Perhaps the most common form of instruction, direct teaching is successful because it provides a clear learning target for the teacher and students alike. Each lesson is taught with a specific outcome in mind. The disadvantage is that direct teaching can harness teacher creativity by not allowing him to deviate from the curriculum. The most common form of evaluation for direct teaching is a paper-and-pencil test, such as multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank or essay.
Lecturing is similar to direct teaching, but with one major difference: Lectures do not usually have one specific outcome in mind. Lectures typically cover a broad topic, such as World War II. The purpose is to give a great deal of information is a small time frame. Lectures are more common in secondary education, as younger grades tend to lack the attention span or the note-taking skills necessary for this type of instruction. Lectures, like direct teaching, rely on pencil-and-paper evaluation methods.
Cooperative learning groups are gaining popularity as the need continues to grow for employees with teamwork skills in the workforce. Cooperative learning groups students of differing abilities with the goal of working together to solve a problem. Many elementary science programs, such as the F.O.S.S science kits, focus on cooperative learning. Cooperative learning groups teach students how to share responsibility. However, they are not always effective, because some students tend to take over, and the brighter students tend to carry the workload while weaker students don't contribute an equal share. Common evaluation practices for cooperative learning groups are presentations, either verbally or via technology, such as PowerPoint or video recording.
Small group instruction allows the teacher to focus on specific skill deficiencies of a particular group of students. This also allows for enrichment for advanced students. This type of instruction ideally places students in groups of four to five and targets a specific need of the group, such as adding fractions. When using small group instruction, it is important to mix the groups up frequently to avoid students being labeled by their peers. Although students are working in a group, they still are each responsible for their own learning, meaning evaluation is similar to that of direct teaching or lectures. At the end of a period of instruction, students complete a written assessment or give an individual presentation, such as a speech.