Direct Instruction Raises the Bar: Learn more in less time
Imagine a great learning environment.  Children are taught at exactly the right  level for their abilities.  They have a chance to respond to the teacher's  questions not once, not twice, not even ten times during a lesson.  In fact,  they answer ten questions per minute!  Their teacher immediately corrects a  wrong answer and gives them a chance to try again.  Hard work, paying attention and correct answers earn recognition, praise and Palmeropoly spins.  

This is the world of Direct Instruction.   Learners of all abilities become confident, capable
students through explicit, intensive skill instruction.  Students are placed with peers at similar levels with frequent assessment and regrouping so that no one is held back or unnecessarily struggling.  Basic skills are emphasized at the beginning.  Small steps  and review quickly lead to mastery of the material. "When you give students a  stronger foundation in learning skills and comprehension, you prepare them for a  future without boundaries."  (SRA, 2008)

DI presentation techniques for  deliverying instruction means active student participation.  This equals 100% of  the students engaged in learning 100% of the time.  There is no 50% pass rate in
Direct Instruction.  Mastery for our students is 85% or higher.

Evidence Based Learning
Study after study  has shown that Direct Instruction is a highly effective way to teach academic
skills to children.  In fact,  Project Follow Through, the largest educational research project ever done showed that Direct Instruction was THE BEST METHOD (see DI page).

Learning the Easy Way
Every Direct  Instruction program provides students with support, practice and success.   The tested teaching method of "I do, we do, you do" is followed.  Curriculum, presentation and responding is consistent from math to spelling to reading.  This means that students can focus on learning rather than trying to guess what is coming next.  Language is clear and concise.  The teacher models  skills and steps to ensure understanding and guided practice firms the learning.

Quality teaching is ensured through scripted presentations.  Examples are presented quickly with standardized wording.  Corrections are  efficient and consistent.  Learning time is maximized through teacher preparation and quick pacing which increases the content covered and decreases
behaviour problems.  Teacher signals are used to coordinate group responses and provide visual or auditory cues to prepare students.  Students with the greatest needs are taught in the smallest groups.  

No Guess Work Involved
Groups are formed after a placement test is administered. Unlike Goldilocks, we don't have to keep trying to find a "just right" group. We know from the start. Groups are not static either because students learn at different speeds.

Students don't have to guess whether they have answered correctly. When they are right, they hear "Well done!", "Right on!", "You've got it!". Motivation is kept high and corrections are made without judgement.

More Than One "Teacher"
Our Educational Assistants are skilled practitioners and equal partners in the teaching process.  Actually, the students are excellent leaders as well and the best reward for a job well done is to be put in charge of an exercise.  They love the responsibility and we enjoy the opportunity to become students.  It's really hard work.  In fact on Friday, Alexia and Jordan independently finished an entire lesson in Spelling after I was called away. They took turns being teacher and student, cooperated with each other and were completely successful.

Visit the Direct Instruction page to review the programs we are using and links to research and more information.  Even better, stop by the class sometime to see us in action! 

Here's a small taste.  Nick and Nicholas really wanted to demonstrate their abilities for the class.  They were so proud of mastering a very difficult concept (identifying verbs in sentence formation).  Their concentration is apparent!