Direct instruction is a learning philosophy where sequenced material is taught to students through lectures and examples. The teaching style is exactly as it sounds, instruction is directed at students. Direct instruction is shown to be one of the most effective teaching methods because it allows for more interaction between students. Teachers can plan tasks, lay out lectures, and formulate examples for students to learn from.

Direct instruction’s 5 main teaching philosophies include the following:

  1. All [students] can be taught
  2. All [students] can improve academically in terms of self-image
  3. All teachers can succeed if provided with adequate training and materials
  4. Low performers and disadvantaged learners must be taught at a faster rate than typically occurs if they are to catch up to their higher-performing peers
  5. All details of instruction must be controlled to minimize the chance of students’ misinterpreting the information being taught and to maximize the reinforcing effect of instruction.

[Engelmann, “Basic Philosophy of Direct Instruction (DI).”]

In computer science courses and introduction to the basic theory for programming, direct instruction is the most rational approach (especially) for students who have never programmed before. When introducing programming concepts, it is likely the student has never seen or heard of most of them. Programming is a broad subject that can cover thousands of different topics. When students begin to learn to program, it can be overwhelming for them to process such abstract material. It is a subject that one cannot do offhand with very little knowledge. With more and more experience, it is safer to experiment and expand your boundaries by trying different things. Before writing a line of code, students need to understand that there are rules to follow, or their program will not run (the inputted sequence of instructions in your code will not do what you think it will just because you tell the computer to do so in your own language). New students need to absorb the fact that the computer does not understand the same language humans do, there is a specific way to talk to a computer.

Direct instruction allows students who are new to programming/computer science as a whole to digest these rules so they can write programs on their own. By following tasks and lectures, they can quickly understand how code syntax works. Students will be able to better understand why they are learning these concepts by directly applying what they just learned.

Sources:

[1] Engelmann, Siegfried. “Basic Philosophy of Direct Instruction (DI).” National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI), https://www.nifdi.org/15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=27.

[2] Sabbott. “Direct Instruction Definition.” The Glossary of Education Reform, 20 Dec. 2013, https://www.edglossary.org/direct-instruction/.