Behaviorists believe that learning takes place as a result of a response that follows a specific stimulus. Behavior can be modified and learning is measured by observable change in behavior.
Why do we need to know this? Well, behaviorism and direct instruction go hand in hand.
Direct Instruction, or DI, is how learning of basic information and skills is taught. The good ol' teacher talks and the students listen. We are all used to that right? Bored yet? Well, from the readings I actually learned that despite the criticism of direct instruction, it is still the most popular strategy to teach basic skills. DR promotes mastery of simple and complex skills and declarative knowledge. Some examples that I'm sure we are all used to are lectures, presentations, and modeling. All encourage student thinking (inquiry) and problem solving.
When is DI appropriate? Well, an example that always comes to mind when thinking of a topic that would need to have DI would be teaching the times tables. Students need to see how the answer is solved, and they need simple drill and practice of this skill. This would be done from direct instruction from the teacher to the student. The teacher will give examples, model the process and then observe the students during practice of this skill.
A DI lesson plan consists of many parts:
First, the overview which consists of the WHAT and WHY
Next, the explanation, which is the probe and response
Then practice, guided, independent, and periodic review
Followed by assessment, formative, summative
Lastly, monitor and feedback which is cues and prompts and corrective feedback.
Phew! Now that we have a little background on behaviorism and DI lets see what next week brings….
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