“Our principals have all agreed that NIFDI support is the single most changing professional development experience they have experienced in their careers.”
Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann passed away on February 15, 2019. Much of his life was dedicated to improving the future of all children, and by extension, society. This page is designed to be an ongoing tribute to Zig. It includes testimonies gathered after his death, links to videos of his work, and other links to information about Zig. It will be updated periodically. If you come across items you think should be added to this page, please forward them to info@nifdi.org
Obituary for Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann
November 26, 1931 – February 15, 2019
Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann died peacefully at his home in Eugene on February 15 of heart failure with his life partner of 35 years, Lou Bradley, by his side.
Zig was born on November 26, 1931 in south Chicago, the second of three sons of Victor and Rose Engelmann. He was raised in his house with his grandfather, George Engelmann, a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1865. Zig graduated from Fenger High School in 1949. He attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and met his future wife. He married Therese Piorkowski in 1953 and divorced in 1984. They had four children, moving to Oregon in 1970.
A pioneering scientist and educator for more than 50 years, Zig invented Direct Instruction (DI), an efficient and effective way to teach any skill. The first DI programs Zig developed focused on teaching foundational skills in reading, writing and math. As a professor of education at the University of Oregon and founder of the National Institute for Direct Instruction, he attracted graduate students from around the world. He eventually wrote more than 100 programs covering the core academic subjects from preschool to high school along with a variety of other important subjects. Millions of at-risk children learned when taught by teachers trained in DI, often when nothing else worked. He never gave up on a child or blamed children for the failings of the instruction they received. He lived by his motto: “If the student hasn’t learned, the teacher hasn’t taught.”
Soon after Zig arrived in Oregon, he purchased 120 acres of logged property, which started his non-professional mission as a steward of the land. On most weekends, during the growing seasons, he and his sons (and later, he and his life partner) cleared trails and pruned trees. During trees’ dormant months, they planted trees – lots of trees of many different varieties. If Zig wasn’t working or riding one of his many motorcycles, he was on the land caring for trees and enjoying nature. Today, thousands of trees flourish in forests around Lane County because of Zig’s stewardship.
He is survived by his brothers, Manfred and Gerhardt (Mary Ann), children Eric (Annette), Kurt (Dianna), Owen (Charlene) and Joyce, 13 grandchildren, four great grandchildren, his life partner Lou and her son, Devin.
There will be a memorial to celebrate Zig’s life at 1pm on April 13 at Venue 252, 252 Lawrence St., Eugene, Oregon, with a reception to follow.
Intended Audience: Lead, Mentor, or Master Teachers and Consultants who serve as a staff development resource Experience Level: Experienced
Whether you’re an instructional coach, peer coach, or another administrator responsible for improving student performance, one of the most critical roles in a successful Direct Instruction implementation is the Coach. With good, careful coaching, teachers will become more skilled and proficient in teaching the DI programs, and students will excel with improved instruction.
In an implementation that does not incorporate high-quality coaching, some teachers will become stars, but others may demonstrate little to no improvement, keeping the implementation as a whole from achieving a high level of success. With effective coaching, staff development, and strong leadership, teachers using Direct Instruction will improve dramatically, and students will progress farther and faster than they ever have before.
This Institute will equip building and district-level instructional coaches, peer coaches, lead teachers and mentor teachers with critical coaching and support skills.
Participants will learn how to:
Gain meaningful information from lesson progress and in-program mastery data.
Model how to improve written records.
Conduct supportive classroom observations and demonstrations aimed at increasing student success.
Provide effective oral and written feedback to instructors to directly impact student performance.
Design and deliver effective, ongoing professional development sessions.
Facilitating rehearsal sessions. - Determine the appropriate intervention based on data and observation.
Facilitating Data Analysis Team meetings to find and solve student performance problems in a timely manner.
John Wills Lloyd presents the opening keynote for the 2023 DI Conference in Eugene.
48th National DI Conference
Dr. Anita Archer presents the opening keynote for the 2022 DI Conference in Eugene.
Closing remarks and the Direct Instruction Hall of Fame inductions at the 2022 DI Conference in Eugene.
46th National Virtual DI Conference
Bill Sower presents the opening keynote for the 2020 virtual DI Conference.
45th National DI Conference
Carolyn Schneider gives the opening keynote at the 2019 DI Conference in Eugene.
Kurt Engelmann gives the closing remarks at the 2019 Conference.
44th National DI Conference
Siegfried Engelmann and Anita Archer give the opening keynotes at the 2018 DI Conference in Eugene.
43rd National DI Conference
Siegfried Engelmann and Robert Pondiscio give the opening keynotes at the 2017 DI Conference in Eugene.
42nd National DI Conference
Siegfried Engelmann gives his opening keynote at the 2016 DI Conference in Eugene.
Tom Torkelson, IDEA Schools, gives his opening keynote at the 2016 DI Conference in Eugene.
Siegfried Engelmann gives the closing keynote at the 2016 DI Conference in Eugene.
41st National DI Conference
Siegfried Engelmann and Dr. Keith Hollenbeck give the opening keynotes at the 2015 DI Conference in Eugene.
40th National DI Conference
Siegfried Engelmann and Laura Doherty give the opening keynotes at the 2014 DI Conference in Eugene.
Siegfried Engelmann gives the closing keynote at the 2014 DI Conference in Eugene.
Video In-Services
The support materials below are available to the general public. However, access to the videos is restricted to NIFDI partners unless purchased through the NIFDI Store. NIFDI partners should contact their NIFDI implementation manager for the current password or email training@nifdi.org. Once you have the password, click on one of the green titles below. Then use one of the options listed below to access a video.
These video in-services are designed to support school leaders in charge of managing Direct Instruction (DI) implementations. Through the guidance of the videos, participants will view demonstrations and receive information by expert DI trainers. Participants will also practice the skills being taught and receive feedback from the on-site facilitator, who will follow a facilitator’s guide. In addition, these video in-services will provide a model for district and building-level coaches, APIs (assistant principals of instruction) and building coordinators on how to sequence examples and focus on critical issues when training, as well as demonstrate the type of activities to include that promote mastery of the targeted skills.
Option one is to download the video to a computer for off-line viewing. After you type in the password, click on the download button on the lower right of the screen and select HD720P. Allow up to five minutes for the video to completely download to the computer. This option is recommended for all users to ensure that the videos can be viewed without interruption due to a slow Internet connection.
Option two is to view the video directly from the web via online streaming. Simply click the link and then type in the password. This option is only recommended for schools with very reliable and quick Internet connections.
Be advised that NIFDI will change the password every August.
If you are not currently a NIFDI partner, but are interested in exploring how NIFDI can help your school, contact info@nifdi.org.
When delivering instruction, the pausing and punching of key words to convey new skills and content is an integral component of effective instruction. Emphasizing a critical phrase or word helps students focus on the pivotal part of the presentation. This video in-service incorporates a series of activities that provide systematic practice on using the pause and punch strategy when teaching a variety of DI lessons.
All students make errors. The errors students make provide important information about what they know and what they have yet to master. How an instructor responds to an error is critical. In fact, the major difference between the instructor who teaches most of her students and the instructor who successfully teaches all of her students is the ability to correct each and every error as it occurs. Thus, correcting all errors is an important part of teaching to mastery. This video in-service provides practice with effectively applying the full, seven-step error correction procedure to discrimination errors.
An important aspect of correcting errors is to identify “the part” of the exercise that a task belongs to. If a teacher can identify “the part” quickly, she can make a seamless error correction. If a teacher has difficulty identifying “the part”, the error correction can confuse students and lead to a loss of student’s attention. Dissecting an exercise in a DI lesson to locate the parts can sometimes feel like a daunting task. This video in-service provides information and practice on how to identify the parts.
The purpose of a signal is to prompt students to answer simultaneously as a group. These choral responses actively engage all students which increases efficiency and allows many more opportunities for the instructor to assess mastery. Choral responses also reduce the likelihood of behavior problems.
A signal violation (i.e., behavioral error) occurs when students answer before or after the signal, do not answer at all or answer in a loud and/or draggy manner. If an instructor accepts these types of responses, the instructor will have to resort to giving many individual turns to assess the mastery levels of each student in the group. Thus, correcting all types of errors is an essential part of teaching to mastery. This video in-service provides practice in identifying and then correcting signal violations.
Run Time: 47:08
Total In-service Time: Approximately 115:00-130:00
When students are working independently in the classroom, it is important that they stay engaged with their work and are motivated to do their best. In many classrooms, an adult might not be available to devote his/her attention to independent workers. NIFDI’s Thermometer Chart is an independent work management system that does not require much attention from instructors, yet when implemented correctly, is very reinforcing to the students. The Thermometer Chart Video In-service provides comprehensive instruction on how to implement this positive behavior management system effectively.
When implemented fully, Direct Instruction (DI) is unparalleled in its ability to improve student performance and enhance students’ self-esteem. In order to implement DI effectively, much more is required than simply purchasing instructional materials. The following two-part tutorial guides administrators, teachers, and coaches through the key features of a successful DI implementation. Part I provides an overview of the steps schools need to take in preparation for a DI implementation before school starts, while Part II provides an overview of the steps schools need to take after school has started.
IMPORTANT: This tutorial is an intensive video series comprised of 18 segments, each followed by a series of questions. Users should allow approximately three hours to watch the videos and complete the questions. NIFDI recognizes the high demand for time placed on school officials and, for this reason, has structured the tutorial so users may stop at any time and later resume where they left off.
