Resources
Books
Clear Teaching: With Direct Instruction, Siegfried Engelmann Discovered a Better Way of Teaching by Shepard Barbash
Available to download for free in its entirety, this highly readable book provides an introduction to Direct Instruction (DI). The book looks at the development of DI through the early experiences of its creator, Zig Engelmann; explains the principles that underpin this approach; and looks at DI's reception in the world of teaching, where it has been effectively shunned despite a formidable research base and example after example of transformative success.
Videos
Kindergarteners Showing Off Their Math Skills
In this classic, must-see video from 1966, Zig Engelmann utilizes an early version of Direct Instruction to teach mathematics to at-risk preschool children. The students, who had not yet entered first grade, demonstrate their ability to solve algebraic problems and advanced math operations.
Interview with Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann [Seven Parts]
Filmmaker Jon Palferman speaks with Zig Engelmann in this in-depth, thought-provoking interview.
[Part One of Seven]
[Part Two of Seven]
[Part Three of Seven]
[Part Four of Seven]
[Part Five of Seven]
[Part Six of Seven]
[Part Seven of Seven]
The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction Reading Intervention
A teacher who had been trained in the whole language method discusses the effectiveness of Direct Instruction as a reading intervention program.
Conversation with Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann
Zig Engelmann recounts episodes in his 45-year career in education with his long time friend and colleague, Geoff Colvin.
Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann Discusses Direct Instruction
Zig Engelmann discusses the positive effects of the Direct Instruction teaching methodology.
Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann: A Biography [Two Parts]
This two-part film captures Zig Engelmann's life's work in changing the lives of students all over the world with Direct Instruction, a teaching method which he originally created, and which he has been developing and refining for over 40 years.
[Part One of Two]
[Part Two of Two]
Articles & Documents
Children of the Code – Interview with Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann
A compelling, in-depth interview with Zig Engelmann focused on the topic of reading, in which he discusses his philosophy of learning, how he designed the Corrective Reading program, and his controversial views on Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities.
Direct Instruction is Developmentally Appropriate
The features of Direct Instruction – including carefully planned instruction, addressing all learning styles, developing higher-order thinking, and teaching within the child's zone of proximal development – are consistent in virtually every way with what we know of developmental appropriateness.
Avoiding the Devastating Downward Spiral: The Evidence That Early Intervention Prevents Reading Failure
The evidence is in: children who are poor readers at the end of first grade almost never acquire average level reading skills by the end of elementary school. Their early and modest reading weakness impedes enjoyment and deters practice. Soon, their small reading problems spiral into devastating ones. If we intervene early (preferably in kindergarten and first grade), intensively, and appropriately, we can provide these children with the early reading skills that can prevent them from ever entering the nasty downward spiral just described.
Putting Students on the Path to Learning: The Case for Fully Guided Instruction
This article explains why teaching that only partially guides students, and expects them to discover information on their own, is not effective or efficient. Decades of research clearly demonstrates that when teaching new information or skills, step-by-step instruction with full explanations works best.
Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know
Ten research-based principles of instruction are presented in this article, along with suggestions for classroom practice. These principles come from research in cognitive science and on master teachers.
Fluency: Achieving True Mastery in the Learning Process
Fluency, defined as speed plus accuracy, is discussed in this article, including how it can be measured, how building fluency results in achievement gains, and how we can help students achieve fluency.
Teaching Needy Kids in Our Backward System by Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann [Multiple Parts]
The largest and most definitive educational experiment ever conducted, Project Follow Through compared nine different teaching methods in real life educational situations over a ten-year period from 1967 to 1977. The study found Direct Instruction to be the only method that excelled in every category measured. Contrary to the study’s name, no follow through was ever done: outcomes were never disseminated, they were never made public, and, most importantly, they were never used to influence educational decision making. In Chapter 5, Zig Engelmann recounts his frustrations with Project Follow Through and explains how an investment of ten years and half a billion dollars was squandered in the name of politics and protectionism.
Chapter 5 – Follow Through Evaluation
Foreword
For Readers Not Familiar with Project Follow Through
Prologue to Follow Through Evaluation
Want to Improve Children’s Writing? Don’t Neglect Their Handwriting
When young students struggle with handwriting, the attention they must pay to forming letters interferes with the quality of their writing: they are unable to focus on generating and organizing ideas. The handwriting instruction described here can improve the quantity and quality of students' writing.
Research
Direct Instruction: What the Research Says
A list of the primary studies and meta-analyses regarding Direct Instruction, including a discussion of controversial findings.
A Bibliography of the Direct Instruction Curriculum and Studies Examining Its Efficacy
An exhaustive listing of Direct Instruction programs, a directory of efficacy studies (randomized and quasi-experimental design), and a compendium of publications and writing on Direct Instruction.
Teaching Basic Math Skills to Preschoolers Using Connecting Math Concepts Level K
This study investigated the effects of teaching basic math skills to typically developing and developmentally delayed preschool children using Connecting Math Concepts, a Direct Instruction program. Students in both groups showed significant gains in perceptual discrimination, memory, reasoning and academic skills, conceptual development, and cognitive domain.
Academic Kindergarten and Later Academic Success: The Impact of Direct Instruction
Results from this study indicate that students who received the Direct Instruction program Reading Mastery in kindergarten had significantly higher achievement in early elementary school than those who did not. These results replicate those found in other studies, providing consistent evidence of the effectiveness of Direct Instruction kindergarten instruction in promoting later academic achievement.
Direct Instruction and the Teaching of Early Reading
Teachers and principals report that their use of Direct Instruction has produced excellent results — for regular-education students as well as special education students — in children's decoding skills, reading comprehension, and attitude toward reading. They also report other positive effects including improvements in children's classroom behaviour and in their capacity to focus and sustain effort on academic tasks.
Direct Instruction Research Database – National Institute for Direct Instruction
A searchable database of research studies on the effectiveness of Direct Instruction spanning over 40 years, conducted with a wide variety of populations, in different settings, and within numerous subject areas.
Websites
zigsite.com
Articles, commentary and other writings by Professor Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann, creator of Direct Instruction.
National Institute for Direct Instruction
A non-profit organization, providing information and resources for administrators, teachers, and parents to help them maximize student achievement through Direct Instruction.
Society for Quality Education
A Canadian organization for parents, educators, and citizens advocating for effective schooling.
Children of the Code
An ambitious social education project, this website contains a wealth of resources investigating everything to do with reading, including how people learn to read, why so many children and adolescents struggle to learn to read, and what can be done to ensure widespread literacy for all. Over 100 Interviews with field leading scientists and scholars are featured.