Ode to Zig (and the Bard): In Support of an Incomplete Logical-Empirical Model of Direct Instruction.

Abstract

In this article, I offer my perspective on several elements of Engelmann's Direct Instruction. I hypothesize Engelmann's thinking about the schooling environment that arguably provoked his theoretical, philosophical, and conceptual insights into the design of Direct Instruction. I also examine the research on Direct Instruction as a national educational model, but only as an extension of Engelmann's commitment to falsifying his own thinking. In addition, I survey the research on the design of instruction to highlight how greatly different disciplines can find common ground around "faultless communications." Along the way, I offer examples and descriptive analyses of selected design of instruction elements of Direct Instruction. Finally, I conclude with a brief ode to Engelmann.