Upcoming webcast: It's Time to Learn: Maximizing Instructional Time to Support Learning

The SIGNALS community on SRADirectInstruction.com is pleased to announce an upcoming complimentary webcast on Monday, October 26 2009 at 12:00PM and 5:00PM Eastern time.

Title: It's Time to Learn: Maximizing Instructional Time to Support Learning (click to register)
Time and Date: Monday, October 26, 2009. 12PM and 5PM Eastern
Presented by: Ed Schaefer and Dr. Molly Blakely of Educational Resources, Inc.
Topics addressed include:
- How time is spent in typical schools vs. effective schools and classrooms.
- How Direct Instruction programs support the efficient use of each minute of classroom time.
- How classroom coaching helps maximize the time spent learning.

A brief Question and Answer session with the presenters will immediately follow this presentation.

This webcast will be recorded and archived on the Signals Webinars page on SRADirectInstruction.com.

For more information about this event please contact Ed Schaefer of Educational Resources, Inc.

To register for this event now, click here.

Free Direct Instruction Videos Attracting Growing Fanbase

In late 2007, free videos about the direct instruction intervention teaching method started appearing on the Web on social media sites such as YouTube and TeacherTube (an educator-friendly version of the popular YouTube platform). The videos range from specific examples of in-class direct instruction reading intervention teaching to user testimonials about using the time-tested teaching method to award ceremonies from SRA/McGraw-Hill - the primary publisher of direct instruction intervention programs for early literacy and spoken English skills development.

Online videos of the direct instruction teaching method have already received over 70,000 views from fans in the U.S. and around the world, and the DirectInstructionFan channel on YouTube has been viewed over 1,500 times. The social networking aspect of these videos is also helping educators to learn about effective intervention and special education teaching programs such as SRA Reading Mastery and Read to Achieve. Instead of simply watching videos and moving on, viewers of direct instruction online videos are contributing comments, advice to other intervention teachers, and opinions about this explicit teaching method:

"This is my sixth year teaching in a Direct Instruction school. In my 21 years as a teacher, this is the best form of instruction my children have received. The students enjoy direct instruction because they feel successful. They are constantly reminded how well they are doing. "

- Teacher comment posted on YouTube video: The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction Reading Intervention