Methods of Teaching

Assessing understanding of direct instruction (10 minutes) 
To start the exchange, discuss the key concepts in Handout 4 ‘Direct Instruction’ and 
ask a few questions. Hopefully, the questions will help Student Teachers think about 
the teaching practices this theory suggests. 
Key concepts of this theory include knowledge as an external object acquired by the 
human mind, learning involves a change in observable behaviour, and learning is caused 
by teacher-controlled external events (refer to Handout 4 ‘Direct Instruction’).

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UNIT 1
UNIT 4
UNIT 5
UNIT 3
UNIT 6
UNIT 2
UNIT 7
ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN EDUCATION/B.ED. (HONS) ELEMENTARY
Ask the following questions to prompt class discussion:
• Who is responsible if a student doesn’t learn?
• What happens to the student–teacher interaction if a student doesn’t learn?
• What type of learning outcomes is direct instruction most effective for achieving? 
• For which of these teaching objectives might you use direct instruction: using
a microscope effectively, writing an original short story, building a winning
science fair project, distinguishing war from aggression, or typing at the rate of
25 words per minute?
Small-group work (15 minutes)
Assign Student Teachers to groups with five students each. Give them 10 minutes to 
discuss learning objectives that can be achieved through direct instruction and to write 
them down. After 10 minutes each group will report their conclusions to the rest of 
the class. Student Teachers will vote on the accuracy of each objective in each group’s 
report by raising their hands. If an inappropriate learning objective is reported, call on 
a student teacher from one of the other groups to explain why that particular objec-
tive cannot be achieved with direct instruction.