Direct instruction involves teachers explicitly demonstrating how to achieve a learning objective or the steps to success within a given task.
It is an approach to teaching that generally involves educators breaking learning material down into small, manageable chunks and providing detailed explanations to support pupils’ understanding.
Crucially, these explanations are delivered using the clearest possible language, and only include essential information - any extraneous details are left out so as to protect children’s cognitive load. Pupils then progress on to extensive guided practice, before closely monitored independent work.
The general term “direct instruction”, or what you might call explicit instruction, differs from the specific Direct Instruction, a model of learning introduced by Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s, which proposes well-developed and carefully planned lessons designed around defined and prescribed teaching tasks.
The EEF view: what does the research say?
Several reviews of the research have suggested that explicit instruction can effectively support pupil progress in maths and reading.
In fact, the evidence that underpins our Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools guidance report suggests that, in combination with other high-quality teaching strategies, explicit instruction can be particularly effective in boosting the attainment of pupils with additional needs.
Our trial of Connecting Maths Concepts , a programme championing direct instruction in key stage 3 maths teaching, showed that the approach increased students’ confidence in their understanding and ability.
Barak Rosenshine’s principles of instruction are a particularly popular approach to embedding direct instruction in the classroom.
How does direct instruction work in the classroom?
Direct instruction is often misconstrued as “chalk and talk”, lecture-style teaching that involves little student interaction.
However, as Paul Kirschner, a professor at the Open University of the Netherlands , told Tes in 2018, effective direct instruction should really look nothing like this.
In order to make the most of the approach, he advises that teachers should first get the students’ attention and ensure the availability of prior knowledge through an advanced organiser or a quiz.
They should then set a specific task, monitor the results and give students good feedback, not only on the product but also on the process.
This, he says, is all part of good teaching.
In fact, he adds, many teachers may already be using direct instruction without even realising it, or be calling it another name.
“I don’t know very many teachers who don’t work with small groups or labs, have discussions, give workshops, observe, actively learn, give practical assignments and who don’t select the learning objectives, structure it in a [particular] way and give good feedback,” Kirschner says.
“They might discuss the things with their students that they need to understand and know before they give them a specific task and then call it ‘problem-based learning’, but what they’re actually doing is giving instructions so students can carry out a task.
“There’s nothing wrong with that - let them call it whatever they want. The only thing I say is, realise that learning comes from good instruction and from good teaching and not just standing by and watching.”
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