Direct Instruction
Also called explicit instruction
 Widely applicable strategy that can be
used to teach both concepts and skills
 Uses teacher explanation and modeling
combined with student practice and
feedback
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Teacher Role
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Specifies learning objectives
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procedural skills; automaticity; transfer
Explains and illustrates content
 Models skills
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Student Role
Active in responding to teacher questions
 Analyzing examples
 Practicing skills to mastery
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Theoretical Foundations
Teacher effectiveness research
 Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura)
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effectiveness of modeling on learning skills
The influence of interaction on learning
(Vygotsky)
Teacher Effectiveness
Research
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Teachers can increase student
achievement by
Using time well
 Presenting high quality examples
 Using clear language
 Providing effective feedback
 Questioning students

Direct Instruction Defined
DI is academically focused, teacherdirected instruction that uses sequenced
and structured materials
 Goals are clear to students
 Coverage of content is extensive
 Performance of students is monitored
 Feedback is immediate
Characteristics of Direct
Instruction
Reviewing the previous day’s work
 Presenting new material in clear and
logical steps
 Providing guided practice
 Giving feedback with correctives
 Providing independent practice
 Reviewing to consolidate learning

Social Cognitive Theory
Bandura (1989, 1997)
 Learning by observing the behavior of
others
 Central to theory is MODELING of the
desired behavior for students
 Direct Instruction incorporates the
benefits of modeling into lesson design

Social Cognitive Theory
Vygotsky (1978)
 Verbal interaction (language) helps
students learn
 Direct Instruction is effective because it
adopted two concepts from the work of
Vygotsky
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Social Cognitive Theory Cont.
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First concept--SCAFFOLDING
Scaffolding is the instructional support teachers
provide as students learn
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Breaking skills into subskills
Asking questions, with increasing difficulty level
Modeling the steps
Presenting examples
Providing prompts and cues
Social Cognitive Theory Cont.
Second concept--ZONE OF PROXIMAL
DEVELOPMENT (ZPD)
 State of learning in which a student
cannot solve a problem or perform a skill
alone and needs the help of a teacher
 Outside of ZPD, students either don’t
need any help or lack the prerequisite
skills or background knowledge

Planning Lessons using DI
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Four steps
Identifying topics (concepts and procedural
skills
 Specifying objectives (automaticity and
transfer)
 Identifying prerequisite knowledge
 Selecting problems and examples
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Implementing Lessons with DI
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Phase 1: Introduction and review
Students are drawn into the lesson
 Teacher attracts students’ attention
 Teacher activates background knowledge
through a thorough review of prerequisite
knowledge or skills
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Implementing Lessons with DI
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Phase 2: Presentation
New content is presented and explained
 Teacher begins schema production by
explaining and illustrating the concept or
explaining and modeling the skill being
taught
 Teacher promotes involvement by modeling,
providing examples, and actively questioning
students to guide their understanding
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Implementing Lessons with DI
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Phase 3--Guided practice
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Students practice the concept or skill under the
teacher’s guidance with high levels of interaction
Teacher helps students develop perceptions of
competence
Teacher ensures success
Teacher monitors progress
Role of teacher changes. Teacher moves from
information provider and modeler to COACH,
withdrawing instructional support as students master
skill.
Implementing Lessons with DI
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Phase 4--Independent practice
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Students practice using the concept or skill on their
own
Students develop automaticity
Students develop the ability to transfer their
understanding to new contexts
Two stages: (1) students practice on their own under
teacher supervision and (2) students work on their
own on a homework assignment
Increasing Motivation with DI
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The guided practice of DI develops
perceptions of competence. Perception
of competence is highly motivating. As
students become more competent in
using the concept or skill, they equate
their hard work with success.
Applications of DI
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Direct Instruction can be used to teach
generalizations, principles and rules.
(We will discuss generalization, principles
and rules later in the semester)
DI and Diverse Learners
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DI has been shown to be especially
effective with learners from diverse
backgrounds
Explicit approach to teaching (with modeling)
 Interactive nature, constant monitoring
 Structured approach, extensive practice
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All contribute to greater success for diverse
learners