Strategies Based on Directive ModelsJOSHUA BAPTISTEEDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

What is Directive Models Directive Models are the use of straightforward, explicit teaching techniques, usually to teach a specific skill. It is a teacher-directed method, meaning that the teacher stands in front of a classroom and presents the information.

ConstructivismTo understand the movement away from direct instruction, you have to learn about constructivism. Constructivism comes from the progressive education movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, when education reformers like John Dewey sought to make learners more active participants in their own education. A major feature of constructivism is that it is student-driven rather than teacher-driven.

Matching the Instruction to the TaskFor several decades, we had two models of instruction, constructivist and direct instruction, and students usually had all of one or the other. This meant that the constructivist students were sometimes unclear about what exactly they were supposed to get from the activity about magnets, and the kids receiving direct instruction listened to a whole lot of classroom lectures. Back to previous page

When to Use Directive InstructionDirective instruction is best suited for teaching small chucks of information. This may be spelling rules like –tch or –ch at the ending of a words sound, a short math concept like order of operations in solving an equation, or a literacy term like simile or a metaphor.