Direct instruction is a form of teacher-led instruction, focused on conveying information and developing skills. Direct Instruction is a method of teaching where the teacher first explains and demonstrates something (see models), after which the students are given the opportunity to practice further with the teacher and with each other. The traditional direct instruction model consists of the following steps:  1. daily review 2. presentation 3. (re)practice of the learned material 4. independent application of the learned material 5. periodic review 6. feedback (during each lesson phase)  Some important characteristics of DI are:  • Develop basic knowledge and skills in a powerful way. • Adapt to the individual pace of the student. • Set clear goals. • A clear structure of the learning material. • Provide immediate feedback. • Work with worked-out examples.  Research shows that direct instruction especially helps beginning students to understand things (and can actually hinder experts). It is therefore important to align well with the knowledge or skills of the students. This can be done, for example, by providing shortened instruction, basic instruction, and extended instruction (see figure: direct instruction model by Timmermans). See the image for 17 tips on direct instruction.
Engelmann, S. & Carnine, D. (1991). Theory of instruction: Principles and applications. Eugene, OR: ADI Press.
Engelmann, S. (2007). Teaching Needy Kids in Our Backwards System. Eugene, OR: NIFDI Press.
Fielding, G.D., Kameenui, E., & Gersten, R. (1983). A comparison of an inquiry and a direct instruction approach to teaching legal concepts and applications to secondary school students. The Journal of Educational Research, 76(5), 287–293. doi:10.1080/00220671.1983.10885468
Hänze, M., & Berger, R. (2007). Cooperative learning, motivational effects, and student characteristics: An experimental study comparing cooperative learning and direct instruction in 12th grade physics classes. Learning and Instruction, 17(1), 29–41. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2006.11.004
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of 800+ meta-analyses on achievement. New York: Routledge
