“Our principals have all agreed that NIFDI support is the single most changing professional development experience they have experienced in their careers.”
Those we touch and those who touched us – that’s the real web of life. Zig’s web is huge – likely touches around the world.
In 1969, I had been teaching for four years. I’d tried every reading series in the basement bookroom – carried them up the steps to my third floor classroom where I worked with 36 students. I genuinely believed every kid could learn – and if I could just find the magic key, then . . .
In May, I got a call from a former college roommate. ‘There’s this guy at my school who talks like you do. He says all kids can learn. But he’s got a program. You should come hear him.’ The next day, Thursday, I went after school. The auditorium was filled with teachers not so quietly chatting and moving about, as old friends, who hadn’t seen each other recently, visited. On the stage was a big guy sitting with little people sitting in front of him. I went all the way up to the front so I could hear. The kids appeared to be about 4 years old – likely in an early admissions class. It was clear the guy had to teach – and the kids were learning. He got them to sit big and count to 10, correctly identify when something was ‘on’ or ‘under’ and make a statement using the word ‘is’ (which took some work) in about 20 minutes. I was impressed and wanted to know more.
The early admissions teacher said, ‘This guy came into my room and asked for the lowest kids. I was sure he really wanted the highest, but he insisted on the lowest. I had never seen any of them sit in a chair for more than a minute at a time. Never heard the word is used in a sentence. Those were kids that I’d expect to be sent to trainable school.’ Yet, those kids were the ones I saw on stage, with a man they did not know, sitting big in front of a noisy group, learning new skills. The ‘guy’ was Zig Engelmann and he’d be there the next day.
That night, I called my friend, Karen Davis, and Friday morning, we both called in sick. We followed Zig all day as he went into classrooms, observed teachers, demonstrated with kids, and discussed the what, why and how. I felt I’d learned more in that day than I had in college and my four years of trying to teach. Both Karen and Gary and I went to listen to Zig speak about his program Saturday. Gary was also impressed. At the end of the year, they moved to study with Zig. I transferred to a new school.
I had the class of 6 year olds who had no previous school experience. Initially, I used the program the new principal had selected, but it wasn’t hitting the mark. I decided to try Zig’s reading program, arranged to ‘borrow’ some materials from a school using, what was then called, DISTAR, and began. Since some schools in Baltimore and DC were using Zig’s programs, consultants were periodically in the area. I’d get a call from Karen, take a sick day, and get some training. By the end of the year, ALL my students could read!
Finally, every kid I taught learned. Once it was said I ‘could teach a door knob to read.’ The truth was, I had an effective instructional tool that I was trained to use. And reading was just the beginning – more and more programs were written.
Now look at the length and width of that web. From Zig – thru me – thru hundreds of kids I taught – thru hundreds of teachers I trained – thru hundreds of kids they taught. But that’s not all. I’m just one. Zig touched thousands who touched thousands who touched . . . Each of us has a Zig story. He connects us all. ALL kids CAN learn. THANK YOU ZIG!! Now please – those who understand the power of being in Zig’s web – please press on and pass this knowledge. It must not end when any one of us walks out the door.
Siegfried Engelmann 1931-2019
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.
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.
