Direct/Discussion Approaches
Chapter 5-6 Reflection from the book:
Reigeluth, C. M., & Carr-Chellman, A. A. (2009). Instructional-design theories and models: Building a common knowledge base (Vol. III).
I saw a lot of similarities in the discussion of direct instruction with gamification – which is good for me, this could be part of my literature…maybe. Those overlapping areas were especially easy to see in the discussion of universal methods (pgs. 80-88). Not to re-state each individual aspect, but think of game that you have played in general. What are some of the core concepts when you learn to play a new game? From review of prior knowledge to summative assessment – those items are a part the class structure. I love the game Tomb Raider – when first playing the game, you are introduced to very basic moves. No significant penalty if you don’t master them. Play long enough (at my own pace) and I will eventually have to use those moves to advance the game. Classes can be organized in a very similar manner. I did find my teacher senses tingling when he was talking about standardized testing though. Its my humble opinion that there is a better way, I feel like the author stated there wasn’t….I also am wary of the scripted discussion – I always think of this video of PD. Granted it is a short clip and the presenter is (hopefully) modeling how the lesson will go, but – its scripted and totally scary…
I did enjoy the discussion model of instruction – in my experience this makes a strong impact. I used it as part of a flipped classroom model in my high school math class. Students would watch a video lesson at home, then we would talk about it at school. One thing that the author mentioned was that sometimes it is hard for students to take ownership with this model. My personal experience supports this statement – it is hard for the students to step into a participatory situation when they are not used to having any control in the classroom. Another characteristic that was mention was “messy.” This defined my classroom learning environment over the last four years. Yet it was organized and once students stepped into the role taking some control – the most amazing things happened.