The Advantages of Using Direct Instruction With Special Needs Students

Teachers strive to provide every student with the tools and knowledge to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Students with special needs usually require a more intense and focused approach. Siegfried Engelmann and Dr. Wesley Becker created direction instruction, a teaching method that combines clear instruction with carefully planned lessons to maximize learning and reduce the risk of confusion. Direct instruction utilizes lectures, guided practice, modeling and group activities.

Effectiveness

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004 amendment, requires effective, scientifically proven instructional programs for special needs students. Direct instruction improves and accelerates learning for students with special needs. According to the National Institute for Direct Instruction, thousands of schools across America, Canada, the UK and Australia apply this method with positive results.

Clear Understanding

Teachers direct student attention and narrow down a lesson's focus for clearer understanding. For example, a lecture using the blackboard, handouts or an overhead projector to highlight key points prevents students from getting lost in too much information. Direct instruction encourages lesson plans that will meet each special needs student's individualized education program, or IEP. In her book "Introduction to Teaching," Dr. Frances A. Levin defines an IEP as a written agreement between the school and a student's parents that identifies a student's needs and exactly how those needs will be met.

Modeling

Direct instruction allows a teacher to model or demonstrate the correct way to accomplish a task. In a special needs classroom, a teacher might show students how to write a lab report by writing the report on an overhead projector and explaining each step while students observe. Dr. Levin stresses the importance of instruction that accommodates different learning styles, or the ways in which students receive and interpret information. Modeling incorporates a variety of learning styles, including auditory, verbal, visual and social.

Monitored Progress

The teacher controls how students progress during every step of the learning process. Direct instruction means the teacher runs the lesson, checking student understanding along the way. If one plan fails, she can switch gears and try a new approach. According to Dr. Levin, questioning students during the lesson gives the teacher a valuable assessment of understanding. For example, a teacher monitors progress in reading comprehension of special needs students by having students take turns reading aloud from a book, pausing frequently to discuss theme, characterization or unfamiliar words.

Classroom Order

The late Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, said that a classroom must have order and civility for learning to take place. This philosophy applies to a special needs classroom as well. Direct instruction establishes order and comfort in the classroom. The teacher guides students and tackles questions as they come up. Students become familiar with the procedure and know what to expect.