What is Direct Instruction?

Direct Instruction is a highly structured curriculum developed in the 1960s by Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann. Numerous studies show the program is extremely effective, but fewer than 200 schools in the U.S. use it with all their students. If you walk into one of those schools, you’ll spot five key techniques teachers use with their students:

1. Choral response — Kids respond to the teacher in unison.
2. Individual turns — The teacher calls on students at random.
3. Correcting mistakes — This ensures kids don’t develop bad habits.
4. Repetition — Students are constantly practicing what they’ve learned.
5. Scripts — Each lesson is written out for the teacher.

Sold a Story host Emily Hanford breaks down this controversial but effective method of teaching.