Big DI vs. Little DI

First things first: there's "direct instruction," and then there's "Direct Instruction."

Let's start with the lowercase version. This one refers to classroom instruction in which the teacher is presenting information to students, usually in the form of a lecture or demonstration. This type of direct instruction is a teacher-centered model in which the teacher is considered the expert in terms of the content and its delivery. And they are directly delivering that content to the students. Which is why it's called direct instruction. Makes sense.

Why is it lowercase? Because it's basically been the foundation of most teaching for centuries. Maybe millennia. Socrates had to have his students nearby to use the Socratic formula, after all. Most teachers today engage in direct instruction at various times, since it's basic practice for teachers to be in charge of designing and leading lessons. Just like in the ol' Socrates days.

But what about all the magic of today's world like YouTube and SmartBoards? Sure, post-Socratic technology can help spice things up a bit, but still—if the teacher is organizing the lessons and presenting the content while the students take it all in, that's direct instruction.

So yeah, there's a lot of little d.i. going on out there.

What's less common is the use of Direct Instruction (big "D," big "I"), which is a specific teaching method developed by Siegfried Engelmann and Dr. Wesley Becker in the 1960s. Like the little d.i., D.I. is a teacher-centered method. But moving on up from the little guy, it requires teachers to deliver content using explicit, guided instructions that leave no room for students misunderstanding. So to make sure you don't misunderstand, we'll get a lot more direct in instructing you on what exactly that means.

Philosophy and How It's Done

Originally titled D.I.S.T.A.R. (Direct Instruction System for Teaching Arithmetic and Reading) before being shortened to D.I., Direct Instruction has two basic philosophic principles:

• All students can learn when the correct teaching methods are used.
• All teachers can teach well when they are provided with good materials and presentation methods.

And wait, there's more. In Direct Instruction, lessons are carefully planned, step by step, and tailored to the different skill levels in the classroom. To that end, D.I. lessons are often heavily scripted (to ensure that content is being delivered clearly and consistently), with larger concepts being broken down into manageable steps and skill progressions.

Just like we're doing right now.

Teachers can, of course, develop their own D.I. curricula and lessons, but typically practitioners of D.I. rely on ready-made materials such as those published by SRA/McGraw-Hill or a few other publishers identified by the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). You know, just to be sure those teachers are directly instructed, too.

But What's the (Bullet) Point?

Because we love us a good set o' bullet points, let's lay out the four basic components of Direct Instruction:

• All students are assessed in advance of beginning a D.I. program so that it is clear what skills they've already mastered and what skills they need to work on. Once this is known, they can be grouped and taught according to their skill level.
• D.I. lessons are designed to promote student mastery of the content. To ensure this is the case, each lesson should ideally be 90% review with only 10% new material. Sounds dull, but hey, if it works…
• Instruction is tailored to each student's learning pace. Because of the way lessons are designed, students who are understanding and mastering skills rapidly can move ahead while others continue to practice and revisit materials they need extra help with. See? No one's bored or left behind.
• Commercial D.I. materials are field-tested and revised as necessary before they are published. Well, that's a relief.

In addition to very specific teaching material, D.I. involves specific teaching as well. Here are some examples:

• The use of visual and auditory signals (by the teacher) to elicit unison responses from students. Hard to not pay attention if you're the only one not talking.
• Pacing. As in, the teacher pacing back and forth while presenting material in order to hold the students' attention. Hey, better than a funny hat. (Or is it?)
• Immediate error correction.
• Positive reinforcement and feedback when students master steps and skills. If you get your pacing right, you can pat everyone on the back at the right part of your pace.

An Alternative to Student-Centered Methods

As you can see, while the little d.i. is a term we throw around casually to describe the general practice of teachers delivering content via, say, a lecture, the big D.I. is a precisely defined and well-developed practice. Hey, you've got to be if you want to earn yourself some capital letters.

You probably also noticed that both D.I.s, big and little, differ from student-centered teaching methods such as Problem-Based or Expeditionary Learning, HipHopEd, and Reality Pedagogy. All of those guys tend to leave lessons a bit more open-ended with the goal of encouraging student input in terms of determining the course—and content—of a particular activity or project.

Does that mean one type of instruction is better than the other? Definitely. Which one? Well that just depends on what sort of teacher you are or want to be. (You knew it was bound to be a trick question.)

But getting how these different styles build student knowledge through a range of methods just means you'll have more tricks up your sleeve. And a magic trick is often an even better attention-grabber than pacing.

Isn't that what Socrates was all about?