EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR DIRECT AND INDIRECT INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ENGINEERING IMPLEMENTED AT TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

In teaching engineering it is important to select the proper instructional strategy for a specific learning outcome. There are two broad types of learning outcomes: facts, rules and action sequences (on lower levels of complexity in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains), and concepts, patterns and abstractions (on higher level of complexity in the above named domains). Facts, rules and action sequences are taught using instructional strategies emphasizing knowledge acquisition (direct instruction). Concepts, patterns and abstractions are taught using strategies emphasizing inquiry or problem solving (indirect instruction). Knowledge acquisition and inquiry are different types of learning outcomes and they must be taught using specific strategies producing the desired outcome. Both types of learning may be combined, providing a menu of teaching strategies that help students solve problems, think critically and work cooperatively. This article presents teaching strategies suitable for direct and indirect instruction used in teaching engineering at Estonian Centre for Engineering Pedagogy at Tallinn University of Technology. Key words: teaching engineering, direct instruction, indirect instruction.