Engelmann, Rosenshine, and the Case for Direct and Explicit Instruction

I was recently invited to present a case for Direct and Explicit Instruction in a Youtube livestream for the AEI. In it, I describe some of the overlap between different bodies of research that point in the same direction: Kids need models, scaffolds, feedback, and loads of practice in order to learn things effectively. Given that our panelists included Kurt Engelmann and Patrice Bain, I paid special attention to insights from Direct Instruction and cognitive science research.

If you’re a school leader, I invite you to share this recording with your staff. As I detail in the webinar, I had to learn to teach the hard way, through trial and error. There’s no reason to require your teachers to endure the same. If you’re a teacher, I encourage you to send this to your school leadership. They might be trapped in the cloudy allure of constructivist practices, but an alternative perspective might snap them out of it.

Finally, I invite you to check out my book, which the presentation is based on, and consider hiring me to work with your staff. I have a lot of options available, let’s just hop on a Zoom call and start planning.