What is your pedagogy when it comes to instruction? Are you on the inquiry side or the direct delivery side? What is the best method of instruction for your students? These are a couple of questions you might consider when determining your instruction and your students’ performance in the classroom.
First, we need to refresh ourselves on the forms of instruction. The two major ones most often found are inquiry or exploratory instruction and direct instruction. Both are key when it comes to instruction there is no question, but when used inappropriately, each can create student struggles along with frustration for everyone. This can often lead to misbehaviors from the students.
Exploratory or inquiry-based instruction was penned in 1969 by Joseph Schwab based around the exploratory pedagogy or constructivism. You build knowledge based on what you know while learning from questions and applying information to answer those questions. Being able to explain how you were able to achieve your answer allows the learner to be working in the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Instructors using this pedagogy often use questions such as, “What do you think this means?” requiring the learner to apply their background knowledge to respond.
Siegfried Englemann in 1964 introduced the instructional pedagogy form which direct or explicit instruction has been developed. Within this form of instruction, the instructor provides the learner with the information they are learning. Then guidance is provided while students are processing followed by the learner being able to perform the task at a high rate of success. Direct instruction is often associated with scripted instruction, where the instructor is expected to read exactly what is written in the curriculum. This is extreme direct instruction in every possible way, but Englemann focused on the elements of direct or explicit instruction as, “I do it, we do it, you do it”, followed by some form of assessment demonstrating mastery.
A strong teacher uses both forms of instruction with their students at some point in each day. One key factor in using either one is knowing the students. The background of your students may have a larger factor in your students’ learning than you thought. Even if you enjoy teaching in an exploratory or inquiry-based environment you can run into problems and students not understanding or who are unable to pass the assessment. Therefore, we also need to examine our students and what form of instruction might be best for them in each instructional situation to fully understand the concepts.
Most commonly classroom teachers find themselves using the inquiry or exploratory form of learning. You can observe this by questions the teacher asks, such as, “What do you think this is?” Then they start fishing the classroom looking for the response they want. If the students do not have the background knowledge to draw their response from you get guesses or they just look at you. English as Second Language learners may not have the vocabulary to draw from to respond, or there may be other factors in which a student might not have the language development to give a respectable response. Therefore, you have to use this form of instruction cautiously because, in the end, you may simply have to provide the students the answer. When the students are unable to respond they become frustrated and talk or work to get you off task creating other discipline struggles. As long as you know when to use this form of instruction it can provide excellent results.
Students with limited background knowledge most often thrive with direct or explicit instruction. Their teacher provides them with the information and they are asked to recall that information building their knowledge bank so, later on, they can learn and understand how to determine an answer with their own knowledge. Often as adults, we want to push our students into inquiry before they have the knowledge necessary to be successful, which assumes they have that knowledge. But in reality, some groups still need explicit instruction where you are giving the students the facts for them to store for later use.
Our students are our barometers for instruction. Their behaviors are your largest indicator of whether your instruction is on point or not. If the students deem the information you are teaching not relevant, whether it is or not, they are most likely to begin to act out. This also might happen if you are working with a group of students who have a large knowledge base and you are trying to instruct explicitly. They are ready to start applying the information rather than hear you talk about it. Whereas, students with limited background knowledge may be fully engaged because this form of instruction meets their learning needs. The same thing may happen when you are using inquiry. The students with limited background are unable to apply the information so they begin to act out or disrupt, while those who bring a wide understanding to the concept are fully engaged. It is also important to note that vocabulary may also need to be taught in two different groups and with two different approaches to meet the needs of all your students because of their wealth or lack of background knowledge they bring to the lesson.
As you become aware of how your students respond to the different types of instruction and observe their behaviors you will become aware of what type of instruction each student responds to best and which helps them achieve success. This is a case where one size does not fit all and knowing your student base along with your instruction presentation format can resolve many classroom behavior problems.
