BLOG POST – 2

DIRECT INSTRUCTION
Behaviourism in education speaks to how individuals interact with their environment and external stimuli. Specifically, learning occurs through the means of conditioning via reinforcement and feedback in order for the correct, desired response to occur in the presence of a particular stimulus (Adams, n.d.). For example, this would look like identifying an effective coping strategy (i.e. 5-4-3-2-1 method) for an anxiety attack. An instructional approach based on behavioural theory is direct instruction.

Direct instruction is designed for teaching basic skills and is useful for all learners when the material is new and difficult to grasp at first. The topic for my groups Interactive Learning Resource is Mental Health and Well-Being of Post-Secondary Students in Canada. Students come from diverse backgrounds with unique life experiences, thus this topic may be new, they may have preconceived beliefs or misconceptions, or it may be a difficult topic to explore. As a result, direct instruction would serve as an appropriate and effective instructional approach to achieve mastery in foundational knowledge for this topic in the targeted demographic.

A synthesis was derived for the main characteristic of direct instruction into the following three points:

⭑ Classroom activity focused on learning basic academic knowledge and skills but affective and social objectives are de-emphasized. In our learning resource, we include group work as we believe peers can play a role in providing corrective feedback. In some cases, certain students are better at grasping and understanding information, thus they are a valuable resource for others who are having difficulties or are learning new information.

⭑ Having the teacher make all instructional decisions. I believe this format is ideal, especially with out topic of mental health, when the content is new and the goal is to teach material with a focus on clarity and mastery of a broad range of knowledge.

⭑ Maintaining a positive classroom climate by emphasizing positive reinforcement and avoiding the use of aversive consequences. Our learning resource aims to do this through implementing learning activities that are unmarked so you can test your knowledge without facing repercussions, blog posts for completion marks where teachers and peers interact and provide positive feedback, and allowing multiple attempts on tests to achieve a better mark.

Joyce and Weil (2004, as cited in Adams, n.d.) identified five general components effective teachers employ for direct instruction. These will aid in forming an outline for how we structure our learning resource.

⭑ Orientation
‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎◦‎‎‎‎‎‎‎Teacher provides an overview of lesson, importance of material, relating material to earlier lessons or life experiences, and the level of performance expected to be exhibited
◦In the learning resource this would look like including an overview of why the topic is important, listing learning outcomes, applying material to real life scenarios, and utilizing mini quizzes so learners can check their level of understanding

⭑ Presentation
◦ Breaking material down into small, easy-to-learn steps for mastery
◦ Last step is to evaluate students’ understanding
◦ This is crucial when aiming for mastery and creating a strong foundation of knowledge on a sensitive topic. In the learning resource, content would be broken down in similar ways to ensure consistency

⭑Structured, Guided, and Independent Practice
◦ Different levels of assistance
◦ Structured practice involves the greatest amount of assistance. The learning resource will provide the learner will all the information and take you step-by-step through the material with mini-quizzes to minimize incorrect responses.
◦ Guided practice allows students to work on their own and the instructor will circulate to provide corrective feedback. This would include working on case studies and blog posts where the instructor can provide feedback during the process and after.
◦ Independent practice has students practice on their own with assessment and feedback on a more delayed basis. This would apply to tests, case studies, and presentations included in the learning resource. It requires students to do their own research and critical thinking with the opportunity for feedback at the end.

Reprinted from “Five Meanings of Direct Instruction” by Rosenshine, B. (2008). Center on Innovation & Improvement, 1-6.

REFERENCES
Adams, G. (n.d.) Chapter 11: Approaches to Instruction. https://homepages.gac.edu/~dmoos/documents/Behavioral.pdf

Rosenshine, B. (2008). Five meanings of direct instruction. Center on Innovation & Improvement, 1-6. http://centerii.org/techassist/solutionfinding/resources/FiveMeaningsOfDI.pdf