The Effective Lesson

THE EFFECTIVE
LESSON
• What Is Direct Instruction?
• How Is a Direct Instruction Lesson Taught?
• What Does Research on Direct Instruction
Methods Suggest?
• How do Students Learn and Transfer Concepts?
• How are Discussions Used in Instruction?
• Is a Teaching
Approach.
• Teacher Transmits
Information in a
Direct Fashion.
• Reaches Clearly
Defined Set of
Objectives.
• Is Efficient.
1. State learning objective & orient
students to the lesson.
2. Review prerequisites.
3. Present new material.
4. Conduct learning probes.

5. Provide independent practice.
6. Assess performance and provide

feedback.
7. Provide distributed practice &

review.
Importance of learning objectives:
1. Reasons for teaching & learning are clear.
2. Learning outcomes are identified—provides focus.
3. Provide framework for information, materials, and

Activities.
4. Identify the teaching methods that will be used—e.g.,

lecture, group work, or film.
5.Identify participation structures, or how groups are

organized, monitored, and evaluated.
Establishing a positive mental set at the beginning of a lesson
provides:
Readiness for learning.
Sense of seriousness of
purpose.
Arouses interest in lesson.
Preview of content of lesson, or

a Roadmap using Advance
Organizers.
1. Objectives should be broad to encompass the contents of the
lesson.
2. Objectives should identify:

• What they will know;
• What they should be able to do; and
• How they will use their new knowledge & skills.
3. State orally and write objective of Lesson; repeat it during

lesson—encourage students to identify their outcomes for the lesson.
4. Provide demonstrations/models of the product/outcome of

the lesson.
5. Elicit students to thinking about the objectives/outcomes of

the lesson.
Concept/
Each
Skill: Letters A-C prerequisite skill
represent the must be
prerequisite reviewed so that
C Skills/Links teachers can
students MUST help Students
know in order to Link new ideas
B develop and with old—
understand new enhancing
concepts. remembering/
A
learning.
1. Make Lesson Structure Organized, Clear, and Logical
2. Make Lesson Emphasis known—What is Important is made explicit.
3. Make Lesson Structure known to students—clear and purposeful.
4. Make use of Clear Explanations using the pattern rule-example-rule.
5. Make use of Worked Examples to Model Strategies so Students can use them
independently.
6. Make use of Demonstrations, Models, Illustrations and Embedded Video.
7. Make use of Variety, Enactive Learning, Humor, Enthusiasm, Adequate Pacing

and Expressiveness to Maintain Attention.
7. Utilize worked examples.
8. Rule-Example-Rule scheme: utilize many explanations & explanatory

words.
9. Utilize demonstrations, models, and illustrations; show rather than just

tell.
10. Use Embedded Video.
11. Maintain attention: utilize variety, activity or humor.
12. Content coverage and the pace of instruction depend on needs of

students and type of content.
• Learning Probes:
 Asking Questions that Require Brief Student
Responses.
 Check Student Understanding as Lesson Proceeds—
did students get what they just heard.
 Help Set Pace of Lesson— Do Not Destroy Tempo
of Lesson.
1. Prompts Students.
2. Encourage Thinking.
3. Serve as Learning Probes.
4. Need to use Wait Time
5. Random Call Students
6. Use All-Pupil Response.
7. Provide Think Time Before Asking for a Response

1. Leading 7. Asking Yes-No
Questions Questions and
Unclear
Questions
Avoid These:
2. Asking for
6. Ignoring
Volunteers
Answers
3. Asking all 5. Failing to

Factual 4. Asking all Correct
Questions. Factual Incorrect
Questions. Answers
High Stakes
Testing—No Child Assessment for
Left Behind—NCLB Learning Movement—
AFLM
• AFLM Reaction Against High Stakes Testing—NCLB.

• Formative Assessment during Lessons.
• Inform Teaching.
• Explicit Criteria for Success.
• Immediate Feedback.
• Students Report their Level of Understanding.
Formative Evaluation Occurs when Teachers Check for
Understanding during Lessons.
Some Techniques
1. Utilize Past Writing Projects—Demonstrating Standard /

Expectations.
2. Ask BIG Questions—Allow Discussion of the Questions/Concepts.
3. Increase Class Engagement When Asking Questions—Popsicle Sticks,

Wipe-Off Boards, Unison Responses, Traffic Lights.
Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon
• Independent Practice: students practice/rehearse new
information on their own.
• Warning: Seatwork is problematic for students who lack motivation,
reading skills or self-organizational skills.
Keys for Independent Practice

1. Do not assign independent practice until you are sure
students can do it.
2. Keep it SHORT.
3. Provide Clear Directions.
4. Maintain Engagement—No Interruptions.
5. Monitor.
6. Collect, Grade and Make Part of Final Grade.

Every Lesson Should Contain an Assessment to Determine
If Students Mastered the Objective of the Lesson.
 Provides teachers with feedback so they can plan

accordingly
 Provides students with feedback so they can improve

their performance
 Frequent Testing Keeps Students Engaged.
 Feedback Helps Teachers w/Pacing and Allows them to

Determine if Re-Teaching is Necessary.
• Retention of Information is increased by review spaced-
out over time.
• Reviewing important information from previous lessons

enhances learning—links new with old.
• Homework can Be Utilized as Formative Evaluation.
• Making Homework Interesting and Worthwhile—Critical

to its Value.

• Teachers Should Utilize the fact that Students
are Visual Learners—Pair Pictures and Spoken
Word.
• Model Metacognitive Strategies.

 Correlation between student achievement & strategies
associated with direct instruction.
 Mixed results for the effectiveness of direct instruction—can

improve basic skills.
But
 Research Instead Should Emphasize More Attention on
Building Teachers’ Classroom Management Skills—Bigger
Payoff.
 More Attention for Professional Development in Improving

Teachers’ Use of Reading Groups.
N.B. Process-Product Studies used for this research—mostly

in elementary grades and reading and mathematics.
Concept: an abstract idea generalized from specific
examples.
Learn concepts using:
1. Observation
2. Definitions
3. Examples

Two Techniques of Teaching
Definitions
1. Give Examples Students Infer Definition
OR
2. State Definition Students Identify Examples and Restate

Non-Examples Definition.
Used More Often

Transfer of Learning: application of knowledge acquired in one
situation to new situations through Observation and Definitions.
Facilitated by:
1. Initial Learning MUST Be Emphasized.
2. Learning information in a variety of contexts when the

concept is understood.
3. Providing examples from a range of situations & pointing

out essential elements.
4. Utilizing real-life applications (simulations).
5. Interdisciplinary Teaching—Transfer of Skills.
6. Explicit Teaching for Transfer.

• The Technique Utilized the Following Elements of Instruction:
1.Teach what TRANSFER Means.
2. Provide Examples of how Information can be Changed—Language, Contexts,
Numbers.
3. Examine Story Problems for Similarities/Commonalities.
4. Then Practiced Solving Problems and Discussed Results.
There is a Strong Need to Address

Transfer of Learning in Lessons.

Important Points about Discussions are as follows:
1. Subjective and controversial topics.
2 Difficult and novel subjects.
3. Affective objectives.
4. Use to increase involvement in a wide variety

of subject areas.
5. Teacher is a Facilitator w/Little Direct

Instruction.
1. Whole Class
2. Small Group

• Teacher facilitates or moderates— Does Not Dominate
• Teacher should make sure students have necessary background

information/knowledge
• Entire class participates
• Focus of discussion: inquiry-oriented
• Students use information previously learned
• Students explore issues from a different perspective

• Students work in four- to six-member groups.
• Small-Group discussion should follow a presentation of information

(lecture, film or reading).
• Teacher appoints leaders, organizes task, provides guide questions,

and monitors discussions.
• Discussion may have single topic or separate group topics.
• Can enhance student achievement.

1. Uses 3. Uses Humor,
Performance Novelty and
Objectives to Help Intentional Variety in Lessons
Focus Lessons. to Engage
Teacher Students.
2. Uses Pre-
Assessments and
Reviews in
Lessons.
Complete this WEB—Write 5 KEY Ideas from this
Chapter:
1.____ 5. ____
Key Ideas
4. ____
2.____
3. ____

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THE EFFECTIVE

3. Present new material.

4. Conduct learning probes.

6. Assess performance and provide

7. Provide distributed practice &

1. Reasons for teaching & learning are clear.

2. Learning outcomes are identified—provides focus.

3. Provide framework for information, materials, and

4. Identify the teaching methods that will be used—e.g.,

5.Identify participation structures, or how groups are

Arouses interest in lesson.

Preview of content of lesson, or

2. Objectives should identify:

3. State orally and write objective of Lesson; repeat it during

4. Provide demonstrations/models of the product/outcome of

5. Elicit students to thinking about the objectives/outcomes of

2. Make Lesson Emphasis known—What is Important is made explicit.

3. Make Lesson Structure known to students—clear and purposeful.

4. Make use of Clear Explanations using the pattern rule-example-rule.

6. Make use of Demonstrations, Models, Illustrations and Embedded Video.

7. Make use of Variety, Enactive Learning, Humor, Enthusiasm, Adequate Pacing

8. Rule-Example-Rule scheme: utilize many explanations & explanatory

9. Utilize demonstrations, models, and illustrations; show rather than just

10. Use Embedded Video.

11. Maintain attention: utilize variety, activity or humor.

12. Content coverage and the pace of instruction depend on needs of

3. Serve as Learning Probes.

4. Need to use Wait Time

5. Random Call Students

6. Use All-Pupil Response.

7. Provide Think Time Before Asking for a Response

3. Asking all 5. Failing to

• AFLM Reaction Against High Stakes Testing—NCLB.

1. Utilize Past Writing Projects—Demonstrating Standard /

2. Ask BIG Questions—Allow Discussion of the Questions/Concepts.

3. Increase Class Engagement When Asking Questions—Popsicle Sticks,

Keys for Independent Practice

Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon

 Provides teachers with feedback so they can plan

 Provides students with feedback so they can improve

 Frequent Testing Keeps Students Engaged.

 Feedback Helps Teachers w/Pacing and Allows them to

• Reviewing important information from previous lessons

• Homework can Be Utilized as Formative Evaluation.

• Making Homework Interesting and Worthwhile—Critical

Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon

Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon

 Mixed results for the effectiveness of direct instruction—can

 More Attention for Professional Development in Improving

N.B. Process-Product Studies used for this research—mostly

Learn concepts using:

Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon

1. Give Examples Students Infer Definition

2. State Definition Students Identify Examples and Restate

Used More Often

Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon

1. Initial Learning MUST Be Emphasized.

2. Learning information in a variety of contexts when the

3. Providing examples from a range of situations & pointing

4. Utilizing real-life applications (simulations).

5. Interdisciplinary Teaching—Transfer of Skills.

6. Explicit Teaching for Transfer.

There is a Strong Need to Address

Copyright © 2012 Allyn & Bacon