It's that you're a funny teacher. By the way, Englemann and his colleagues in Oregon are amused at the notion that they're political conservatives. Ziggy rides a motorcycle to work, and he's 64. Variety of strategies Just as DI advocates and progressive educators have two entirely different views of how children learn, they also hold contrary beliefs about the role of the teacher. Erikson works with schools to set up thematic units that integrate all curriculum areas, and provides teachers with a variety of strategies to try in their classrooms.
Whole language is essentially a grassroots movement.
Teachers innovate methods based on a common philosophy and spread them through workshops and professional literature. Since children's intelligences, styles, and developmental levels vary, teachers need to become skilled at accurately matching strategies with individual children. For DI developers, the bottom line is identifying specific procedures that lead to measurable results. Kids are coming in a year or two behind at 1st grade. Efficient teaching can catch kids up, he believes.