Information about two different 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 the approach aim 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 (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 impact 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 outlined using Pedaste et al.’s (2015) model for the structure of inquiry based learning:
| Stage | Explanation | Relation to this task |
| Orientation | Being presented with a situation or problem | Creating a blog post about a learning environment |
| Conceptualization | Research or hypothesis is formulated | Given the blog prompts, asked to find one that aligns with the group’s learning blueprint |
| Investigation | Finding data, analyzing information. | Finding and reading articles related to the learning environments |
| Conclusion | Inferring, referring to the investigation stage | Writing the blog post |
| Discussion | Sharing findings and learning | Sharing 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 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
6 Responses to “Blog #2 335 – Learning Environments”
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Hi Sophie,
Thanks for sharing your comments and ideas about Direct instruction and how this contrasts with the concepts in Inquiry-based learning. I found it interesting to look at these two concepts side by side as they allow the opportunity to compare how they might be applied in the educational setting. Your comments in the discussion were helpful as they explored both the strengths and limitations of each approach. Specifically, I found your point on how direct instruction might not correlate well with our group’s topic and target audience due to a lack of intrinsic motivation quite interesting. I took it upon myself to read part of the (Park, 2018) article that you had referenced after that point and after some further reading on the value of intrinsic motivation in the educational setting I completely agree that this is a vital component for increasing task engagement.
I appreciated that your discussion sections acknowledged both the strengths and limitations of each approach. Building off this, I would like to know if teachers can incorporate elements of student-centered learning within a direct instructional framework to increase engagement and intrinsic motivation? Additionally, while reading your blog post, I couldn’t help but think of how these two forms of instruction could be further combined to benefit a learner. Could a hybrid model combining direct instruction and inquiry-based learning be designed to optimize student learning across various ages and grades? What might this look like? Really enjoyed reading your post!
-EmmaReferences
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-
Hey!
Yeah, I had the same thoughts too!
It is interesting how we could sequence learning and use elements of different learning environments within a class to try to maximize the efficiency of knowledge transfer and application. A bit like being flexible with learning theory, we would need to be thinking carefully about the approach in parallel with the content of learning and the learners involved.
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Hi Sophie!
Thank you for sharing your insights on Direct Instruction and Inquiry-Based Learning. Your summaries were clear and I enjoyed reading about your personal experiences.
I liked how you compared direct instruction to teaching phonics in elementary English, as this is something I recently learned in my elementary education program this year. Though directly teaching phonics may be beneficial and a quick way to teach them to students, I definetely agree that this approach does not foster deep understanding. As you mentioned, with this approach students are likely to learn the mechanics and not the meaning. I also agree that this approach would not be the most ideal for our resource, considering our audience.
In contrast to Direct Learning, Inquiry-Based Learning seems to foster a deeper understanding of students’ learning, so I definitely see this as a potential instructional approach for our resource. However, like you mentioned it may be difficult with an online platform, as Inquiry-Based learning is closely tied with aspects of cooperative learning, such as discussions. So I was curious, do you know if is it still considered Inquiry-Based Learning if we remove the discussion aspect and focus solely on individual exploration and research?
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Hey!
I am also interested in this, as collaboration is a key part of this form of learning environment. I came across this article which I found interesting to address some concerns about this approach – (although I will note that I’m not familiar with this website):
https://www.learningbyinquiry.com/4-of-the-most-common-problems-with-inquiry-based-learning-and-how-to-solve-them/Perhaps there could be a way of encouraging collaboration through using annotation on google documents / sharing others’ reflections after submitting your own so you can see how yours compare / chatting on a platform such as mattermost / creating assessments that require reflection on their own and others ideas… Just thoughts!
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I think your insights are very unique! In particular, you point out the challenges of implementing these learning methods in online settings, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an interactive and collaborative learning element.
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In educational environments, both inquiry-based learning and direct instruction have unique benefits and difficulties. Do you believe that, despite possible challenges in building a strong online community, an inquiry-based approach could be more appropriate for our resource distribution, given that our organization seeks to promote greater, critical thought and reflection?
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