Wooclap blue logo

American summer tour! Wooclap will be at InstructureCon 2025

Come say hi at booth 41 from July 22nd to July 24th in Spokane, Washington

HomepageGlossary

Direct Instruction Teaching

What is Direct Instruction Teaching?

📌 Direct Instruction is a structured teaching approach where educators guide students through carefully sequenced lessons designed to maximize learning. Imagine a classroom where the teacher demonstrates exact procedures that students practice under supervision until mastery, similar to a master craftsperson training apprentices through systematic steps.

🎯 PURPOSE: This methodology emerged in the 1960s through the work of Siegfried Engelmann and Wesley Becker[1][2], who aimed to create a teaching system ensuring all students could succeed regardless of background[3][4]. Direct Instruction operates on the premise that learning difficulties primarily result from inadequate or unclear teaching rather than student limitations[5].


⚙️ HOW IT WORKS: Lessons follow a distinct three-part pattern: teacher demonstration ("I do"), guided practice ("We do"), and independent application ("You do")[1][6]. Teachers use carefully scripted lessons with predetermined questions and responses[1][7], maintaining brisk pacing and providing immediate corrective feedback[2][8]. Students grouped by skill level advance only after demonstrating mastery[3][9].


🧩 CONTEXT: Unlike inquiry-based or constructivist approaches where students discover concepts independently, Direct Instruction positions the teacher as the primary knowledge source[10]. Research indicates it's especially effective for foundational skill development, struggling learners, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds[11][12][13]. Though sometimes criticized as overly rigid by progressive educators[14], its effectiveness has been consistently demonstrated through extensive research[12][15].

Recommended deeper readings

How to do Direct Instruction - TeachLikeThis

Reviving the Lost Art of Direct and Explicit Instruction

Intro To DI: What is Direct Instruction?

Get the best of Wooclap

A monthly summary of our product updates and our latest published content, directly in your inbox.