Indirect Instruction
General Description:
In indirect instruction, the teacher is not the sole source of all information. The focus in these activities
is on student involvement rather than having the students listen to a lecture. The students will be
actively engaged in their learning through student inquiry. Overall, the teacher’s job for indirect
strategies is to provide students resources, such as an open-ended problem or examples, so that
students can discover the content on their own.
Pros
Accommodates visual learners, auditory
learners, and kinesthetic learners.
(Differentiated)
Students develop problem-solving skills.
Provides the opportunity for self-assessment
via concept mapping, reflective discussion etc.
Helps students understand cause and effect
through trial and error.
Provides an authentic experience.
Cons
Students may get off task due to lack of
structure.
Requires scaffolding.
Students may get discouraged or overwhelmed
by the responsibility of the task.
Making appropriate assumptions about
students’ prior knowledge.
Teacher work-load. Making assessments and
figuring out how to plan in the future.
Common Instructional Strategies:

Concept Mapping: A graphic representation in which students can show the relationships
between multiple concepts.

Problem Solving: Students are presented with information regarding a problem and work in a
series of self-directed steps to solve the problem. There are multiple strategies that could be
used during problem solving depending on the student or group’s preference and prior
knowledge.

Reflective Discussions: A student-led discussion that encourages them to connect their own
experiences with topics they’ve learned or experienced in class. This reflective process with
help to solidify concepts covered during a lesson or unit.

Concept Attainment: The teacher provides students with examples of a concept (without
directly telling them the content objectives) and then students use those examples to draw
connections and discover the concept on their own.

Inquiry: “ An approach to learning that involves a process of exploring the natural or material
world, that leads to asking questions and making discoveries in the search for new
understandings.”
Detailed Instructions and Materials:
Instructional Strategy: Concept Attainment
Materials: Examples of the concept
Math Examples:
1. The following diagram that represents the area of a big rectangle that is broken up into two
smaller rectangles. Given that the area of smaller rectangle with sides b and c is 24 ft2, the side
length of the big rectangle a + b is 36 ft., and the perimeter is 80 ft., what is the total area of the
remaining inner rectangle and the total area of the entire rectangle?
24 ft2
a
c
b
Not drawn to scale.
With the following expressions, generate the corresponding area models. The expressions are:
2. 3(3 + 3)
3. 5(6 + 1)
4. 4(10 +8)
With the following area models, write two expressions that represent the area for the entire rectangle.
5.
16 ft2
24 ft2
Expression 1: _____________________
Expression 2: _____________________
6.
12 ft2
15 ft2
Expression 1: _____________________
Expression 2: _____________________
7.
3 ft2
4 ft2
Expression 1: _____________________
Expression 2: _____________________
8. What are these problems trying to get at? Describe what you learned from these questions.
Appropriate Assessment for Indirect Instruction:
List of performance criteria of how the students will perform their tasks. Develop a grading scale or
rubric in alignment with the performance criteria. Probably this most appropriate way to assess
students using indirect instructions would be formatively.
Works Cited
(2009, November). From Instuctional Strategies Online:
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/pd/instr/strats/reflectivediscussion/index.html
Fundamentals of Online Pedagogy. (2000, September). From Concept Attainment:
http://imet.csus.edu/imet2/stanfillj/portfolio/process/concept%20attainment/ca.htm
Inquiry Descriptions. (1996, November). From Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/inquirydesc.html
Novak, J. (2006). The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them. From Institute for
Human and Machine Cognition :
http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryCmaps/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.htm