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Direct Instruction
Mathematics
Λ. -. .j ∖. ■ ⅛⅛ ■ '. ' ■ . ’. ■ ' . . BX '
Fifth Edition
Direct
Instruction
Mathematics
Marcy Stein
University of Washington Tacoma
Diane Kinder
University of Washington Tacoma
Kristen Rolf
University of Washington Tacoma
Jerry Silbert
National Institute for Direct Instruction
Douglas W. Carnine
Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon
Every effort has been made to provide accurate and current Internet information in this book. However, the Internet and information posted on it
are constantly changing, so it is inevitable that some of the Internet addresses listed in this textbook will change.
Copyright © 2018, 2006,1997 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected
by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or trans
mission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from
this work, please visit http://www.pearsoned.com/permissions/
39 2022
Student Edition
ISBN 10: 0-13-471122-x
ISBN 13: 978-0-13-471122-5
* Please note that eText enhancements such as video clips and Apply What You Learned quizzes are only available in
the Pearson eText and not other third-party eTexts such as CourseSmart or Kindle.
Preface v
basic skills. The text outlines procedures that can be used to evaluate and then modify the commer
cially developed math programs used in most schools. Most importantly, the text gives teachers
systematic procedures for addressing both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency for
critical topics in K-8 mathematics aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The new edition includes an updated chapter on research, video links to teaching demon
strations for many of the teaching formats, and new content related to probability and data anal
ysis. Finally, Direct Instruction Mathematics contains Instructional Sequence and Assessment
Charts that can serve as the basis for designing diagnostic tests as well as for constructing goals
and objectives for the design of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
The book is organized into three parts: Part I, Perspective; Part II, Basic Concepts
and Skills; and Part III, Extended Concepts and Skills. Part I is composed of three chapters.
Chapter 1 outlines the components of the Direct Instruction approach to mathematics instruc
tion—instructional design, instructional delivery, and instructional language. Chapter 2 provides
an updated brief review of relevant research on effective mathematics instruction. Chapter 3 pro
vides a framework for evaluating commercially developed mathematics instructional materials.
The Basic Concepts and Skills (Part II) and Extended Concepts and Skills (Part III) are
the heart of the book. Each chapter covers a specific topic: counting, symbol identification
and place value, basic facts, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, problem solving,
measurement, time, money, fractions, decimals, percent, ratio, probability, data analysis, geometry,
and pre-algebra. These chapters include suggestions for introducing critical concepts and proce
dures for teaching specific skills.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Foremost among the many people to whom we are grateful are the Direct Instruction teachers
who prove every day that math failure is not inevitable. We also are grateful to Zig Engelmann,
whose melding of logical analysis and empiricism has resulted in the development of numer
ous highly effective mathematics programs. Many of the procedures described in this book
were derived from DISTAR Arithmetic, Connecting Math Concepts, Corrective Mathematics,
Essentials for Algebra, and Core Concepts in Mathematics authored by Engelmann and his col
leagues. Special thanks go to Bernadette Kelly whose suggestions and ideas contributed greatly
to this text. We also would like to acknowledge and thank the reviewers who inspired us in our
revision decisions: Bridget Kelley, Western Washington University; Mary Ann Nelson, Univer
sity of Florida; Jennifer Neyman, Gonzaga University; Cynthia T. Shamberger, Fayetteville State
University; and Sean Wachsmuth, Minnesota State University, Mankato.
In addition, we would like to thank everyone involved in producing the videos included
in this edition: Lori Agar, Tom Edwards, Paul Lovelady and his crew, Tristan Marcum, Tonya
Middling, Joe Query, Michaela Query, and Susan Templin. We also would like to thank the fol
lowing people for their contributions to the production of the text: Deena Beard, Donna Braboy,
Austin Campbell, Courtney Leininger, and Tatiana Wolfe. Finally, we would like to thank our
families and friends for their support.
Brief Contents
Part I Perspective
Chapter 1 Direct Instruction 1
Chapter 2 Research Support for Direct Instruction Mathematics 10
Chapter 3 Curriculum Evaluation and Modification 17
viι
viii Brief Contents
Glossary 532
References 534
Index 536
Contents
Part I Perspective
Chapter 4 Counting 25
Skill Hierarchy 25
Conceptual Understanding 27
Instructional Procedures 27
Rote Counting by Ones to 30, 27; Rational Counting: One Group, 29;
Rational Counting: Two Groups, 29; Counting from Numbers Other
Than One, 30; Ordinal Counting, 31; Counting by Ones from 30 to 100, 31;
Counting Backward, 31; Counting Between 100 and 999, 32; Skip
Counting, 32
x Contents
Chapter 7 Addition 88
Skill Hierarchy 88
Conceptual Understanding 90
Instructional Procedures: Beginning Addition 91
Addition the Slow Way, 91; Missing Addend Strategy, 92; Addition the
Fast Way, 93; Diagnosis and Remediation, 94
Instructional Procedures: Multi-Digit Addition 95
Problems Not Requiring Renaming, 95; Problems Requiring Renaming, 96;
Three or More Addends, 98; Diagnosis and Remediation, 99
Appendix A: Direct Instruction Mathematics and Common Core State Standards 513
Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions About Direct Instruction Mathematics 529
Glossary 532
References 534
Index 536
Formats for Teaching Major Skills
xiv
Formats for Teaching Major Skills xv
Direct Instruction
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1.1 Discuss the areas that comprise mathematical proficiency according to the
National Research Council.
1.2 Outline the features of instructional design that are essential to mathematics
instruction.
1.3 Discuss the four features of instructional delivery that are characteristic of Direct
Instruction.
1.4 Explain the importance of explicitly teaching students mathematics vocabulary
and concepts.
MATHEMATICAL PROFICIENCY
«•••••••
According to the National Research Council (2001), mathematical proficiency is represented by
competency in five areas: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence,
adaptive reasoning, and productive disposition. Many mathematics textbooks used in teacher
preparation discuss the philosophy and theory of mathematics instruction and provide instruc
tional activities, but few outline with specificity the means by which teachers can translate these
areas into explicit instruction. Direct Instruction Mathematics provides teachers with a com
prehensive blueprint to organize and teach specific content for major mathematical topics that
appear in elementary and middle school. The textbook also provides teachers with strategies to
address the needs of struggling learners. Each chapter in this text provides specific recommen
dations to promote conceptual understanding (teaching language concepts and providing visual
representations) and procedural fluency (teaching explicit strategies). Embedded in the chapters
are recommendations to promote adaptive reasoning (asking students to explain their answers)
and to determine strategic competence (monitoring student performance).
Regarding a productive disposition, research has suggested that when students experience
success, they develop positive self-concepts (Stebbins, St. Pierre, Proper, Anderson, & Cerra,
1977). More specifically, research in the area of Direct Instruction (see Chapter 2) leads us
to conclude that well-designed instruction that promotes student mathematical proficiency, as
outlined in this text, will yield productive dispositions.
In this chapter, we provide a detailed discussion of three critical components—instructional
design, instructional delivery, and instructional language—that are essential to understanding
2 Part I Perspective
how Direct Instruction Mathematics addresses the five proficiency areas mentioned above.
Building mathematics instruction with these components as the foundation will ensure that
students acquire, retain, and generalize new learning in as humane, efficient, and effective a
manner as possible.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
∙∙∙∙∙**∙
To effectively teach mathematics, teachers must construct the kinds of lessons and develop the
specific teaching procedures that best meet the needs of their students. Throughout the chapters in
this text, we emphasize five essential instructional design features to assist teachers in designing
mathematics instruction and in evaluating and modifying the commercial programs that have
been adopted for use in their school or district. The learning theory underlying these features
is elaborated in detail in Theory of Instruction (Engelmann & Carnine, 1991) and serves as the
foundation for Direct Instruction programs. The website for the National Institute for Direct
Instruction (NIFDI) provides detailed information about the commercially available Direct
Instruction programs. Throughout this text we discuss the following features that represent
instructional design elements essential to well-designed mathematics instruction:
1. Sequence of skills and concepts
2. Explicit instructional strategies
3. Preskills
4. Example selection
5, Practice and review
Before designing instruction or modifying it, teachers must clearly identify the objectives
they want to teach. Most commercial programs specify student objectives for each instructional
unit. However, not all objectives are written so that teachers can determine when they have
been met. The objectives should be stated as specific, observable behaviors and include both
accuracy and rate criteria, if possible. For example, a clear first-grade objective for single-digit
addition is: “Given 25 single-digit addition problems, students will correctly solve at least
22 in 1 minute with no more than one error.” Poorly stated objectives contain vague descriptions
of student behavior that are difficult to measure, such as “Students will understand the concept
of addition.”
Teachers can use the Instructional Sequence and Assessment Charts found at the begin
ning of most chapters in this book as a guide to selecting important grade-level objectives.
These charts, aligned with national Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM)
(National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School
Officers, 2010), offer a sequence of instruction based on the difficulty level of the given prob
lem types. Teachers can use the charts to help prioritize objectives, deciding which problem
types to teach and in which sequence. Teachers of students who perform poorly should focus
their instruction on higher-priority skills, those that are used more frequently, or those that are
prerequisites for more advanced skills.
Once the teacher has determined the types of problems students should be able to work
when they have completed the unit, the teacher must decide on appropriate levels of mastery.
Both accuracy and fluency must be considered when specifying levels of mastery. Unfortu
nately, there is little research available on determining accuracy and fluency criteria. Generally,
teachers should provide supervised practice until students reach an 85% to 90% accuracy level
for worksheet assignments containing a review of previously introduced types of problems. A
fluency criterion usually depends on the relative complexity of the problem type. Most educa
tors agree that students who work problems with relative fluency are more likely to retain strate
gies over a longer period of time. We present more detail about fluency criteria in the section on
progress monitoring later in this chapter.
information and strategies. Following are three general guidelines for sequencing the introduction
of new skills:
1. Teach preskills for a strategy before teaching the strategy.
2. Teach easy skills before more difficult ones.
3. Separate the introduction of information or strategies that students are likely to confuse.
Generally, the more steps in a strategy and the greater the similarity of the new strategy to
previously taught strategies, the more likely students will have difficulty. For example, in column
subtraction, problems that require a regrouping strategy are more difficult than problems that
do not. But not all problems that require regrouping are of equal difficulty. A problem such as
3,002 — 89 is significantly more difficult than a problem such as 364 — 128, largely due to the
presence of zeros.
One of the preskills we recommend teaching for regrouping with zeros in problems like
the one above is hundreds-minus-one problems (300 — 1 = 299). That preskill should be
taught prior to introducing problems such as 3,002 — 89, which requires renaming 300 tens as
299 tens. This example of identifying and teaching the appropriate preskills illustrates the first
sequencing guideline.
299
30012
- 89
The instruction of easier skills before more difficult ones is the second sequencing guideline.
For example, before teaching students to add fractions with unlike denominators, we recom
mend teaching students the easier skill of adding fractions with like denominators. Although
this guideline may seem obvious, many commercially available programs disregard its
importance.
The third sequencing guideline is to separate the introduction of information and strate
gies that are likely to be confused. The more similar two skills are, the more likely students
are to confuse them. For example, because young students are likely to confuse identification
of the numerals 6 and 9, those numerals should not be introduced consecutively. Likewise,
the skip-counting series for 6s and 4s are quite similar in that they both contain 12, 24, and
36 (6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 and 4, 8,12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36). Introducing these series consecu
tively is likely to cause confusion for some students.
teacher wording, examples, and often error-correction procedures. Formats are designed so that
teacher explanations are clear and unambiguous so teachers do not have to worry if the explana
tion they provide one day is consistent with explanations they’ve given previously.
The teaching formats represent a carefully designed instructional sequence reflecting the
gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. Most of the formats consist of four parts:
a structured board presentation, a structured worksheet presentation, a less structured worksheet
presentation, and supervised practice. A characteristic of the formats is the use of frequent ques
tioning that allows teachers to continuously check for student understanding and increases student
engagement. This text provides links to teaching formats for the instructional strategies discussed
in each chapter. In addition, some of the formats are accompanied by video demonstrations.
Preskills
As mentioned previously, instruction should be sequenced so that the requisite component skills of
a strategy are taught before the entire strategy is introduced. The component skills, therefore, can
be called preskills. For example, to solve a percent problem (What is 23% of 67?), the student must
be able to (a) convert percent to a decimal (23% = .23), (b) solve multiplication problems with
multi-digit factors (.23 × 67), and (c) place the decimal point correctly in the product (15.41).
67
× .23
201
134
15.41
The necessary preskills for many strategies may have been taught earlier or in previous
grades. Nonetheless, to ensure that students have mastered the preskills before introducing a
new instructional strategy, teachers should test students on those preskills. Each chapter in this
text identifies critical preskills for the strategies presented so that teachers can design tests to
determine whether the preskills have been mastered or must be taught.
Example Selection
Selecting examples involves constructing or choosing appropriate problems to be used during
teaching demonstrations and student practice. Two guidelines are particularly helpful in assist
ing teachers in selecting appropriate examples. The first example selection guideline is simply to
include only problems that students can solve by using a strategy that has been explicitly taught.
For example, if students have been taught a regrouping strategy for solving subtraction problems
without zeros, but they have not yet been taught to solve problems with zeros, the teacher should
not give them a problem such as 3,004 — 87. As mentioned previously, teaching students to
rename in problems containing zeros requires additional instruction in specific preskills.
The second guideline is ultimately to include not only examples of the currently introduced
type (introductory examples) but also examples of previously introduced problem types that are
similar (discrimination examples). The purpose of including previously introduced problem types
is to provide students with practice in determining when to apply the new strategy and when to
apply previously taught strategies. For example, after students learn how to regroup from ones to
tens in column addition, their practice examples should include problems that require regrouping
and problems that do not. Working a set of discrimination problems encourages students to exam
ine the problems more carefully to determine when to apply the regrouping strategy instead of
reverting to the rote behavior of just “putting one on top of the tens column.” The importance of
including discrimination examples cannot be overemphasized. Unless previously taught problem
types are included, students will likely forget or misapply earlier taught strategies.
Nathan, & Willingham, 2013) on an individual skill until mastery is reached. Students demon
strate mastery on a particular skill when they can work problems accurately, fluently, and inde
pendently. Following this guideline requires that teachers monitor their students carefully and
frequently to determine if and when mastery has been achieved. If students have not mastered a
skill in the time originally allotted, teachers will need to provide additional practice opportunities.
Second, teachers must provide systematic review of previously introduced skills. Once
students have reached a specified level of mastery on a given skill, the teacher can gradually
decrease the amount of practice on that skill. But practice should never entirely disappear. The
skill should be reviewed systematically over time to ensure retention. Reviewing a skill system
atically over time is called distributed practice. Distributed practice is a hallmark of all Direct
Instruction programs.
The review of previously introduced skills requires deliberate planning, because many com
mercial programs do not provide an opportunity for that review. Often, review is naturally pro
vided because the newly taught skill serves as a component skill for a more advanced problem
type. For example, as subtraction problems with regrouping are mastered, those problems are
integrated into word problems, thereby providing practice on the component skill.
In Chapter 3 we illustrate how the instructional design features discussed in this chapter
contribute to a framework for evaluating published mathematics programs.
INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY
Once teachers have planned their mathematics instruction using the five essential instructional
design features discussed above, they need to integrate instructional delivery features into their
teaching plans. While the instructional design focuses on what to teach, instructional delivery
addresses issues of implementation, that is, how best to teach. Four features are included in this
section on instructional delivery:
1. Progress monitoring
2. Presentation techniques
3. Error-correction procedures
4. Diagnosis and remediation
Progress Monitoring
A major goal of progress monitoring is to determine whether students have mastered the mate
rial. A second goal of progress monitoring is to determine whether students are progressing at an
optimal rate. One research-based approach to monitoring student progress that assists teachers
in determining an optimal rate is curriculum-based measurement, or CBM (Fuchs, Fuchs, &
Hamlett, 2015). CBM offers an alternative both to informal observations, which tend to lack
consistency, and to achievement tests, which are administered too infrequently to help teachers
make instructional decisions.
Shinn and Walker (2010) explain that CBM has two distinctive features that separate it
from other curriculum-based assessments: First, the recommended CBM procedures are as reli
able and valid as most standardized achievement tests; second, the procedures are designed to be
administered frequently enough to provide teachers with ongoing performance data.
One of the strongest advantages of using CBM is that by monitoring progress frequently,
teachers can identify and remedy problems by making instructional changes before students fall
too far behind their peers. Likewise, teachers can use CBM data to accelerate instruction. The
National Center for Intensive Intervention (NCII) offers educators online tools and resources to
assist them in implementing progress monitoring.
Presentation Techniques
A major aspect of Direct Instruction involves attention to a group of teaching or presentation
techniques. How skillfully a teacher presents instruction significantly affects both the student’s
rate of learning and the student’s self-concept. The relationship between success and self-concept,
6 Part I Perspective
a primary tenet in the Direct Instruction approach to teaching, was articulated by Engelmann as
long ago as 1969:
The sphere of self-confidence that can be programmed in the classroom has to do with the
child’s ability to stick to his guns, to have confidence in what he has learned, and to approach
school tasks with the understanding that he is smart and will succeed. For a child to maintain
such an impression of himself, he must receive demonstrations that these descriptions of
himself are valid. If he finds himself failing in school, displeasing the teacher, feeling unsure
about what he has learned, he must reevaluate himself and perhaps conclude that he is not a
complete success, (p. 68)
The presentation techniques addressed here capture those skills needed for effective
teacher-directed group instruction. Several factors contribute to a successful teacher-directed
lesson. For example, the length of a teacher’s explanation or demonstration affects the likeli
hood that students will be attentive. Teachers should make explanations brief and concise. The
more time the teacher spends talking, the fewer opportunities for student involvement. Teachers
working with primary-grade and lower-performing students in the upper grades should structure
their presentations so that students are required to answer frequent questions.
Because teachers cannot call on every individual student to answer each question, unison
responses should be incorporated into the teacher-directed lessons. Unison responses ensure that
all of the students in the classroom actively participate in the lesson. Two very specific presen
tation skills promote effective use of unison responses: appropriate use of signals and pacing.
Signals A signal is a cue given by the teacher that tells students when to respond in unison.
The effective use of signals allows participation by all students, not just the highest-performing
students who, if allowed, tend to dominate the activity.
To signal a unison response, the teacher (a) gives directions, (b) provides a thinking pause,
and (c) cues the response. For example, when presenting an addition fact task, the teacher might
say, “Listen. Get ready to tell me the answer to this problem: 4 + 6.” After the directions comes
the thinking pause. The duration of the thinking pause is determined by the length of time the
lowest-performing student needs to figure out the answer. (If one student takes significantly
longer to answer than the other students in the group, the teacher should consider providing
extra individual practice for that student.) For easier questions (simple tasks involving review of
previously taught skills), the thinking pause may be just a split second, while for more complex
questions the thinking pause may last longer. Carefully controlling the duration of the thinking
pause is a very important factor in maintaining student attention.
The final step in the signaling procedure is the actual cue to respond. A cue or signal
to respond may be a clap, finger snap, hand drop, touch on the board, or any similar type of
action. This procedure can be modified for use with most tasks. On tasks calling for a long
thinking pause, the teacher would say, “Get ready” an instant before signaling. The purpose
of the get-ready prompt is to let the students know when to expect the cue to respond. Since
the length of thinking pauses varies with the difficulty of the question, a prompt is needed;
students may not know when to respond following a pause. Therefore, to elicit a group
response in which each student has an equal opportunity to respond, the cue “Get ready” is
given. An auditory signal (snap, clap, etc.) is necessary for teacher-directed worksheet tasks,
since students are looking at their worksheets and cannot see a silent hand signal from the
teacher.
The essential feature of a good signal is its clarity. The signal must be given so that students
know exactly when they are expected to respond. If a signal is not clear, students cannot respond
in unison. The teacher can use the student responses to evaluate the clarity of her signals. A
repeated failure to respond together usually indicates that the signals are unclear or that the
teacher has not provided adequate thinking time.
Giving individual turns (also called individual tests) is an essential part of any instructional
activity in which students are asked to respond in unison. Using only unison responses, a teacher
can never be absolutely certain whether each student has produced a correct response indepen
dent from the responses of nearby students. Giving individual turns helps teachers verify that all
students are participating appropriately in the activity.
Chapter ! Direct Instruction 7
The teacher should give individual tests only after all the students in the group appear to
be answering correctly during unison practice. Calling on a student who has not had enough
practice to master the task may needlessly embarrass the student in front of his peers. Since indi
vidual tests are time-consuming, they should not be given to every student after every task. As a
general rule, turns should be given to all lower-performing students each time a new or difficult
task is presented. Higher-performing students, on the other hand, can be tested less often.
Pacing Anyone who has observed young children watching TV shows or playing video games
can attest to the role that pacing plays in maintaining attention. Teachers should be familiar
enough with their material to present it in a lively, animated manner and without hesitation.
Teachers who are well practiced with their instructional materials not only can teach at a livelier
pace but also can focus their attention more fully on student performance.
g‰ Format 5.12: Throughout this text, we have included videos of teaching demonstrations to illustrate
Expanded Notation instructional delivery skills. For each video, we have identified a “watch-for” that highlights the
Watch for Tristan's use of clear
implementation of a specific presentation technique. For example, for the following video, note
signals and lively pacing.
that the watch-for calls attention to Tristan’s use of signals and pacing.
Error-Correction Procedures
The first step in correcting errors made by students during group instruction is to determine the
cause of the error. Teachers must decide if the error resulted from inattentiveness or from a lack
of knowledge. Teachers can determine whether student errors were caused by inattentiveness by
checking where the students were looking or what the students were doing when the question
was asked.
Teachers should correct students who respond late or don’t respond at all during tasks
requiring unison responding. For these errors teachers should inform the students that because
not all students responded (or because some students failed to respond on signal), they have to
repeat the task. Teachers should not direct any attention to the students who made the errors but
should praise students who performed well and attended to the task.
Most error corrections follow a three-step procedure of model, test, and delayed test. If
an error occurs when the teacher is presenting a strategy, the teacher would model the correct
response or ask leading questions from the strategy so that students can generate the correct
response. Next, the teacher would test the students by presenting the same task again—this
time providing no assistance. The teacher then would return to the beginning of the original
task and present the entire task again, the delayed test. The function of a delayed test is to
check whether the student remembers the correct responses when starting from the beginning
of the task.
Specific recommendations are outlined in each chapter for corrections of errors students
are likely to make for a given topic. Specific teacher wording often can be found in the teaching
formats provided within each chapter along with additional recommendations to ensure that the
corrections are effective.
The teacher diagnoses can’t-do errors by examining the missed problems on worksheets
and/or by interviewing the students about how they worked the problems they missed. The
following basic steps apply to diagnosing and remedying errors on most types of problems:
1. Diagnosis: Analyze worksheet errors and hypothesize what the cause of the errors might be.
2. Confirmation: Interview the student to determine the cause of the errors if it is not obvious.
3, Remediation: Provide re teaching through board and/or worksheet presentations.
4. Assess: Test the student on a set of problems similar to the ones on which the original errors
were made.
An error usually is of three basic types: a fact error, a component-skill error, or a strategy
error. Students often miss problems only because they don’t know their basic math facts.
Basic facts are the addition and multiplication facts formed by adding or multiplying any two
single-digit numbers and their subtraction and division corollaries.
Component skills are previously taught skills that are integrated as steps in a lengthier
problem-solving strategy. Below is an example of an addition problem with renaming that a
student missed due to a component-skill error:
2
67
+25
1
Note that in the incorrectly solved problem, the student knew to rename but did not know
the component skill related to place value for renaming appropriately (12 equals 1 ten and
2 ones). To remedy this component-skill error, the teacher would present instruction only on
the component skill of expanded notation. Once the student mastered the component skill, the
teacher would give students addition problems similar to the one originally missed.
A strategy error occurs when the student demonstrates that she does not know the sequence
of steps required to solve the particular type of problem. In the following example, the stu
dent subtracts the denominator from the numerator when instructed to convert an improper frac
tion to a mixed number, indicating that the student does not have a viable strategy for reducing
improper fractions. To remedy this problem, the teacher must teach the entire strategy of rewrit
ing fractions to the student.
The diagnosis and remediation procedures recommended here are designed to increase
instructional efficiency by helping teachers determine exactly how much additional teaching
is necessary to bring students to mastery. If a teacher determines that student errors are due to
deficient math fact knowledge, it is unnecessary to reteach lengthy problem-solving strategies.
Similarly, if an error pattern reflected in a student’s independent work is related to a single
component skill, then the teacher would reteach only that skill and not the entire instructional
strategy. These diagnosis and remediation procedures can save teachers valuable instructional
time by focusing on only those skills that require remediation.
INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Attention to the need for instruction in discipline-based language has recently been extended to
the area of mathematics as evidenced by the CCSSM. Mathematical language practices required
by the CCSSM include engaging students in mathematical reasoning, developing viable argu
ments, and critiquing the reasoning of others—high expectations for math students and their
teachers. These higher-level language skills require that students understand basic mathematics
concepts and are able to use appropriate mathematics vocabulary.
Attention to language has always been fundamental to Direct Instruction teaching (Engelmann,
Carnine, & Steely, 1991). For example, in a first-grade mathematics class asking students if
“3 is fewer than 5” may be problematic if students were taught the concept of “less than” and
Chapter 1 Direct Instruction 9
not the term “fewer.” Consistency in language contributes to clarity of instruction, and that clar
ity of instruction is especially important for English language learners and students with math
disabilities.
Teach Preskills of a Strategy Before the Strategy Teachers should consider what
vocabulary is necessary to teach prior to teaching a concept and what vocabulary can be taught
after the concept is introduced. Vocabulary terms that appear in the teaching formats should be
taught prior to the introduction of the format. For example, in teaching the equality rule—“we
must end with the same number on this side and the other side of the equal”—the terms “end
with,” “side,” “equal,” “ same,” and “other” are used. Therefore, the meaning of these terms
should be taught prior to the introduction of the equality rule.
Teach Easy Skills Before More Difficult Ones Although precise terminology is critical
to mathematics, it is not necessary to teach precise, mathematically correct definitions initially;
rather it is important to provide students with the language that will permit them to take part
in math instruction. For example, the following definition for the area of a rectangle, although
correct, contains difficult vocabulary concepts and initially is not very useful to students: “To
find the area of a rectangle, multiply the length times the width resulting in an answer of square
units.” In contrast, applying the guideline of “easy before more difficult,” we recommend intro
ducing the area of a rectangle as “the number of squares it takes to cover the rectangle.” Using
student-friendly math vocabulary, appropriate to students’ age and skill level, results in clear
communication and promotes understanding.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
2.1 Discuss the rationale for improving U.S. math instruction.
2.2 Compare the differences between di and DI and the research support for each.
2.3 Outline three research-based recommendations for improving math instruction.
in 1980, calling for a shift in mathematics education toward an emphasis on problem solving,
cooperative learning, the use of manipulatives, and alternative ways of assessing students;
these recommendations, however, were not based on research (NCTM, 1980). The NCTM later
released “Principles and Standards for School Mathematics” in 2000 (NCTM, 2000). This guide
presents a vision of mathematics education, as well as guidelines for educators, and includes
principles (foundational precepts for quality mathematics instruction) and content and process
standards.
By far the most important policy development in response to poor math outcomes is the
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). Produced by the National Gover
nors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers in 2009, these standards were
intended to raise educational achievement by creating a coherent and consistent sequence of
standards that build to high-level achievement (Dingman, Teuscher, Newton & Kasmer, 2013;
National Governors Association & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2012).
The majority of states have adopted the CCSSM, which are consistent with the NCTM
principles and standards. The CCSSM represent four main shifts in math education: changes to
the grade level in which certain math content is taught; adjustments made to the number of grade
levels certain math topics span; shifts in emphasis on certain math topics; and development of
the Standards for Mathematical Practice, which focus on problem-solving across the standards
(Dingman et al., 2013; National Governors Association & Council of Chief State School Offi
cers, 2012). The CCSSM are more rigorous than the previous standards that were in place in the
majority of states, in part because one of the goals reflected in the CCSSM is that students mas
ter higher-level algebra by the end of high school (Dingman et al., 2013; Schmidt & Houang,
2012). As such, math concepts that are foundations for algebra are introduced at earlier grades,
and they tend to be emphasized across a larger number of grade levels to provide more in-depth
coverage (Schmidt & Houang, 2012). The changes in content associated with the CCSSM, in
particular the increases in rigor, require educators to pay greater attention to effective teaching
practices in mathematics. When mathematics instruction is highly effective, many students will
meet the CCSSM standards and realize the benefits of high-level math competence. But if math
ematics instruction is not effective, the higher standards represented by CCSSM will simply
impose a barrier to school success and graduation. Therefore, these high standards increase the
consequences of the quality of instruction. Now more than ever, it is imperative that mathemat
ics instruction enable a wide range of students—including those at risk for failure in math—to
achieve high levels of proficiency.