Welcome to  the  Continuation of Topic 2:  Data-Based Instruction   Focus Questions for Topic 2  

1. What is data-based instruction?    2. Why is it important?

Now that we have discussed the first three elements teachers need to make data-based decisions, let's go on to the fourth element:

 

1. the intended learning objective for a student;

2. a reliable measure for the student's performance related to the objective;

3. an instructional procedure to use to enable the student to acquire the necessary skills related to the objective;

4. a willingness to redesign instructional procedures if the measures show that the student is not achieving the learning objective.

4. A Willingness to Redesign Instructional Procedures if Measures Show that the Studentis Not Achieving the Objective

Do you remember the first time you mastered an instructional technique that you had spent a lot of time learning how to perfect? For example, you might remember the coaching you received from your mentor teacher when you were completing your student teaching. Did you find yourself stressing out when you had to juggle passing out worksheets, writing on the board, and trying to maximize the actual academic learning time for your students? Do you remember when that skill became automatic and you didn't have to think about it?

Similarly, when teachers learn how to use mastery learning procedures, or cooperative learning procedures, teachers expect to take some time--often up to two or three years--before they achieve mastery for that instructional procedure. Thus, it represents a huge commitment to be willing to stop using a procedure that you have taken lots of time to master if measures show it is not working for a particular learner.

However, without the willingness to redesign instructional procedures if the measures show that the student is not achieving the learning objective, the student is doomed to continue to fail.

Redesigning instruction can actually be fun, easy, and creative. And the newly designed instruction can lead the teacher into new horizons of understanding of the generalizability and flexibility of the procedures they adapt.

In summary, you now understand that data-based instruction is a systematic way to organize instruction that includes the learner's objective, a way to measure the student's progress towards achieving the objective, an explicitly described instructional procedure designed to enable the student to acquire skills and knowledge related to the objective, and a willingness to redesign instructional procedures if measures show the learner is not achieving the intended objective, then you have mastered this topic.

Why is data-based instruction important? It is important primarily because it gives you as the teacher feedback on the impact of your instructional procedures. Particularly for those students who are most difficult to teach, you do not want to waste your precious instructional time on instructional procedures that are not effective. Now you are ready to begin to design your own data-based instruction project! Enter the information as requested in the two following forms  in order to complete Parts 1 and 2 of your DBI project. Part 1: Setting

Data-Based Instruction Project Part 2: Philosophy

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