Baron draws unhappy parallels between George W. Bush's actions on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 and the "direct instruction" occurring in the classroom the president was visiting.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Direct-Instruction Tale Draws Mixed Reviews
To the Editor:
I was disappointed to read the recent Commentary by Dennis Baron ("The President's Reading Lesson," Sept. 8, 2004). Mr. Baron may or may not know something about reading instruction, but he knows nothing about what the president should do in a situation such as the one President Bush found himself and the nation in on Sept. 11, 2001.
I was disappointed to read the recent Commentary by Dennis Baron ("The President's Reading Lesson," Sept. 8, 2004). Mr. Baron may or may not know something about reading instruction, but he knows nothing about what the president should do in a situation such as the one President Bush found himself and the nation in on Sept. 11, 2001.