Thursday, November 19, 2015

What time is your Direct Teach?


Is this question valid anymore?  In an old Marilyn Burns lesson format, direct teach is something that occurs regularly.  Our focus has shifted from teaching to learning.  Classrooms are no longer based on what we try to teach children.  Instead, classrooms are focused on ensuring that kids learn what they need to learn.

If we know what kids need to learn, and we know how to determine if every kid has learned exactly what he/she needed to learn, then Direct Teach is simply one strategy that may help kids learn.  Some of the best lessons I have seen did not include any Direct Teach.  They included great questions to drive exploration and connected problems that engaged students.  They may have included some small group guided learning.  They were usually collaborative in nature and well-designed.

A million thanks go to Marilyn Burns for providing me with a structured approach to high-quality teaching!  A million more thanks go to the countless teachers who showed me that high-quality learning doesn't mean Direct Teach!

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