Engelmann's Direct Instruction: Selected Writings from the Past Half Century

Since the mid-1960s, Siegfried Engelmann has shown how all children can learn if they receive appropriate and effective instruction. The Direct Instruction (DI) programs he developed have transformed the lives of countless students. However, in addition to developing these highly effective programs, Engelmann has written extensively about learning and education, providing extraordinary insight into the theoretical and philosophical basis of DI as well as the world of education as a whole.This book brings together, for the first time, a selection of these articles, illustrating the wide variety of topics Engelmann has explored over the last half century and his unique insights into problems within the world of education. Four key themes of Engelmann’s work are highlighted:1. His theoretical understandings of learning and instruction,2. The development of the highly effective Direct Instruction curricular material,3. The need for political reform and change in the organization and orientation of education,4. Responses to critics and political roadblocks to the development of effective instruction.Appendices provide a complete list of Engelmann’s writings and programs, and an analysis of the development of themes within his work.Timothy W. Wood is a researcher for the National Institute for Direct Instruction. He received his B. A. in History from Lewis & Clark College with a focus on twentieth century U.S. history. He is also a graduate of Northwestern University’s Museum Studies program.For a related volume, see The Science and Success of Engelmann’s Direct Instruction, edited by Jean Stockard (NIFDI Press, 2014). It honors Engelmann’s long career in education with insightful and detailed essays regarding the scientific basis of his developments and the legacy of his work.