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News from NIFDI

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NIFDI will hold the 49th National Direct Instruction Conference Institutes at the Graduate Hotel in Eugene, Oregon, July 24-28, 2023. The conference includes training on all of the main DI programs.

We are excited to host John Wills Lloyd, Ph.D., as our opening keynote speaker on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. John was a faculty member at the School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia. He received his Ph.D. in Special Education in 1976 from the University of Oregon. While at the U of O, he studied under Barbara Bateman and spent a lot of time with Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann, creator of DI. John credits them, among others, for giving him the foundation that understanding the needs of all learners, especially those with special needs, is critical for educators. He co-edits the journal Exceptional Children, the flagship publication of The Council for Exceptional Children. He is an excellent speaker and prolific writer. He publishes a newsletter, Special Education Today, which we encourage you to check out.  

In response to participant feedback, the Administrator Leadership Institute has been expanded to 5 full days. We also have brought back the popular pre-conference sessions, including a presentation by Anita Archer based on her book, Explicit Instruction. New sessions include training on Direct Instruction Spoken English, DI and the Science of Reading, Sensible Sequences, and many more!

Click here to view highlights of the conference and what past attendees say about their experience at past conferences.

Mark your calendar now and plan on spending a productive and enjoyable week with our team of expert trainers. To view the schedule, lodging, and cost information, click hereClick here to download the full brochure.

In-class coaching helps teachers to become master Direct Instruction (DI) teachers. It is intended to improve teachers’ mastery of DI techniques at the same time that it builds teachers’ confidence in their abilities to effect positive changes in student performance. Coaching involves observing teachers instructing groups, providing specific feedback on what was observed, demonstrating parts of lessons, and modeling entire lessons.

NIFDI is now making our coaching expertise available to schools that are not implementing the full NIFDI Model. The focus is on student performance and student behavior. Coaching visits are designed to provide useful feedback to teachers and the building coordinator about what’s working well for students and what needs improvement. NIFDI coaches reinforce what’s working well and ask staff to change only those teaching behaviors that make a difference with children. The orientation of the coaching visits is that learning problems should be solved jointly between the coach and the school.

If you are interested in finding out about how a NIFDI coach can help improve your DI outcomes, send an email to info@nifdi.org! or read a description here.

NIFDI has a long history of providing the Gold Standard for training in Direct Instruction programs. Our trainers have trained tens of thousands of educators throughout the world to successfully implement DI. For the first time, we are offering in-person open-enrollment training in the United Kingdom!

Plan on attending the UK Direct Instruction Teaching Academy July 6 & 7, 2023, at Heath Lane Academy, Earl Shilton, Leicester. We will be offering training in Corrective Mathematics and Corrective Reading, Decoding. Participants can choose to attend one of these two-day trainings.

 

Space is limited to 25 attendees in each session, so sign up early! For complete details, click here.

An important feature of successful Direct Instruction implementations is to celebrate success—success of students, teachers and entire schools. This year, at the National Direct Instruction conference, we will be recognizing individuals and schools that have made a significant difference in the educational performance of children through the following awards:

  • Siegfried Engelmann Excellence in Education Award – This award is named after Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann, co-creator of Direct Instruction, senior author of the DI programs, and founder of NIFDI. The recipient of this award can be anyone – a teacher, paraprofessional, administrator, college professor, etc. – who has provided a significant contribution to the field of education and/or student achievement.
  • Wes Becker Excellent School Award – This award is named after Wesley Becker, co-creator of Direct Instruction and longtime Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Oregon. This award is given to a school for exemplary implementation of Direct Instruction.
  • The Wayne Carnine Student Improvement Award – This award is named after the father of Doug Carnine, DI co-author and longtime Professor of Education at the University of Oregon. It is given to a student who has demonstrated remarkable academic success with DI. Teachers submit nominations. The winner, selected by Doug and Linda Carnine, will be presented with a plaque and $200. Click here to view last year's presentation of the award by the Carnines. The actual presentation starts at 2:15.

Please take the opportunity to honor a member of the DI “family.” The nomination process is not cumbersome, and it means so much to the individuals and our profession. Please identify and nominate a colleague and/or school that has made a difference. Nomination applications are short (1-2 pages) and are available on our website. Nominations are due in our office by June 3rd, so download the application packet today!

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