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Chapter 7

Models for Teaching: Direct

Melinda Bauer and

Shannyn Bourdon

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Instructions

• Take a minute and think of all the ways you have been taught.

• Right them down, please.

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Direct Teaching

• Direct teaching is to the point, straightforward, and clear.

• In it, someone gives someone else the information they need to learn.

• Examples: teaching in person, videoconference, or video.

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Direct Teaching*

• Definition: The teaching of facts, rules, and action sequences. It is a teacher-centered strategy in which you are the major information provider.

• It also requires teacher- student interactions involving questions and answers, review and practice, and the correction of student errors.

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Video

• Direct Teaching Video

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Direct Teaching: Formal and Informal

• Formal: lecture, video

• Informal: storytelling, impromptu, when students have questions that may be off topic.

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Storytelling and Curriculum

• Storytelling is a type of direct teaching that is informal.

• Storytelling takes practice, but it provides students with the opportunity to learn story structure, listen to oral expression, and learn more about different cultures.

• Story telling helps keep the student’s attention as well. Stories include vivid descriptions, interesting characters, and conflicts or challenges.

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5 steps when organizing a storytelling lesson

Identifying importance: the core concepts that will lead to the main idea

1. Finding binary opposites: this would include some type of conflict (living and nonliving)

2. Organizing content into story form 3. Conclusion: the result of the story4. Assessing: Always assess student’s

understanding by letting them retell it, illustrate it, or create a model of the story.

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Four Key Concepts in Direct Instruction*

1. Clearly present goals and main points.

2. Present content sequentially.

3. Be specific and concrete.

4. Check for students’ understanding.

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Direct Lesson Design

1. Set (opening)2. Objectives and purpose (opening)3. Information and modeling (constructing

meaning)4. Checking for understanding (constructing

meaning)5. Guided practice (using/applying)6. Assessment (assessing learning)7. Independent practice and re-teaching

(follow-up)

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Direct Lesson Design: Set

• Provides focus

• Transfers relevant prior knowledge

• Provides an advanced organizer for key ideas

• Pre-assesses appropriate skills as necessary

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Direct Lesson Design: Set

Three Key Concepts1. A set activity provides a focus for the

learner’s mind by requiring active involvement with the content.

2. Prior Knowledge: The set activity should enable students to relate the new information to something they have learned before.

3. Pre-assessment or Diagnosis: This allows the teacher to review past information to help teach the new content.

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Direct Lesson Design: Objectives and Purpose

• Communicates to the students the learning goal(s)

• Motivates students (by explaining the purpose—how the lesson relates to real life)

• This is an important element when you are planning a lesson.

• Give the objective in their language, let them know the expectations, and the purpose for the lesson.

• Ex. Properties of Matter

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Direct Lesson Design: Information and Modeling

• Explains and demonstrates information

• Uses variety in presentation styles and appeals to various learning styles

• Provides a conceptual structure for information

• Uses verbal labels to point out key elements of examples

• Involves learners actively after each chunk of information

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Direct Lesson Design: Information and Modeling

• You provide information about the topic at hand. Examples: lectures, experts, readings, videos, presentations, or on the internet.

• Even your best verbal description is likely to be more effective when supported by a model. Examples: posters, transparencies, pictures, object to pass around, demonstrations, drawings

• Verbal Labeling: is the technique of pointing out, in words, an idea or element you want students to notice.

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Direct Lesson Design:Checking for Understanding

• Done periodically during information giving

• Allows students to actively process information (e.g. write, talk, vote)

• Provides information about student understanding of information presented

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Direct Lesson Design:Checking for Understanding

Checking for Understanding has two purposes:

1. Enable students to digest the information in small chunks, so that each phase is meaningful to them before the next piece is presented.

2. Find out how well students have absorbed the material—may need to reteach the same material in a different way.

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Objective Table*This table provides examples of some of the action

verbs that correspond to the objectives most suited for direct instruction.

Cognitive Objectives

Affective Objectives

Psychomotor Objectives

RecallDescribeList SummarizeParaphraseDistinguishUse OrganizeDemonstrate

ListenAttendBe awareComplyFollowObeyDisplayExpressPrefer

RepeatFollowPlacePerform accuratelyPerform independentlyPerform proficientlyPerform with speedPerform with

coordinationPerform with timing

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Direct Lesson Design:Guided Practice

• Allows student to gain mastery through practice

• Provides activities that match the objective

• Allows teacher to monitor learning and adjust accordingly

• What is the difference between guided practice and a check for understanding exercise?

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Direct Lesson Design:Guided Practice

ActivityBrainstorm with a partner five ways you can

use guided practice in your classroom with small groups and with the whole class.

*Hint: Page 196 is a great place to start.

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Direct Lesson Design: Assessment

• Gathers information about individual mastery of the objective

• Helps the teacher decide how to proceed with each student

• After assessing each student, the teacher may decide to reteach it to some students while giving others an extension activity.

• This element may be omitted if during guided practice, the students were successful at doing the independent work assigned.

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Direct Lesson Design: Independent practice and re-

teaching

• Attends to individual needs by re-teaching, or

• Provides further practice to develop fluency/ automatcity, or

• Extends learning

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Direct Lesson Design: Independent practice and re-

teaching• Re-Teaching may include further direct

instruction, and teaching the content in another way.

• Independent practice can be done in or out of the classroom. It does not always mean homework.

• Examples: worksheets, a few extra problems, more in-depth assignments, flashcards, reading, etc.

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Direct Lesson Design: Independent practice and re-

teaching*• Guidelines for Independent Practice• Students should understand the reason for

practice.• Effective practice is brief, non-evaluative,

and supportive.• Practice should be designed to ensure

success• Practice should come with feedback.• Practice should have the qualities of

progress, challenge, and variety.

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When to use Direct Lessons

• A direct lesson is not required for every type of content, such as reading comprehension, freedom, debates, and other types of abstract concepts.

• A direct lesson should be used when a high degree of structure lends itself well to direct teaching.

• Examples: math and science problems, sentence structures, and problem-solving steps.

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What did You Learn?

Divide into groups of two people.

Lesson topic: Measure Using Inches 1. Set2. Objectives and purpose3. Information and Modeling4. Checking for Understanding5. Guided Practice6. Assessment 7. Independent practice and reteaching

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Resources

• Youtube.com

• Borich, Gary D. Effective Teaching Methods, 5th Edition