Direct and Indirect Instruction: Two Essential Components Used to Teach Reading in an Interdisciplinary Unit Plan
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Authors
Brophy, Alicia
Date of Issue
1998-04-01
Type
thesis
Language
Subject Keywords
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Abstract
This purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching directly and indirectly in order to help students develop reading skills and the motivation to read throughout life. Through the means of a review of literature and the implementation of a unit plan, this paper will propose a possible solution to the reading debate that centers on a search for the one “best” method. Three research questions were addressed: 1) does a mixture of direct and indirect instructional methods provide an effective format for the teaching of reading within a unit of study; 2) does a mixture of direct and indirect instructional methods provide an effective format for the teaching of integrated subject areas within a unit of study; and 3) does a mixture of direct and indirect instructional methods provide increased interest in reading? The sample group for this project was a first and second grade multi-age class of thirty-seven students in a public school. A reading interest survey was administered at the beginning and end of the unit, and informal observation formed the basis for evaluation. A mixture of direct and indirect instructional methods based on activities employing both methods proved to be an effective format for instruction in reading and an integration of the subject areas. The conclusions of this study indicate that direct and indirect instructional methods can occur simultaneously in reading methods based on opposing philosophies.