Why Special Education Teachers Must Know Direct Instruction.

4 Pages 1018 Words

Abstract
The goals of Direct Instruction are explicit in the method design. The concepts of appropriate use of material, placement of children and its operation and implementing techniques make up the system that has proven to be an effective instructing instrument. For the purpose of this paper I am going to focus on the fist two and how it is critical in the design of this approach. Direct Instruction has also proven to be effective with teaching special needs students. It is intuitive to think that the goal of teachers should be to teach in the most effective manner. Direct Instruction is a way of doing this. Knowing its principles and having assurance in what it does is a must for all special educators as research has proved in time and time again.













Why Special Education Teachers Must Teach Direct Instruction
Direct Instruction (DI) is a methodical manner of providing instruction. The underlying philosophy of Direct Instruction is that student learning is ultimately the responsibility of the teacher. The systematic approach of Direct Instruction includes the idea that the design in which information is organized is the most critical aspect of student learning.
The various components of direct instruction cooperate to make up this systematic design. One component, appropriate use of material, ensures that concepts are delivered clearly and concisely. Upon mastery of fundamental concepts more challenging ideas can thus be added which is then considered learning (Engelmann, 1997). Acceleration evolves from the ability to learn or master material. As acceleration implies, you are able to move from one concept to another but in less time than it took when you were initially mastering material. It is important to note that mastery of information has to occur or acceleration will not take place.
Another critical aspect of Direct Instruction is the placement of children. This ensures that students are learni...