This Institute is designed for participants interested in integrating Direct Instruction (DI) and findings from the science of learning into the teacher preparation programs at their colleges and universities. Based on our collective experience, we have identified several compelling reasons to introduce teacher candidates to Direct Instruction:
At the conclusion of this Institute, participants will be prepared to examine their existing teacher preparation programs and integrate coursework and fieldwork focused on Direct Instruction within the framework of the science of learning.
The Institute will address the following:
Meet the Presenters
Marcy Stein, Professor Emeritus
School of Education, University of Washington Tacoma
Dr. Marcy Stein is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington Tacoma, where she was one of the founding faculty members of the School of Education. She has published extensively in the areas of teacher preparation, reading and mathematics instruction, curriculum analysis, and textbook adoption. She is the lead author of Direct Instruction Mathematics. Marcy has incorporated DI methodology into both reading and mathematics methods courses and practica for teacher certification students throughout her career.
mstein@uw.edu
Diane Kinder, Professor Emeritus
School of Education, University of Washington Tacoma
Dr. Diane Kinder is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington Tacoma. Her career has focused on teaching and preparing teachers. She has taught general education and special education at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels in addition to teaching for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. She started the first Direct Instruction School in Portland, Oregon. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, she was the undergraduate coordinator of special education at Northern Illinois University. At the University of Washington Tacoma, she and Dr. Stein developed the dual-track special-elementary education certification program and received an OSEP 325T grant to revise and enhance their program and develop partnerships with local schools using Direct Instruction.
dkinder@uw.edu
Return to the National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes page.
John Wills Lloyd presents the opening keynote for the 2023 DI Conference in Eugene.
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.
Bill Sower presents the opening keynote for the 2020 virtual 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.
Siegfried Engelmann and Anita Archer give the opening keynotes at the 2018 DI Conference in Eugene.
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.
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.
