Episode 5 of The Direct Instruction Podcast has been released. This episode answers the question, “How Has DI Impacted Reading Proficiency in Indigenous Communities?” Zach Groshell interviewed Casey Sovo, a member of the Comanche Nation and a 20-year educator. He is currently an administrator for the Bureau of Indian Education. Casey will be the keynote speaker at the 50^th National Direct Instruction Conference.

Congratulations to NIFDI President Kurt Engelmann on publishing his book, Direct Instruction–A Practitioner’s Handbook. This extensive text is divided into three sections. The first section, What is Direct Instruction?, gives an overview of DI with an excellent discussion of the differences and similarities between upper-case DI, lower-case di, and explicit instruction. Section 2, How to Implement Direct Instruction, presents the reader with a step-by-step guide on the details that go into a successful implementation. The final section addresses pitfalls to avoid when implementing DI.

In his review, Educational Psychologist Nazam Hussain states, “This is an accessible book for anyone who is interested in finding out about the theory, implementation, and day-to-day monitoring of DI programs. Myths about DI are addressed throughout the book, and specific discrete issues are explored in various standalone ‘topic brief’ sections. I recommend this book to those who like and know little about DI as well as to those who have never heard of or initially struggle with DI.”

The fourth episode of the podcast series sponsored by NIFDI has been released. Hosted by educator and parent Dr. Zach Groshell, the series features interviews with trainers, authors, researchers, and others, each giving their insights on various aspects of DI. The fourth episode is titled “What is Direct Instruction Mathematics?” The guests are Marcy Stein and Bernadette Kelly. Marcy is co-author of the textbook Direct Instruction Mathematics. Bernie is a co-author of Connecting Math Concepts and Essentials for Algebra. Click here to listen to this informative podcast.

The third episode of the podcast series sponsored by NIFDI has been released. Hosted by educator and parent Dr. Zach Groshell, the series features interviews with trainers, authors, researchers, and others, each giving their insights on various aspects of DI. The third episode is titled “How Effective is Direct Instruction?” The guest is Dr. Jean Stockard. Dr. Stockard is a co-author of "All Students Can Succeed," a meta-analysis of 328 studies on Direct Instruction. The podcast runs just over an hour. Click here to listen to this informative piece.