Direct Instruction

Direct instruction has at least two meanings. The first meaning refers to the generic behavioral features of explicit teaching in which teachers demonstrate a performance, guide students as they attempt to perform, and continue student/teacher exchanges until students can perform without further guidance. Barak Rosen-shine and others have described these features in detail. Thomas Gilbert developed a classic direct instruction model, which he called Mathetics, a Greek word meaning ‘to learn.’ Teachers who implement direct instruction methods are usually teaching well-defined learning objectives; for example, simple associations such as the table of elements in chemistry; sequences such as the long division algorithm; concepts such as kinds of trees or modern art styles; and applications of principles such as supply and demand in economics, rules of punctuation, detecting an author's purpose, or inferring more information about characters and settings in literature. Direct Instruction teachers are usually aiming for student mastery of objectives. This entry refers to these generic features of instructional delivery as direct instruction, with lower-case letters to begin each word.

A second meaning of Direct Instruction refers to a theory of instruction developed by Siegfried Engel-mann, specific programs designed from his theory, and specific direct instruction delivery techniques espoused by his theory and programs. The first letter in each word, Direct Instruction, is capitalized when referring to Engelmann's theory, programs, and methods. Direct Instruction is often abbreviated as DI, with the two letter-names pronounced when referring to it.

First, this entry describes features of generic direct instruction presentation methods, and then describes Engelmann's Direct Instruction.