Education Weekly #16

In the article Sage on a Stage it discusses the pros to being a direct instructor. It breaks down lecture based verses problem solving style teaching. After years of collecting data the article states that students learn 1 to 2 months more information in a lecture based classroom. The reason why is that students are given the core knowledge needed for the subject matter. They do not have to create their own knowledge from an assumption of information, they can use information that is given to base their knowledge. Another reason why direct instruction has been more successful in the classroom setting is because teachers who try and use problem solving style teaching are not efficient in the style.

I plan to use direct instruction in my classroom. The reason why is because I feel my students need to have core knowledge on the subject matter. Without a base of information students will build their own assumptions. This could lead to students to having the proper understanding on a subject. By giving them the information lecture style you are not only able to know the information they are learning but you are able to create a classroom environment that is consistent and allows for students to understand the class expectations and procedures.