Compare and contrast di and DI

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

When stated in lowercase letters, direct instruction is an instructional strategy that includes:

1. Content presented in small steps.
2. Explicit teacher modeling or explanation.
3. Guided student practice with gradually faded support.
4. Use of feedback including explicit corrections of errors.
5. Independent practice including cumulative review.

When the term is written as a proper noun with capital letters (“Direct Instruction”), it primarily refers to instructional programs that include all the features of direct instruction (note the lowercase) and also have additional instructional design features, as described in Chapter 1 that make them even more effective for teachers and students. Commercially developed Direct Instruction (capital letters) programs organize the content around generalizable strategies that students can use to solve a wide variety of problems, and they implement detailed principles of clear communication to ensure that these generalizable strategies are conveyed effectively to students—including those at risk. Direct Instruction programs also include features to increase student engagement such as unison student responding and signals to coordinate those responses.