In this monograph Engelmann outlines his approach to teaching concepts to children and explains the reasoning behind it. He describes the principles behind the process of conceptual learning, showing how a teacher demonstrates the characteristics of a concept by presenting both instances and non-instances, and developing an appropriate test/task the student must perform to demonstrate an understanding of the concept. Engelmann also discusses the issues of programming efficient and appropriate routines and tasks in order to not only teach students a concept, but also how the concept is a sub-concept within a larger concept. He determined that a child must learn three things when being taught a specific task: the concept being taught, the rules for responding to the concept, and the rule that responding is worthwhile. Engelmann asserts that with adequate teaching, there should be virtually no instructional failures.
In Memory of
Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann
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Tuesday, April 07, 2026
