Pioneered by Professor Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s, Direct Instruction (DI) is a method of instruction that is explicit, intensive, and teacher-directed. DI is based on a careful analysis of different content areas to determine the sequence of skills and concepts needed to master a wide variety of academic subjects. The DI approach teaches individuals increasingly complex skills and strategies by using certain principles. First, all concepts are broken into sub skills; small component skills that are taught one-by-one. Second, each skill is taught systematically and practiced until it has been mastered. Individuals learn to generalize and apply strategies that have been taught. This full-day workshop is designed to provide an overview of the DI approach and help to prepare participants to teach reading using DI.

Objectives:

• Define DI.
• List the goals of DI.
• Provide examples of the teaching strategies utilized in DI.
• Practice placing, accelerating, scheduling, grouping, and presenting lessons to students.
• Practice presentation techniques for word attack, story reading, independent work, and comprehension activities.