Member for Cook David Kempton has warned that Direct Instruction is not a “panacea” for Indigenous education in the Cape York region and should not be imposed on communities without extensive, prior, on-the-ground consultation.

Direct Instruction is a method of teaching based around lectures and demonstrations of material with little emphasis on feedback from students. 

It is contrasted with Explicit Instruction, which focuses more on feedback-based exercises such as tutorials. 

“We need independent quantitative and qualitative assessment of Direct Instruction, combined with extensive community engagement, before imposing what can only be described as an experiment on the children of Cape York,” Mr Kempton said.

“We need to look at how education is being delivered, by whom, under what circumstances, and with what outcomes. The claims of great successes by Direct Instruction are not born out in the anecdotal evidence, or in the truancy levels.

“I meet regularly with community leaders in Cape York and I am not seeing much appetite for a one-size-fits-all approach to educational instruction as advocated by the Federal Government in its backing for Direct Instruction.”

Mr Kempton said he supported the view of educationalist, Chris Sara, the Executive Director of the Stronger Smarter Institute, who believes that low-school attendance rates are influenced by local community views on the relevance of the schooling process to their children’s futures.

“Any changes to schooling methods must involve extensive community consultation and take into account a whole range of important factors that influence how a child learns, including their home life, nutrition, connection to culture and the fact that English is often the second language,” he said.

Mr Kempton questioned whether Direct Instruction could cater effectively for the individual needs of Indigenous students.

“Direct Instruction is very scripted and does not allow a teacher to be innovative in dealing with a particular classroom dynamic, whereas Explicit Instruction involves greater interaction: it ‘teaches the teacher’ to teach to the circumstances of the classroom,” he said.

Mr Kempton said there was a range of other options open to school communities seeking to enhance the education process for their children.

“We need to look at ideas such as intensive schooling in the wet season, when kids are in communities; encouraging teachers to stay longer and become part of the community; involving elders and culture in the curriculum; and investigating other educational programs with a proven track record,” he said.

In the long-term, the answer lay in a far more inclusive approach to education, involving parents, educators, community leaders, service providers and support agencies, he concluded.