Is There a Place for School Videos in Direct Instruction Classrooms?
Monday, September 28th, 2009
For every educational technique or method, there are supporters and detractors. Does the use of school videos work for any method? I am a firm believer in the value of well-made and well-chosen videos as a tool in the classroom. What about in Direct Instruction classrooms? Does it work there too?
Whatever your thoughts on Direct Instruction, it’s hard to argue with results like the following: Siefert Elementary in Milwaukee was one of the worst schools in the state. In just three years, they raised the number of fourth graders who scored proficient or better in reading from 22 percent to 57 percent. Math proficiency went from 11 percent to 48 percent, and social studies saw an increase from 13 percent proficiency to 61 percent.
All due to Direct Instruction, Seifert says. In this model, teacher and student interact in a prescribed way. That is, a concept is explained explicitly and a demonstration given – all while students and teachers interact continuously to ensure students understand the material. It is very teacher-focused, as opposed to more exploratory, experimental models. While it may sound contrary to how many of us teach and were taught to teach, the research backs this method up. So how does a school video fit into the lesson plan of a Direct Instruction classroom?
The truth is that it fits in exactly as it should in any classroom. The video doesn’t become the teacher – the teacher is still a vital part of this lesson (or should be. Put the grading pen down and participate, teachers!). There is teacher engagement at all steps of the video process – you can’t really put your feet up and watch it like you would television.
From pre-viewing activities to post-viewing follow-ups, the teacher needs to teach. The video, as wonderful as many of them are, can never take your place. Many teachers, regardless of whether they are in DI classrooms, stop the video, ask questions, and point out items of particular interest. Activities like these are really what make videos so effective in any type of classroom.
The point is to realize that media is not passive. Videos should be part of active learning where teachers and students interact with each other and the material. Whether or not you are a proponent of DI, there can be no arguing with the anecdotal and scientific evidence that videos are extremely effective when used correctly. To ensure that you are getting all that you should be out of any video you share with your students – and that they are actively engaged, click here.
