Direct Instruction and Its Application in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms with English Learners

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Text Box: Important Features and Phases of Direct/Explicit Teaching Strategy Ø Activate a class with a short explanation of objectives for the day. In other words, let the students know what they will be able to learn from that class that day. Ø Start the lesson with a quick and brief snapshot of prior learning for students to be fully be able to comprehend the lesson of the day. Ø Offer new information and concepts in small steps, and provide opportunities for students to practice after each step. Ø Give students access to learning by offering well-defined and thorough instruction and descriptions like well-developed definition, and complete idea about the subject matter. Ø Arrange opportunities for all students to keenly participate in classroom activities. Ø Ask leveled questions frequently throughout (even call on individual students) to check for understanding and obtain responses from all students. Ø Lead and help students during early practice sessions. Ø Probe efficient feedback and refinements. Ø Provide explicit (direct) instruction and training for long/important exercises, and as needed, supervise students throughout classroom activities, and Ø Continue to practice until students are independent and confident. Adapted from Rosenhine (1983,1986, 1987) English language learners possess limited language proficiency, which directly affects their learning, and causes them to perform below average on various assessments. Elementary school English learners, whose first language is not fully developed, face more challenges in everyday mainstream classrooms because they bear the intense pressure to learn subject-specific content knowledge and perform to meet state standards while acquiring both their native and target languages (Francis, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006). Without being able to fully understand the academic language, it is hard for students of any age to gain academic success. It takes rigorous effort, and continuous practice to learn the various nuances (e.g., sentence structures, phonological awareness, multiple meanings, pragmatics, academic discourse, etc.) of academic language (Franke, & Kazemi, 2001).
Academic language is a key to mathematics because English learners are expected to complete word problems in class and on assessments, which makes mathematics inaccessible for ELs already grappling with English. For young and novice learners, direct instructional guidance is essential because students receive the required tools and techniques in a highly scaffolded manner to help them tackle difficult concepts in both content and language (Becker, & Gersten, 1982; Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006). 
Many novice math-teachers may take mathematics solely as a content area subject, and they hesitate to accommodate their curriculum and everyday teaching strategies. My three-year-old daughter can count from 1 to 100, but when I ask her verbal questions like “What comes before 4?” or “What comes after 62?,” she doesn’t understand what I am asking her. Now, do I believe that she is able to figure out the sum of 1+2 or 2+2? English learners with beginning or intermediate English competency will have a hard time understanding phrases like “blue star, yellow star, square, jar, empty, fill in completely,” etc. while learning numbers or basic addition concepts in their classroom. Without addressing the meanings of these words, a teacher is not fully able to teach this knowledge to ELs. Being native Text Box: Sample Guiding Questions to Ask Before, During, and After Direct-Teaching Strategy A. Before Class Ø Do the intended classroom practices align to students’ needs, including language proficiency levels? Ø Are the materials interesting and appropriate to the student’s content and linguistic competencies? Ø Do the practice exercises include wide varieties of activities that meet students’ needs (e.g., EL Level 1 need simpler drills than Level 3 students, and native English speakers require even a complex set of activities). Ø Is the class period long enough to execute all activities? Ø Are directions (one-step, two-step, and multi-step, depending on student’s English language competency) provided to ensure comprehension? Are they clear verbally and non-verbally? B. During Class Ø Are students provided several samples before they start working on their own? Ø Are students getting the required support and supervision as they work? Ø Do students know how to ask for help, and with whom? Ø Are students receiving feedback and correction? Ø Do students know how their work relates to the content knowledge of math, including English language development? C. After Class Ø Did the practice accomplish its objective? Ø What was the pattern of wrong and right responses? Ø Are there any follow-up drills to help students internalize the intended mathematical concept and English language skills? Adapted from Rupley, Blair, & Nichols (2009) English speakers, many teachers take their knowledge of such words for granted. It is important for teachers to make a systematic assessment of students’ language competency before they design classroom activities and set goals for them. There are different sets of activities that students can perform during different stages of their language development, for example, a beginner can respond to one-step instruction at a time, while the advance learner is able to follow through a multi-step instructions at once. Teachers also should be aware of the assistance English language learners require during those stages while still providing i+1 challenges to them (Francis et.al., 2006; Garrison, & Mora, 1999; Griffin, 2004).
Math teachers should realize the intricacy of content-specific language and provide support to English learners to approach challenges adhering to (a) various modes of teaching (e.g., audio, visual, oral, written, kinesthetic, receptive, expressive, etc.), (b) multiple illustrations that includes pictures, objects, tables, graphs, symbols, words, etc., (c) multiple texts that includes graphic organizers, textbooks, digital media, student explanation, teacher explanation, etc. (d) various types of spoken discourses (e.g., disputational talk, cumulative talk, exposition, etc.), and (e) different audiences (student to teacher, student to student, student to the whole class, teacher to an individual student, teacher to the whole class, etc.) (Hakuta, & Santos, 2012;  Nutta, Strebel, Mokhtari, Mihai, & Crevecoeur-Bryant, 2014).
A follow-up, follow-through research conducted by Becker and Gresten (1982) found that academic achievement among students who receive direct teaching from an early age and for an extended period was higher than the ones who started later and existed earlier, even after many years post-treatment (p. 83).
References

Becker, W. C., & Gersten, R. (1982). A follow-up of Follow Through: The later effects of the Direct Instruction Model on children in fifth and sixth grades. American Educational Research Journal, 19(1), 75-92.
Francis, D. J., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N. K., Kieffer, M. J., & Rivera, H. (2006, October). Practical guidelines for the education of English language learners. In Presentation at LEP Partnership Meeting, Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www. centeroninstruction. org.
Franke, M. L., & Kazemi, E. (2001). Learning to teach mathematics: Focus on student thinking. Theory Into Practice, 40(2), 102-109.
Garrison, L., & Kerper Mora, J. (1999). Adapting mathematics instruction for English-language learners. The Language-Concept Connection. I L. Ortiz-Franco, NG Hernandez & Y. De La Cruz (red.), Changing the Faces of Mathematics: Perspectives on Latinos, 35-47.
Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75-86.
Nutta, J. W., Strebel, C., Mokhtari, K., Mihai, F. M., & Crevecoeur-Bryant, E. (2014). Educating English Learners: What Every Classroom Teacher Needs to Know. Harvard Education Press. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Quinn, H., Lee, O., & Valdés, G. (2012). Language demands and opportunities in relation to Next Generation Science Standards for English language learners: What teachers need to know. Commissioned Papers on Language and Literacy Issues in the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, 94, 32.
Rosenshine, B. (1983). Teaching functions in instructional programs. The Elementary School Journal, 83(4), 335-351.
Rosenshine, B. V. (1986). Synthesis of research on explicit teaching. Educational Leadership, 43(7), 60-69.

Rosenshine, B. (1987). Explicit teaching and teacher training. Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3), 34-36.

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