To make matters worse, these methods owe a lot to the late B. F. Skinner, the Harvard behaviorist some recklessly called a fascist. That's unfortunate and unfair, because Skinner demanded a scientific approach to classroom instruction, which is lacking from almost every hot reform idea du jour. Direct Instruction stresses basic skills, breaking them down into mini-components. Children learn to read, for example, by learning the sounds of the letters before the letter names. They master each skill before moving onto the next one.
Teachers track each student's progress on daily charts.
They also track behavior, encouraging good conduct with praise, while ignoring bad behavior for the most part. In short, if you can't measure it, you probably shouldn't teach it. This kind of micro-management is almost unheard of in most classrooms. But Direct Instruction's most controversial feature is a script from which teachers conduct lessons. The pupils respond in unison.