ERRR #037. John Hollingsworth on Explicit Direct Instruction
Dec 31, 2019
auto_awesome
John Hollingsworth, president and co-founder of DataWORKS, discusses Explicit Direct Instruction. Topics include creating learning intentions from content standards, activating prior knowledge, checking for understanding, reacting to incorrect answers, optimizing classroom instruction, improving test scores, talent discovery vs talent development, operationalizing learning intentions, different ways of reading texts, increasing student participation through questioning, teaching concepts and skills development, teaching math variations, periodic review in education, not-for-profit organization 100 Story Building, optimal mix of instructional approaches, teaching concepts vs rote memorization, and finding information on Explicit Direct Instruction.
Providing bulletproof definitions and labeled examples is crucial for clear understanding of new concepts.
Asking various types of questions helps check for understanding and promote active student participation.
Pair sharing activities engage all students and provide opportunities for active participation.
EDI can effectively teach complex skills through step-by-step instruction and modeling.
EDI can be utilized to explicitly teach social-emotional learning and improve student outcomes.
Deep dives
Teach First: Concept Development Explained
In this podcast episode, the concept of concept development is explored. The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing bulletproof definitions and labeled examples when explaining new concepts. The aim is to ensure a clear understanding of the definitions and to help students make connections between the concept and real-world examples. The speaker highlights the significance of using the phrase 'Let me show you what that means' before providing examples. Additionally, the importance of checking for understanding during concept development is emphasized, with a focus on distinguishing between examples and non-examples. The use of sentence frames and pair sharing activities is encouraged to engage students and deepen their understanding. Overall, the episode emphasizes effective teaching strategies for promoting concept development and ensuring student comprehension.
Ask Questions: Checking for Understanding
The podcast episode highlights the significance of asking questions as a means of checking for understanding. The speaker suggests different question types, including asking for examples, non-examples, and definitions in students' own words. Importance is placed on creating a classroom environment where all students are engaged and actively participating. The use of popsicle sticks or a randomizer is recommended for choosing non-volunteers to answer questions. By ensuring that all students have the opportunity to answer questions and participate, the teacher can effectively assess comprehension levels and provide appropriate feedback. The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining randomness when selecting students to answer questions and the value of allowing students to re-engage in the learning process.
Pair Share and Non-Volunteers
The podcast episode emphasizes the benefits of pair sharing activities and the importance of involving non-volunteers in classroom discussions. Pair sharing is presented as a means of giving all students the opportunity to participate and encourages active engagement. The speaker highlights the importance of providing sentence frames to guide student discussions during pair sharing. Additionally, the use of popsicle sticks or a randomizer is recommended for selecting non-volunteers to answer questions, ensuring that all students have a chance to participate and demonstrate their understanding. The speaker emphasizes the need for all students to be prepared to answer questions and the benefit of allowing students to re-engage and rethink their responses.
Direct instruction for teaching complex skills
EDI can effectively teach complex skills, like brain surgery or flying a plane, by providing step-by-step instruction and modeling the thinking process.
Addressing social and emotional capabilities
EDI can incorporate social and emotional capabilities by explicitly teaching concepts like perspective, emotional states, needs, and advocacy through scenarios and examples.
Balancing inquiry and direct instruction
While direct instruction is essential for teaching new concepts and providing foundational knowledge, inquiry-based activities and group work can be used to practice and apply the learned content.
Optimal mix varies based on subject and age group
There is no one-size-fits-all optimal mix. The proportion of direct instruction, inquiry, and other instructional methods may vary depending on the subject, age group, and the specific learning outcomes desired.
Integration of social-emotional learning and EDI
EDI can be used to explicitly teach social-emotional learning through direct instruction, modeling, and practice, allowing students to develop skills for understanding emotions, perspectives, and relationships.
Effectiveness of EDI in Turning Around Underperforming Schools
EDI has been successful in turning around underperforming schools, as seen in a case in California where a whole underperforming district implemented EDI and achieved significant improvement in student outcomes. Similar success stories have been observed in schools with high populations of English learners. The interactive nature of EDI, including strategies like pair sharing and checking for understanding, engages students and fosters a positive learning environment.
Challenges of Implementing EDI and Benefits of Coaching
While training in EDI is relatively easy, implementation can be challenging. Teachers need to change their behaviors and develop new habits to effectively utilize EDI strategies. Consequently, coaching for implementation is crucial to support teachers in transitioning to EDI. The use of demo lessons and experiential training, where teachers actively engage in the strategies and experience their impact firsthand, has been successful in aiding implementation. Coaching and ongoing support are essential for the successful integration of EDI in the classroom.
