#4 The Effective Lesson

 

Description

Is there a perfect formula for teaching that inspires learning? Direct instruction is a model that scaffolds student learning in an organized manner. It is ideal for certain lessons and less ideal for others, the key is to know the difference (Slavin, 2018).

Analysis

Effective teaching comes from knowing what you want your students to do or know by the end of the lesson and planning how to get there (Slavin, 2018). Direct instruction is a structured way to teach concepts that begins as a teacher driven model, then slowly gives control to students through collaborative practice and independent practice (Slavin, 2018). A teacher begins by stating the learning objective and grabbing students’ attention. The teacher will address any prerequisite skills, teach the new concept while thinking aloud, and practice the concept with students (Slavin, 2018). Students will then complete an activity independently, which can be the formative assessment or not.  Finally, the teacher will then assign a homework assignment to reinforce the concept taught (Slavin, 2018).

While using direct instruction, it is important to remember some key points.  The learning objective sets the stage and informs students of the expectation/focus for the lesson, and the informal assessment could be an exit ticket, the independent activity, teacher questioning, or a product (Slavin, 2018). It is essential to plan for any prerequisite skills that would assure students success, such as review or vocabulary (Slavin, 2018). When presenting the new concept, it is necessary to hook students’ attention and speak in a way that students can understand. It is best that examples are culturally relevant to help students make connections (Slavin, 2018). During practice of new skills/concepts, it is effective to allow students time to collaborate by discussing concepts and making sense of them. When students talk about or practice concepts, they can move the new information from their working memory to their long-term memory (Slavin, 2018). Teachers should be mindful of not going to fast and allow time to practice concepts, and teachers can use questioning to gauge student comprehension (Slavin, 2018).

Using open-ended questions allow teachers to assess comprehension and to help students make connections between what they know and what they are learning (Slavin, 2018). When teachers are questioning students, they should call on students randomly to ensure all students know they are expected to pay attention and be ready to answer questions or discuss concepts (Slavin, 2018). Effective teachers should avoid just calling on volunteers or the same students, correct incorrect answers, and allow for wait time (Slavin, 2018).

Teachers and students can use independent practice to evaluate understanding (Slavin, 2018). Effective teachers should discern when to give independent practice and when to scaffold work. Some seat work can be ineffective when students are unclear of the concept or directions (Slavin, 2018). Whenever an informal assessment is given, it is important to give feedback (Slavin, 2018). Students need to be able to correct misconceptions and teachers should use the feedback to help guide instruction (Slavin, 2018). It is a best-practice to provide a small amount of homework that will reinforce the lesson concepts, this is called distributed practice (Slavin, 2018).

Effective lessons also provide students with a way to transfer knowledge from one concept to another (Slavin, 2018). Teachers can guide students in making connections by giving examples that are culturally relevant and/or build on their background knowledge. Students will more likely remember and be able to apply the new concepts when it adds to what they already know (Slavin, 2018). When students learn directly from the teacher how to make connections or they collaborate about real life examples with one another, the new concept becomes meaningful (Slavin, 2018). Teacher should not assume because a lesson was given, that connections were made (Slavin, 2018).

Discussions are best used when students are exploring a concept or when there are not simple answers (Slavin, 2018). Students need a base knowledge to participate in discussions intelligently, this will also allow for great discussions that lead to affective changes from the students (Slavin, 2018). The learning objective and subject of the concept will inform the teacher whether to use whole or small group discussion (Slavin, 2018). Teachers will facilitate whole group to encourage participation and monitor the flow and small groups may have a leader who performs these tasks (Slavin, 2018).

Reflection

I used the direct instruction model (I Do, We Do, You Do) during my first few years of teaching exclusively. It was effective because I was an EIP teacher, and it was an organized and logical way to teach ELA and math. I know how to implement and use direct instruction to improve student achievement. It was an effective way to present new concepts, allow my student time to practice and make connections, and give valuable data. As I gained more experience and began teaching all subjects, I realized direct instruction was not an effective way to teach all concepts/subjects (Slavin, 2018). I began to reflect on my practices and found what works for me and my style of teaching.

I have been teaching science for the past couple of years, including social studies this past year. Direct instruction is not the most effective way to teach these two subjects, but there are some aspects that can transfer to more content driven subjects. I always have a learning objective for students to know what they are expected to know, and new concepts are taught or reviewed. I usually have an exit ticket, that is evidence based, as a formative assessment. We have a lot of whole group or small group discussions. It is apparent to me that when students are able to talk about concepts, they are able to understand them better. This gives students a way to practice and move concepts from working memory to long-term memory (Slavin, 2018). I feel my most effective lessons are when I plan and am well prepared for misconceptions, discussions, open-ended questioning, and formative assessments.

References

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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