heart of heartlands lessons

Direct instruction, as the term suggests, places emphasis on the teacher leading the learning and being very clear on what students need to know. However, it does not necessarily mean didactic teaching: a teacher stood at the front of the class talking at pupils for the whole lesson. Rather, what makes it distinct is the approach: a teacher creating an instructional sequence where all students converge on the same key concepts and knowledge. There should not be ambiguity – this does a disservice to the learner – but total clarity.

It is an empowering technique because it believes every child can learn what they need to know, if the teaching is right. It is also based on firm evidence. John Hattie’s meta-analysis of what techniques are the most effective for learning, states direct instruction is one of the best ways to ensure students make progress.

One specific technique within direct instruction is when explaining a concept to a class, the teacher uses a ‘non-example’ to convey the meaning of something. For example, if a teacher needed to explain the idea of democracy to students, one step towards that would be to contrast it with autocratic monarchies and dictatorship.