Direct approach was developed by Becker & Engelmann (1977). Direct instruction is a teaching method that emphasizes explicit instruction by the teacher. Direct instruction involves clear and explicit teaching of concepts, procedures and skills Engelmann & Carnine (1991). It is a teacher centered approach, lessons are structured with clear objectives, and there is an emphasis on mastery which focuses on ensuring students master content through repetition and practice. This approach makes use of assessments to measure students’ progress.
Direct Instruction could be effective in covering a large amount of content in a relatively short time. Back home in Nigeria, direct instruction was the main learning approach used by teachers considering the voluminous curriculum learners had to cover within a period. With what I have learned and seen so far in Canada, I know the education system here is tailored to what the learner can do with what he learned so it is more experiential.
The direct approach does not cater to the interests of the learners; it does not give room for creativity on the part of the learner, and not the best approach for teaching complex or abstract topics that require deeper exploration and discussion. This approach is not the best to discuss a topic like income and savings in Economics. A topic like income and savings needs the learners to be able to relate to ways they have earned at one time or the other and understand how they can generate multiple sources of income to save more. Using the direct instruction approach may focus heavily on theoretical concepts and basic skills but it might not adequately prepare students for real-world financial decision making. Understanding income and savings often requires practical application and critical thinking which may not be fully addressed through direct instruction. Students will benefit from coming together as a group to learn about other people’s experiences with income and savings which direct instruction may not allow. DI may not adequately address the behavioural aspects of personal finance such as budgeting, goal setting, and financial planning. Understanding finances is crucial to making informed financial decisions and this aspect may require a more interactive and experiential learning approach.
Direct instruction can sometimes result in information overload, teaching income and savings requires breaking down complex concepts into manageable chunks and allowing student’s time to process and apply their learning which may be challenging within the constraints of direct instruction.
In conclusion, teachers may need to incorporate a variety of instructional approaches such as experiential learning, cooperative learning, inquiry-based learning, and open pedagogies to facilitate deeper understanding and application of concepts related to income and savings
References
Engelmann, S., & Carnine, D. (1991). Theory of instruction: Principles and applications. Association for Direct Instruction.
Becker, W. C., & Engelmann, S. (1977). The Direct Instructional Model. In R. Rhine (Ed.), Encouraging Change in America’s Schools: A Decade of Experimentation. New York: Academic Press.
I really like your perspective! You criticized the direct teaching method, saying it is a structured and teacher-centered teaching method, which couldn’t be more apt.
I love the blog post. Overall you cited your sources and gave link to your resources. You gave a really nice; in depth look into direct instruction methods, aswell as related them to teaching situtaions. Great job!
Your thoughts on direct instruction are really insightful, particularly when it comes to how little it can do to encourage students’ creativity and critical thinking. To guarantee a well-rounded education, I’m interested about how you believe a balance may be achieved between the more flexible, experiential learning techniques and the rigid nature of direct instruction.