I’m working on a post about Zig Engelmann, lead author of the Direct Instruction programs.

I think he’s pretty misunderstood.

Direct Instruction is often associated with a certain type instruction. I think it’s better to describe DI as an approach to designing curriculum.

Engelmann’s first goal was to analyze the content we want students to learn, design instruction based on the analysis of the content, and then test the instruction to see if students learn. If they don’t learn, try again.

The message here isn’t “teach the Direct Instruction way, it’s the best way.” It’s not about generic teaching strategies. Direct Instruction is a system for designing curriculum, not a system for teaching.