221+Agenda+-+9.16.14

Whadya Think?
Post questions, comments, ideas to discuss based on your professional engagement research on Direct Instruction. (To post - 1) Sign in, 2) Click "edit", 3) Type your entry, 4) Sign your post (three tildes ~), 5) Click "save")

I would be lying if I were to say that I'm a fan of direct instruction when someone is just lecturing at me. I have a hard time paying attention even when people are trying to make it interactive. Even during times when I'm actually interested in the the subject I find myself struggling to keep my focus on the professor or teacher and my mind starts to wander around. If a teacher can find a way to change the way they are presenting information so that my focus readjusts to them it would help me a lot more. I'm sure that I am no the only student like this and that there is a way to help these students keep focused. I found myself focusing in the second video because they switched presenters and that help as they each have their own style and maybe it was just the voice change that helped refocus on the presentation. (user:Galex07)

Direct instruction is a teaching style in which the teacher guides the lesson and is typically lecturing the students. I experience forms of direct instruction every single day here at Gonzaga. Pretty much all of my teachers lecture. Some of the main characteristics of effective direct instruction are clarity and energy. The message that the teacher is trying to get across must be clear and easy to understand. I also think that, when it comes to lecturing, energy is critical. Most students complain about teachers who only lecture. Students often say that lectures are boring and do not involve the students. A teacher who is good at lecturing makes the students excited to be in class through energy, humor, and by including the students. My AP Government teacher in high school made PowerPoints with no color or pictures and talked to us for the entire period. Needless to say, it was the most boring class that I have ever taken and I learned absolutely nothing. A big part of less-effect direct instruction is excluding the students from the discussion. I think that there is so much controversy swirling around direct instruction because it can be very effective, but it can also be very ineffective. For some teachers it really works, but for others it really does not. I did not really think much of the "Sage on the Stage" metaphor. Frankly, I think it is irrelevant. A teacher does not have to be an all-knowing sage, he/she just has to ensure that his/her students are learning. user:channa5

I enjoyed the second video, the interactive lecture for that big room of students, because it matched the steps I read about in the article "6 Components of Direct Instruction". During the video, we saw different teachers talk about different parts of the book. These sections included setting the stage, learning about the environment the characters were in, and some activities. In addition, the students were asked to stop and write down their thoughts in a journal- thus keeping them engaged and on track with the lecture. If anything, I think this video is one of the best examples of interactive lecturing that many teachers should look up to if they know they have a big section to tackle. Did anyone else find this video helpful as an example of an interactive lecture? user:staciac

I feel like for a lecture to be efficient, the students have to be engaged. They can't just be sitting there, listening to every word the teacher is saying. Sometimes the words go right over their head or they can't pay attention for that long. For my AP Gov class, we had half of the class time be lecture, and the other half be class discussion regarding what we learned. It ensured we knew the material and had a chance to interact with our classmates. Needless to say, I learned so much in that class and it made learning fun. If it was pure lecture, I don't think I would have done that well. Engaging the students is so important. It makes them actually part of the lesson. It allows them to voice their own opinions and gives them a voice. Even keeping a journal where we write down our thoughts, opinions, ect is a great way to keep the students awake, alert, and engaged. user:dcisherwood

I am personally not a huge fan of direct instruction, because not only am I a visual learning, but I also have a really hard time staying in my seat and listening for an hour or so. However, in the article that gave 12 ways to make a lecture effective, I think the one I found most beneficial was to be enthusiastic about the information you are teaching. Students can easily tell when a teacher is excited about a topic or is just teaching the topic because it is part of the curriculum. If a teacher interacts with their students and engages them into their lecture, while being excited to teach the information, I feel that lectures can be pretty effective, or at least help the students retain more information. I do understand that sometimes lecturing is the only way to cover all the content needed in a class, but I feel direct instruction should be limited and is most effective when reviewing information already covered not when bringing up new material. user:cnye5

I am still a little lost on whether or not " sage on the stage" is a relevant metaphor for teaching today. I read the document about it, but I'm not sure I understand exactly what it is. As for direct instruction, I think I am in the minority because I have always responded well to direct instruction. For the most part it was informative and clear for me. I do recognize that I learn better through doing and creating a memory to relate information back to when I am learning a subject that is particularly difficult for me, therefore direct instruction is probably always disengaging to at least one student. I agree that it's better to incorporate some sort of related activity and try to involve as many senses as possible. Although, I was confused when they suggested that teachers involve activities with a lecture. Is that solely direct instruction even with an activity? Or is that not considered pure direct instruction? user:JennJoralemon

I would agree with Jenn that direct instruction is a very clear way to relate information to students, and it's a way that generally I respond to well. However, I think that for certain subjects, like English and even social studies and other related subjects, there is a limited place for lecture. Classes where discussion has been the main focus have been most memorable for me, especially in high school when the teacher gave us information and then facilitated a conversation around that subject. One of the things that I like about direct instruction is that it can be easily altered, even slightly, to give a rounder approach. I'm not sure if I'm saying that correctly, but I mean that if you chop up a lecture to about 10 minutes and then have students discuss or do a small activity for a minute or two and then go back to lecturing for a little while, it can reach a larger audience - the kinesthetic learners, the auditory learners, the visual learners, and everyone in the middle. Even though I don't think it's considered pure direct instruction, like Jenn asked, I think that it still maintains the lecture-style without sacrificing discussion or cutting out certain kinds of learners. user:Mackenzie_D

Targets:

 * I can describe characteristics of effective direct instruction.
 * I can write DAMMP learning targets.

9:25 - 9:35 - Welcome and Review (Hailey)
 * Notetaker:Chanel
 * Reviewer: Stacia

Announcement: AVID Training; AVID Parent Meeting
 * https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/advancement-via-individual-determination
 * AVID Parent Night - Tonight, Garry MS library - 6:30-7:30
 * AVID Tutor training -- Saturday, October 4 from 10-2 at Garry MS

9:35 - 9:55 - Writing Objectives follow-up >> Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. >> >> Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.
 * Choose one of these standards
 * [|CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8]
 * [|CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.EE.B.4]


 * Jot down answers to these questions: (Questions taken from http://www.pfsd.com/uploads/deconstructingstandards.pdf)
 * What knowledge/understanding is required?
 * What reasoning is required?
 * What performance skill is required?
 * What products are required?
 * Based on your answers, write 2 possible learning targets aligned with the standard.

9:55 - 10:20 - Crash Course in Direct Instruction
 * []

10:20 - 10:30 - Break

10:30 - 10:55 - Direct Instruction Discussion

10:55 - 11:20 - Designing a rubric for direct instruction


 * [[file:Direct Instruction Activity Guide.docx]]

11:20 - 11:50 - Learnifying a Lecture
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP1KZzgR_dg
 * http://ant.umn.edu/

11:50 - 12:00 - Closure


 * Housekeeping:**
 * **Direct Instruction Activity Guide - due Sept 25 (upload to Blackboard)**
 * **AVID Training**