Direct-Explicit Instruction

Effect Size: 0.60

Definition

Anita Archer explains that direct, explicit instruction is an instructional approach that is structured, systematic, and led by teachers. It includes both instructional design and delivery procedures. This requires teachers to not only have clear learning intentions and success criteria, but build a commitment and engagement among all students in the learning task. It is characterized by modeling, a series of scaffolds or supports, feedback and checks for understanding in their teaching so that every student can demonstrate their level of understanding of the new skill by working through an activity.

Steps in the Process

Determine learning intentions based on standards so students understand what they will be learning. Sequence skills and design organized, focused lessons. Easier skills should be taught before harder ones. Also consider separating strategies that are confusing to students.
Create success criteria: Signals the learner about the destination and provide a road map of how to get there. It powers students to assess their own progress and not to rely on the teacher.
Build engagement through a clear statement of lesson's goals and your expectations. Students acheive more when they understand the instructional goals and outcomes expected, as well as how the skills will help them.
Present the lesson: Review relevant prior learning and connect to the new learning. Provide a step-by-step demonstration. Clearly model the skill and clarify how decison making will be needed to complete a task or procedure.
Use clear and concise language: Use consistent, unambiguous wording and terminology to reduce student confusion.
Provide examples and nonexamples: In order to establish boundaries of when and when not to apply the skill, strategy or concept, provide a wide range of example and nonexamples.
Provide guided practice: This promotes inital success and builds student confidence. When success is demonstrated, you can gradually increase task difficulty and decrease the level of guidance. Requiring frequent responses encourages engagement and allows for teachers to check for understanding.
Provide immediate affirmative and corrective feedback: This ensures high rates of student success.
Delivery of lesson should be brisk: Use an appropriate pace to optimize instructional time, the amount of content presented, and on-task behavior.
Provide distributive and cumulative practice: Distributed practice (vs. mass practice) refers to multiple opportunities to practice over time. Cumulative practice is a method for providing distributed practice by including opportunities to use previously taught skills/concepts with newly acquired skills/concepts.

When to Use

Direct/explicit instruction is a surface level strategy. This is used with students when they are initially exposed to concepts, skills, and strategies. It is critical because it provides a foundation on which to build as students are asked to think more deeply. (Hattie, Fisher, Frey,2017)
Instruction should focus on critical content. Teacher skills, strategies, vocabulary terms, concepts, and rules that will empower students.

Why Use it?

Research has shown a connection between direct instruction and acceleration of student learning. The critical component of direct instruction is to provide instruction to accelerate the performance of students. This occurs through teaching more in less clock time, aim teaching generalizaations beyond rote learning, sequencing learning, and constantly monitoring performance of students as they move along the learning trajectory toward more challenging goals. (Adams and Engleman (1996)
Direct, Explicit Instruction supports struggling readers and EL students. The clear focused process used supports students to promote accessibility to content and learning.

DOK Level: 2 understanding

Questions to Focus Your Lesson

When planning, do you have a clear idea about your learning intentions?
Have you considered and discussed why it is important for students to know what the criteria for learning success are?
Does your instruction include modeling and demonstrating skills and concepts?
Does checking for understanding have a place in your lessons?
Have you considered guided instruction within your lesson to allow for learners to practice new skills and concepts with feedback?
At some point have you provided time for students to try the new learning independently in new situations?

Engaging the Adolescent Learner by Fisher and Frey

Rethinking the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model in Mathematics

You do - We do - I do

In short, the You Do, We Do, I Do approach that I support reflects a rapid, rather than gradual, release of responsibility. This involves flipping I Do and You do, as I've described.

https://www.nctm.org/Publications/Mathematics-Teaching-in-Middle-School/Blog/Rethinking-the-Gradual-Release-of-Responsibility-Model/#:~:text=Does%20%E2%80%9CI%20do%E2%80%94we%20do,attempting%20problems%20on%20their%20own.

https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2015/01/rapid_release_of_responsibility_you_do_we_do_i_do.html#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20the%20You%20Do,%2C%20as%20I've%20described.