Reflection #4

Description:

The reading this week in EDAT 6115 focused on using effective lessons in the classroom.  It is vital that educators understand how to incorporate the aspects of direct instruction, so there is an optimal transfer for learning.  It is also necessary to know how to facilitate and prepare for large and small group discussions. 

Analysis:

Direct instruction describes a model of teaching where information is presented to students in a direct and explicit format.  Clear objectives are communicated, and students are provided structured class time to reach their goals as efficiently as possible (Slavin, 2018).  Slavin (2018) states that there are seven parts of the direct instruction model.  Stating objects will give students an idea about what they will learn and how they will learn it.  It has been found that clearly stating the objectives can improve student success with their goals.  It is also vital to find out what students already know about the new concept that is about to be presented.  Slavin (2018) suggests that missing knowledge or skill needs to be reviewed before moving forward with the new learning.   Presenting the new material is the next step in the direct instruction model.  There is a variety of effective way teachers can offer new content to their students.  These include providing worked examples, demonstrations, models, and illustrations.  Slavin (2108) says that the teacher also needs to think about how to maintain the attention of their students.  Lessons presented with humor, graphics, and enthusiasm have been shown to hold student’s attention and improve teacher effectiveness.  Once the lesson has been taught, it is essential for the teacher to use learning probes to check for student understanding of the new learning.  Questions and all-pupil responses are great strategies to check for gaps in knowledge (Slavin, 2018).  Students need an opportunity to show and apply their new learning.  Independent practice is an excellent way to allow students to process and rehearse the new learning in the working memory so that it can be transferred into long term memory (Slavin, 2018).  Slavin (2018) suggests that students need to be assessed at the end of every lesson to see how well they have mastered the new learning they were presented.  Assessment does not always have to be formal, just as long as it is done, and feedback is given to students promptly.  Along with assessing how well students have mastered the objectives, it also provides information to the teacher on the level of effectiveness of their lesson (Slavin, 2018).  Slavin (2018) suggests that continuous practice and review spaced out over a length of time can boost the retention of knowledge.  Although homework is an excellent way for students to review newly taught concepts, it is not clear if it is beneficial at the elementary level (Slavin, 2018).

In our discussion this week, we discussed the differences between teacher preparation and participation in whole and small group discussions.  My classmates brought up some excellent points and made me think a bit more about this topic.  Each format for learning has very different preparation and participation levels.  Whole group discussions require less participation of the teacher. The teacher “plays a less dominant role” and is encouraged to allow the students to lead the discussion but is still an active participant in the discussion by guiding students in the right direction (Slavin, 2018, p.180).  To get students to be successful, the teacher has to prepare the students to get to this point.  It includes assessing prior knowledge and making sure students are ready to discuss the current topic (Slavin, 2018).  Small group discussions require a bit more preparation on the teacher’s part.  Teachers need to make sure students understand the routines and procedures of how the discussion will work.  Research has found that “if students are well prepared to work in small groups and if the group task is well organized” there will be a more significant effect on student achievement compared to traditional lessons (Slavin, 2018, p.182).  Teacher participation, however, is lower in small group discussions.  Students work independently, which allows the teacher to be available for students who need extra help (Slavin, 2018).

Reflection:

I feel very knowledgeable about the topic of direct instruction.  In my previous county, we were expected to teach all of our lessons using the direct instruction model of teaching.  We were provided with extensive professional learning about direct instruction.  When I first began learning about the components, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the expectations and parts that needed to be included in our lessons.  Just like with anything else, once you start doing it, it becomes more comfortable, and it became second nature for me.  Reading and reviewing direct instruction this week reminded me about how effective it can be and how much the achievement level of my students can be affected.  The county I currently work for does not require teaching with direct instruction, but I feel it is an excellent practice to utilize, and so I continue to use it every day in my classroom.

The one very positive aspect of direct instruction I feel is how learning objectives and expectations are clearly stated and communicated to the students, so there is no question about what they are going to learn.  I had my students repeat the learning objective so that they could verbalize it, and I believe that helped them to internalize and even better understand precisely what they will be learning.   I feel that there is a negative aspect when it comes to direct instruction, and it may have been more of the requirements of my county than the model itself.  Sometimes I felt like a robot when I delivered the instruction in the direct instruction method.  It was so regimented that I felt like I didn’t have the autonomy to adjust parts of the lesson if I thought my students needed it.  I feel like it was communicated to me that if the instruction was not delivered in the suggested order that it would not be as effective.  Again, this may have been more about how my former county viewed direct instruction.   

One thing that I will do differently based on the new learning I have done this week is how I address and think about seatwork.  I believe the information Slavin (2018) provided about seatwork was very interesting.  Slavin (2018) suggested that “student time spent receiving instruction directly from the teacher is more productive than time spent in seatwork” (p.173).  Many times, teachers give seatwork thinking that they are helping students to apply the skills that they just learned, but this is not always the case.  If students are not motivated, have lower reading skills or weak organization skills, seatwork is just a waste of time (Slavin, 2018).   It is useful information to remember and share with my team at school.  There are so many other ways for my students to apply their new learning during their independent practice time effectively. 

Slavin (2018) suggests that small group discussion is not as effective in students younger than fourth grade.  I tend to agree with this statement, and because I have mostly taught kindergarten, I do not have very much experience managing or organizing this type of activity.  I found Slavin's (2018) suggestion of having a group leader and a group recorder to be a great way to manage this experience when I may have the chance of using small group discussions in the future.  It is definitely something I did not know before doing the readings this week.

Reference:

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory and practice. NY, NY: Pearson.