Tom Needham - Can we use Direct Instruction in secondary English? - London
In this episode I am talking to Tom Needham. Tom is an assistant headteacher in London, former Head of English and author of two fantastic books. His first, Explicit English Teaching, looks at how to take the findings of cognitive science and apply it to the secondary English classroom. And his second, Direct Instruction in Action, was my major motivation for getting in touch with him, as it breaks down the legendary work of Siegfried Engelmann and how highly technical curriculum frameworks can create foolproof learning for all students.
We discuss
The distinctions between explicit instruction, direct instruction and Direct Instruction
Tom’s experience working with off-the-shelf DI curricula
The possibilities for Direct Instruction in secondary English
And finally, what all this means for holistic curriculum design
Thanks again to Tom for speaking with me for the podcast but also writing two incredible books in the context of English teaching. These will no doubt garner more and more deserved attention in the coming years as the theory of Direct instruction gains greater attention in wider education circles.
If you’d like to be kept up to date on when chat like this happens, feel free to subscribe to the podcast and follow me on LinkedIn @chrisjordanhk or X @chrisjordanhk
Additionally, if you would like a head start on learning how to prioritise your middle years English curriculum, head to the bottom of this podcast’s show notes or top of my stream on X to find a beta copy of my forthcoming book: Reinforcing Middle School English You can read as much as you want and even highlight elements that you like, dislike or find confusing to help make it better.
Links:
Beta version of Reinforcing Middle School English
Tom’s book on Explicit English Teaching and Direct Instruction in Action
