What teaching method involves the teacher guiding students step-by-step to achieve specific learning goals?

Direct Instruction is a teaching method characterized by structured, teacher-led instructional strategies where educators guide students through specific learning goals in a systematic way. This approach involves clear objectives, explicit teaching of content, and often utilizes techniques such as modeling, practice, and feedback to ensure students understand the material.

The essence of Direct Instruction lies in its focus on outlining lessons in a linear fashion, making it especially effective for teaching foundational knowledge and skills. By breaking down complex concepts into manageable segments, students receive the necessary scaffolding to build their understanding, which leads to mastery of the subject matter.

In contrast to other methods listed, such as Collaborative Learning, where students work together to discover knowledge collectively, or Discovery Learning, which encourages students to explore and find answers independently, Direct Instruction maintains a more teacher-centered approach. This ensures that students are not just passively absorbing information but actively engaging with guided steps towards achieving specific learning outcomes. Similarly, Problem-Based Learning emphasizes real-world problems, encouraging student exploration rather than a structured pathway laid out by the teacher.