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On limits of explicit instruction - pedagogical explanations#

See also: teaching, explicit-teaching

Beyond the following prosaic quote, the source offers an accessible discussion of the limits of any specific type of teaching.

This hypothesis supports a classic finding on the limitations of explicit instruction, in Penelope L Peterson’s “Direct Instruction: Effective for What and for Whom” (1979): [W]ith direct or traditional teaching, students tend to do slightly better on achievement tests, but they do slightly worse on tests of abstract thinking, such as creativity and problem solving. Conversely, with open teaching, students do somewhat worse on achievement tests, but they do somewhat better on creativity and problem solving. source