STARTER ACTIVITY

Think back to a lesson in grades K-12

that was particularly memorable.
Describe the type of instruction the
teacher used and why you
remembered or enjoyed the lesson.
Direct Instruction

EDCI 302 Fall 2011

Also known as…

Explicit Instruction

Systematic Instruction
What is it?

Very teacher-centered
Teacher makes all decisions - they
decide what is to be taught, when,
and how.
Teacher is the information giver
“I do it, we do it, you do it”
The basic components of direct
instruction are: 
• Setting clear goals for students and making
sure they understand these goals.
• The teacher giving students clear, concise
explanations of the subject matter in small
steps.
• Asking frequent questions to see if the
students understand the work.
• Giving students frequent opportunities to
practice what they have learned.
Madeline Hunter’s Model of
Direct Instruction - ITIP

1. Anticipatory set
2. Objective/Purpose
3. Input
4. Modeling
5. Check for understanding
6. Guided practice
7. Independent practice
Hunter’s Model Modernized

1. Anticipatory set = engage or activate

2. Objective/Purpose = big idea
3. Input/modeling = instruction/exploration
4. Check for understanding = mid-point
check
5. Guided practice = organize
6. Independent practice = integrate
 Sample Lesson - Fractions

PROBLEM
We are going to have a cupcake party on
Friday. Because we value diversity, we are
going to have three kinds of cupcakes
available; chocolate, vanilla, and bacon.
There are 20 students in the class. Two-fifths
(2/5) want chocolate. One third (1/3) of the
students who are left are brave enough to try
the bacon. How many students want vanilla?
 You practice

Draw pictures to represent the following fractions:

I have 12 apples – show me 1/3

I have 15 caterpillars – show me 3/5
I have 14 ducks – show me 2/7
I have 16 slices of pizza – show me 3/4
 Exit Ticket

PROBLEM
Justin Bieber is coming to Palouse Elementary.
He is bringing 15 autographed photos to give
away. He gives Mrs. Jones 3/5 of the photos.
She gives away 2/3 of those to her students.
How many photos did Mrs. Jones keep for
herself? Draw a picture to help you solve the
problem.
Strengths

• Quick and effective, especially for large groups

• Good for teaching specific facts and basic skills
• Good for things that require step-by step
instruction
• Excellent strategy to use at the beginning of a
lesson or to explain basic concepts
• Orderly – lends itself to good classroom
management
Strengths

• Can be interesting and engaging with use of

humor, multimedia, and questioning
• Learning objectives/purpose are clear to
students
• Relatively easy to measure student progress
• Material is presented in a logical manner
• Can be very useful with special education
students
Weaknesses

• Teacher must be prepared and have good

communication skills or it can be boring
• Teacher must know the content or it can be
confusing for students
• Audience is often passive – students are not
engaged
• Not as effective for higher-order thinking skills,
depending on the skill of the teacher.
• Lack of creativity for both teacher and students
MEETING NEEDS OF DIVERSE
LEARNERS

• Can be very effective in dealing with students of

lower abilities
• Can be boring for higher level students unless
the teacher challenges them with higher level
questioning
• Better for auditory learners than visual or
kinesthetic
Use of questioning

• Most commonly uses lower level questioning –

knowledge, comprehension, and application.

• Higher level questions can be used as well.

• Questioning should be used during all stages of

direct instruction for it to be truly effective.
Most effective with

• Older students
• Math
• Grammar (spelling, punctuation)
• Introducing new skills and concepts
• Social studies lecture – facts and dates
• Safety issues
The End…