MUED 376: Choral Music, Materials & Techniques

(M2 & T)
Direct Instruction: Self-Assessment
Instructions: Select a 4 - 7 minute clip from one of your practicum teaching rehearsals
and review your direct instruction through answering the following questions. Please
write 3- 7 sentence answers for each question. Be thorough and specific.

1. Had I written out my script in a direct instruction model? Would it have helped
my lesson delivery and success if I had done so?

I did write direct instruction scripts for my practicum teaching experiences. I felt
that it greatly aided my success and delivery overall throughout the lesson. It also
took the guesswork out of lessons and made it all feel much more organized.

2. What was my ratio of 1, 2 and 3’s?

Generally, I had alternating 1s and 2s with sparing 3s. I could definitely provide
more specific feedback in the future, but I feel that there was a good variety of 1s
and 2s throughout. My balance of 1, 2, and 3s has improved over time.

3. Were my students doing lots of 2’s the entire time? Were they on task?

Singers were doing 2s by mouthing words, chanting, singing solfege, and singing
text. They were very on task, engaged, and attentive. Their musicianship truly
shined in every 2 they did!

4. Did I talk too much between every 2 and back to a 1?

Most definitely. I find that a long train of words seems to be my default. I’d like
to work on teaching without talking more to aid my transitions and overall
effectiveness.

5. What kind of 3’s did I use in this clip? Do I need to improve my use of 3’s and if
so, in what way?

I used positive specific feedback. I have a tendency of being non-specific overall,

though. I think that I could definitely add in some more specific feedback in my
instruction.

6. Were there any DI errors in this script?

 This script looked pretty clean. I color coded to help me visually identify
activities and chunking, which helped a lot! Everything appeared accurate and
scaffolded.

7. Did I turn any 1o’s into a 1a?

In this particular clip, there were no 1os!

8. What was the ‘pattern’ of the best ‘chunk’ in this teaching sequence? (For
example, 1a, 2p, 1a, 1d, 2v, 1o, 1a , 2p, 3sra)

The pattern was: 1a, 2p (these two repeated multiple times), 3sra. This was some
echoing of ETPs and solfege that worked really seamlessly.

9. To summarize, what were the strengths of my Direct Instruction Model in this

lesson?

My strength lies in the organization of my DI model—it was well prepared and

set up for structural success. I had also practiced the script multiple times in
preparation and that helped!

10. To summarize, what were the weaknesses of my Direct Instruction Model in this
lesson?

The overall weakness was most likely my delivery. I could also eliminate some
talking in between chunks overall.

11. What are my next steps?

The next steps are to familiarize myself further with DI by implementing it in my

TOlesson planning for TCC, student teaching, and beyond! I think that practice
makes progress, and that is exactly what I intend to do. This practicum has been a
great introduction and practice in DI.