Scholarship

Summary

      The authors of The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction in Teaching English in Elementary Public Education Schools in Kuwait ardently believe that the earlier teachers incorporate direct instruction in their classrooms the higher success students will have particularly in Reading, Language, and Math. The authors take a little time to explain what Direct Instruction is and how to integrate this learning strategy into the classroom. Next, they discuss why they think it is important to use Direct Instruction and then finish with what it looks like in the classroom and the results of using this kind of method.

 

Response

            I personally loved this idea of Direct Instruction. I think that it this method is very important, particularly for the elementary students. It is our job as teachers to make sure that our students do not move forward with their education without having a thorough understanding of the basics. The authors put a lot of emphasis using Direct Instruction at a young age which I think is completely appropriate, because this is when students are easiest to mold. Those first years of education for a child have a lot of weight about whether or not a student will succeed or struggle in school. Direct Instruction also puts a lot of pressure on the teacher as well. Teachers are responsible for making sure students understand the material, and must present the material in a way that would make the most sense to their students. 

            Another very important aspect of Direct Instruction is making sure that the teacher is prepared and comfortable to teach using this method. This method was designed to be a fast paced learning style where students do not move forward until they master their current lesson. The article talked about providing teacher training so that they are comfortable with teaching this new method, which I think is necessary. This training would include learning new strategies, understanding the material, and modeling behavior they want to see in the students. It would be just like teaching any other new learning strategy, the teacher needs to be trained on how to use it first before he/she can help their students. Because the teachers play such a significant role in the Direct Instruction method, it I think it should be required to provide training for them.

            After reading about this new teaching method, I realized that there are so many different ways I can help my students. As a teacher, reading about this helped me realize that there are so many ways to teach a lesson. In school, my teachers only taught with a select few strategies that they used over and over. Most strategies consisted of a lecture, a paper, or a project of some type. If I would have had a teacher that used Direct Instruction in the classroom, I think that I would have excelled even more in school. Some students can listen to lectures and write papers, but not all students learn the same way. I love reading articles like this and learn new teaching strategies so that my students do not have to all adjust to one style of learning.

            Finally, the most significant thing that I took from this article was the fact that,  Direct Instruction can really help students with Learning Disabilities. My major is Learning Disabilities, so this was a great strategy for me to learn about. I know this is a wonderful tool but I am a little apprehensive about how successful it really is with Learning Disability students. The process for Learning disability students may not show as immediate results as in a general education classroom. That is why it is important to be aware of multiple different learning strategies. Direct Instruction may work for some student with learning disabilities; however, there may be others that it does not work for. Making accommodations for my students like this will help me become a better teacher.

 

References

 

Shammari, Z. Hussein, A. Thomas, Y.D. (2008). The effectiveness of direct instruction in teaching English in elementary public education schools in Kuwait: A research case study. Educator's Reference Complete, 129(1), 80+. http://0-find.galegroup.com.eaglelink.cornerstone.edu/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(KE,None,29)teaching+Elementary+education$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T002&prodId=PROF&searchId=R2&currentPosition=18&userGroupName=lom_cornerstc&docId=A184133021&docType=IAC.