This blog includes information and discussion around two of the main learning environments – Direct Instruction and Inquiry Based Learning.

Direct Instruction – Overview:
Direct Instruction emerged in the USA, following concerns about differences of educational achievement between children from different backgrounds in the public education system (Education hub, n.d.). It is based on behavioural principles of learning, relying much on quick recall of information or process to solve a problem (Engelmann et al., 1988) with scripted teacher-led lessons (Kim & Axelrod, 2005).
There are two main values involved:

“Teach more in less time”.

““Control the details of what happens”.

(Engelmann et al., 1988, p.303)

To do this, instruction is pre-planned with a focus on the core knowledge being taught and the best way to scaffold and sequence this – often through teacher modelling and repetition (Engelmann et al., 1988; Kim & Axelrod, 2005). Feedback is given quickly to individuals, giving learners a method to find the right answer, not just correcting them and aiming for a high achievement rate (Engelmann et al., 1988). Generally this style of instruction is used for K-12, within reading, writing, mathematics, or the sciences (Kim & Axelrod, 2005).

My experience:
This approach to teaching reminds me of teaching phonics in English primary schools – something that the Department for Education now insists must be done with a pre-certified and approved systematic phonics system (Department for Education, 2023). It is clear that the materials and delivery are consistent with direct instruction, as a way to quickly teach children reading and writing skills.

Discussion:
Although direct instruction has been shown to improve academic achievement for all (Education hub, n.d.) there is a concern that this approach could teach the mechanics of something (e.g. how to decode words in phonics) rather than the meaning of something (e.g. reading comprehension) (Kim & Axelrod, 2005). This approach, mostly utilized with elementary aged learners, could be seen as a good way to teach a novice learner something quickly with wide implications across academic subjects as a whole (Engelmann et al., 1988; Kim & Axelrod, 2005).
However, our group has discussed some possible topics for our learning resource, none of which would be teaching a novice learner. I believe that this approach would not be engaging for the target audience, seemingly imposing the learning rather than allowing for intrinsic motivation (Park, 2018). I believe that our topics would require deeper, critical thinking and reflection, which would not be supported by this learning environment (Kim & Axelrod, 2005).

Inquiry Based Learning – Overview:
Inquiry based learning is a student centred approach to learning based on constructivist educational theory (Kori, 2021; Pedaste et al., 2015). One of the major founders of this approach is John Dewey, who writes, “The child’s own instincts and powers furnish the material and give the starting-point for all education.” (Dewey, 2018, p.36). So, inquiry based learning starts with a problem that the learner/s want to solve and the teacher acts as a guide or coach to help them come to a conclusion (Kori, 2021). This method can draw parallels between education and scientific exploration (Pedaste et al., 2015).

My experience:
As an MA student, a lot of my research takes this approach, with lectures/instructors/advisors giving some ideas but the learning and direction that this takes being down to me. I can also see parallels in some of the design of this class (335), including for this task, below this is loosely outlined using Pedaste et al.’s (2015) model for the structure of inquiry based learning:

StageExplanationRelation to this task
OrientationBeing presented with a situation or problemCreating a blog post about a learning environment
ConceptualizationResearch or hypothesis is formulatedGiven the blog prompts, asked to find one that aligns with the group’s learning blueprint
InvestigationFinding data, analyzing information.Finding and reading articles related to the learning environments
ConclusionInferring, referring to the investigation stageWriting the blog post
DiscussionSharing findings and learningSharing our blog posts, meeting to decide which aligns best with our resource design

It is important to note that although presented in a linear way here, inquiry based learning is not such a tick-box exercise and may jump around between these steps (Pedaste et al., 2015).

Discussion:
Inquiry based learning environments can help to make learning meaningful and guide learners towards using the new knowledge and skills in their everyday life (Hwang et al., 2023). It is a way to encourage reflection and deeper learning, as well as engaging the learner in critical thinking (Kori, 2021; Pedaste et al., 2015). All of these aspects of learning will be important for the topics that we have discussed as a group – indicating that this approach could prove useful for part of our resource delivery. However, there are aspects of this which could prove difficult on an online environment. Creating the community needed for discussion, and thinking carefully about the questions or problems posed, as well as the assessment design, will be vital to the success of this approach.

References:

Department for Education, (2023, 10th March). Guidance: Choosing a phonics teaching programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/choosing-a-phonics-teaching-programme/list-of-phonics-teaching-programmes

Dewey, J. (2018). Moral principles in education and my pedagogic creed by John Dewey : With a critical introduction by Patricia H. Hinchey. Myers Education Press.

Education hub, (n.d.) A Brief Introduction to Direct Instruction https://www.theeducationhub.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Direct-Instruction.pdf

Engelmann, S., Becker, W. C., Carnine, D., & Gersten, R. (1988). The direct instruction follow through model: Design and outcomes. Education & Treatment of Children, 11(4), 303–317 https://www.jstor.org/stable/42899079

Hwang, H. J., Miraz, M. H., Saleheen, F., Ashif, A. S. M., Hossain, M. A., Hasan, M. T., & Kabir, A. (2023). The Collaborative Effort and Efficiency of Inquiry-Based Learning: Effect on the Teacher Performance – The Role of Student Performance. International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design, 13(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJOPCD.323569

Kim, T., & Axelrod, S. (2005). Direct instruction: An educators’ guide and a plea for action. The Behavior Analyst Today, 6 (2)

Kori, K. (2021). Inquiry-Based Learning in Higher Education. In: Vaz de Carvalho, C., Bauters, M. (eds) Technology Supported Active Learning. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1007/978-981-16-2082-9_4

Park, S. (2018). Motivation Theories and Instructional Design. In R. E. West (Ed.), Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/motivation_theories_and_instructional_design

Pedaste, M., Mäeots, M., Siiman, L. A., de Jong, T., van Riesen, S. A. N., Kamp, E. T., Manoli, C. C., Zacharia, Z. C., & Tsourlidaki, E. (2015). Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle. Educational Research Review, 14, 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.02.003