Direct and Activating Instruction: Evaluation of a Preservice Course

• Published in: The Journal of experimental education 2003-01, Vol.71 (3), p.197-225
• Main Authors: Veenman, Simon, Denessen, Eddie, van den Oord, Ingrid, Naafs, Ferdy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior Patterns; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Colleges & universities; Constructivism; Cooperating teachers; Cooperation; Cooperative learning; Course Content; Dialectics; Direct Instruction; Educational organization; Educational research; Educational sciences; Foreign Countries; General points; Higher education; Instruction; Knowledge; Learning; Learning Activities; Learning and Instruction; Learning Theories; Netherlands; Posttests; Preservice Teachers; Student Teachers; Teacher Education; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Thinking Skills; United States, Canada
• ISSN: 0022-0973; 1940-0683
• DOI: 10.1080/00220970309602063

In this study, the implementation effects of a preservice course on direct and activating instruction are described. The course was conducted at 3 different teacher-education colleges in The Netherlands. On the basis of precourse and postcourse observations, the authors found a significant treatment effect for the use of direct and activating instructional skills by student teachers. The observations were conducted independently by external observers and cooperating teachers. In contrast to the successful implementation of direct and activating instructional skills, the implementation of cooperative-learning activities proved less successful. Although the course on direct and activating instruction was quite positively rated by the student teachers, less than half of them succeeded in applying cooperative-learning activities during their lessons.