Didactic, interactive, and review: a three-approach taxonomy of elementary instruction¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

This report organizes elementary classroom instruction into three approaches distinguished by teacher and student behaviors. Didactic instruction involves lecture, single-answer questions, and correctness-based assessment; interactive instruction involves coaching, open questions, discussion, and process-oriented assessment; review involves revisiting previously taught content. The authors state that "in this report we use the terms didactic and interactive to distinguish between the first and the second approach to instruction," and add review as a third dimension examined separately. The taxonomy structures all subsequent analyses of exposure and achievement effects.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers' self-reports of instructional practice frequency via survey composites

Constraints¶

• The authors note the two approaches are likely combined in practice by most teachers, and Table 1's contrasts may exaggerate or over-simplify differences in teachers' actual practices

Target Learners¶

• Elementary school students in grades 2-8

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Reading and mathematics achievement on standardized tests

Claims¶

• Interactive Instruction Positive Achievement Gains Chicago [+M]
• Didactic Instruction Negative Achievement Gains [+M]
• Instructional Review Negative Achievement Gains [+M]
• Interactive instruction is more common in classrooms with higher prior achievement; didactic and review are more common in lower-achieving classrooms [+W]
• Interactive instruction declines and didactic instruction increases across elementary grade levels [+W]
• School organizational supports are associated with more interactive and less didactic instruction [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Julia B. Smith, Valerie E. Lee, and Fred M. Newmann. (2001). Instruction and Achievement in Chicago Elementary Schools. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/instruction-and-achievement-chicago-elementary-schools