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Direct Instruction Motivation Part 2: Productive Praise by Zach Groshell

Direct instruction motivation, part 2: productive praise

This series explores a rarely discussed strength of direct instruction: its power to motivate students. While critics often paint explicit teaching as boring or uninspiring, the truth is that its structure, pace, and design motivate kids better than any other system. If momentum is the first ingredient of motivation, the second is acknowledgment. Direct Instruction…
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Knowledge is back—but only if we teach it well

I recently joined Dylan Wiliam and Patrice Bain on the Knowledge Matters Podcast to talk about retrieval practice, mini whiteboards, and the kinds of instructional moves that actually help students remember what they’ve learned. It was a generous conversation - one that didn’t just skim the surface of techniques, but dug into why they matter.…
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