Zach Groshell Education

Where are the Champions for Struggling Public Schools?

A few years ago, for not the first time, I found myself at the school at the bottom. Test scores were hovering around 18 percent proficiency, chronic absenteeism was rampant, and the school had the reputation of being the most dangerous in the district. You couldn't take a tour of the school without encountering the … Continue reading Where are the Champions for Struggling Public Schools?

Zach Groshell Education

A Course on How to Explain Better

I was recently invited to develop content for a course on explanations for InnerDrive's CPD Academy. There are some previews that are available to you now to give you a taste. The course content largely follows the flow of my book and my workshops on modeling and explicit instruction. Explain with Visuals https://youtu.be/OwsjiU5IQVs?si=EFHPPhrcZsxpSQ_J Explain with … Continue reading A Course on How to Explain Better

Zach Groshell differentiation, Education, Inquiry, motivation, Progressively Incorrect, relationships, Science of Learning, Student, Teachers

S4E14: Kim Lockhart on Supporting L2 Learners with the Science of Reading

Today I am excited to bring you an interview with Kim Lockhart. Kim's work focuses on the science of reading and its application in second language programs. She has been a vocal advocate on social media for moving away from balanced literacy and adopting evidence-based approaches to teaching reading. When I first encountered Kim, it … Continue reading S4E14: Kim Lockhart on Supporting L2 Learners with the Science of Reading

Zach Groshell Education

Diagnosing and Setting Coaching Action Steps

One of the trickiest parts of instructional coaching is diagnosis. It requires deep funds of knowledge by the coach around effective teaching and learning to select the next high leverage "step" for the teacher to work on. Some coaching approaches attempt to solve this problem by abdicating the responsibility of identifying the step to the … Continue reading Diagnosing and Setting Coaching Action Steps

Zach Groshell Classroom management, differentiation, Education, Instructional coaching, Interviews, Language, Learning, Math, motivation, Research, Science of Learning, Student, Teachers

Defining Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction

Something about the label, direct instruction, seems to conjure images of boring lectures. The change to using explicit instruction was probably, at least in part, an attempt to remedy this, just like how testing got changed to retrieval practice to avoid associations with standardized tests. Retrieval is still testing, and explicit instruction is still direct, … Continue reading Defining Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction

Zach Groshell Education, Inquiry, Instructional coaching, Language, Learning, Math, motivation, Papers and Podcasts, Progressively Incorrect, Research, Science of Learning, Teachers, technology

S4E13: Catherine Thevenot on Counting on Your Fingers

Should students be taught to count on their fingers? Today I am excited to bring you an interview with Catherine Thevenot. Catherine is a researcher at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Her work focuses on cognitive development, particularly in the area of numerical cognition and arithmetic skills in children. … Continue reading S4E13: Catherine Thevenot on Counting on Your Fingers

Zach Groshell Classroom management, differentiation, Education, Instructional coaching, Interviews, Language, Learning, Math, motivation, Research, Science of Learning, Student, Teachers

The Literacy View & Lucy Calkins

I was recently invited to speak on The Literacy View, where we had a laugh and discussed some of the policies that are being put in place to filter out nonsense in some of the worst reading programs, like three cueing. We also sipped to our concerns that the gurus of balanced literacy past may … Continue reading The Literacy View & Lucy Calkins

Zach Groshell Education

Knowledge-rich curriculum and direct instruction go hand in hand

I woke up today to a wonderful surprise. Daniel Buck of the Fordham Institute has written a favorable review of Just Tell Them, which has now gone out to the thousands of people who receive these e-mails in their inboxes. Something I never thought I'd see in my career was Buck's suggestion that my book … Continue reading Knowledge-rich curriculum and direct instruction go hand in hand

Zach Groshell Education, Inquiry, Instructional coaching, Language, Learning, motivation, Papers and Podcasts, Progressively Incorrect, Research, Science of Learning, Teachers, technology, Top Posts

S4E12: Jan Hasbrouck on Reading Fluency and Direct Instruction

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. My name is Dr. Zach Groshell, and today I am excited to bring you an interview with Jan Hasbrouck, the keynote speaker at NIFDI’s 2025 National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes. Dr. Hasbrouck is a renowned researcher and author with a distinguished career dedicated to improving literacy and educational outcomes. Dr. … Continue reading S4E12: Jan Hasbrouck on Reading Fluency and Direct Instruction

Zach Groshell Classroom management, differentiation, Education, Instructional coaching, Interviews, Language, Learning, Math, motivation, Research, Science of Learning, Student, Teachers

Just Tell Them, Don’t Play Guessing Games

Today I was interviewed by Robert Pondiscio, who has hosted talks by me before. It will be a while before that article is published, so in the meantime, I thought I would share two media appearances of my new book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching. 1. Just Tell Them: A … Continue reading Just Tell Them, Don’t Play Guessing Games