Next Gen Schools #4 - Zach Groshell - Is Direct Instruction the Future of Learning?

Is Direct Instruction a Dirty Word? Explicit Teaching, Cognitive Load, and the "Third Way" with Zach Groshell

Should the teacher lead, or should kids discover? Zach Groshell, former classroom teacher, math interventionist, instructional coach, and author of Just Tell Them, argues there's a third way: let the science of learning drive the decisions. Teach new material explicitly, then gradually hand over the reins until students can do it on their own. We talk about what that looks like in real classrooms.

We cover why so much of what passes for engagement overloads working memory, how school-wide systems make classroom management possible, and what explicit instruction means for homework, grouping, ed tech, projects, and early math.

In this episode:

What explicit instruction is, and why Zach calls it "rocket fuel for learning"

The myth of the "boring," teacher-led lesson, and the third way between lecture and discovery

Gradual release in practice: modeling, mini whiteboards, and pulling small groups

Why classroom management starts with school-wide systems, plus Doug Lemov's "What to Do" cycle

Compliance vs. engagement: "Everybody is on page 138" How to lead from the classroom when you don't have top-down support

Cognitive load: working memory as a bottleneck, and why some projects teach less than they look like they do

Cramming, forgetting, and formative assessment as information the teacher actually uses

Homework as practice, and as a safety net for parents

Intervention, walk-to-math, mixed-ability classrooms, and gifted kids as "unpaid tutors"

Ed tech that designs around the science of learning (Khan Academy, 2 Hour Learning)

Making application tasks worth the time, and why every teacher designing their own curriculum creates "hot and shiny garbage"

Early math: should kids start with blocks or with numbers?

Where schools are headed: micro-schools, school choice, and AI tutoring