For my second blog about approaches to learning environments I will be writing about direct instruction. The core steps of a direct instruction learning environment are the following:

Overview

  1. Introduction/Review: Set the stage for learning
  2. Development: Model the outcomes to create clear expectations of outcomes throughout the course by providing examples and explanations
  3. Guided Practice: Practice and learning tasks that is directly guided by the instructor who is readily available to give assistance and feedback
  4. Closure: Finishing off the lesson by reviewing the most important concepts
  5. Independent Practice: Students try learning tasks without any assistance from the instructor to gauge their own grasp of the material
  6. Evaluation: Assessment of pupil progress (Tests, Assignments, Group Projects, etc.)

Discussion

Direct instruction is a fairly traditional model for learning that will be familiar to most people. It follows the learning pattern of a traditional classroom environment where the instructor carefully guides the learner step by step in order to achieve the desired learning outcomes. From my personal experience the model reminds me of past science and math courses where often times a lot of guidance and direction from the instructor was required to adequately understand the material. The main strength of direct instruction is that as the instructor is heavily involved in the learning process during the formative steps 1-4, they are available to clear up any confusion the student might have about the material before summative assessments. The main weakness would be that its structure is quite rigid and the material being taught is the material being taught and there isn’t much room for exploration on the topic beyond what is being covered.

Application to Group Assignment

For my group’s topic on pet health direct instruction could work as a suitable learning environment as it is a topic that could be potentially be tricky to understand and students may need direct guidance in order to successfully learn. However, for my group’s project I think inquiry-based learning would be more optimal. As previously mentioned direct instruction learning environments can be quite rigid, and as every pet is different inquiry-based learning would be better at developing adaptable skill sets that students can use to meet each pets individual needs. Inquiry-based learning’s encouragement of students exploration of ideas and concepts that they are interested in would be better suited at allowing students to address any unique problems and challenges that they may face when caring for a pet.