Zach Groshell

S5E09: Marty Siegel on Direct Instruction Engineering and the Future of EdTech In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Marty Siegel, Professor Emeritus of Informatics and Instructional Systems Technology, and a pioneer whose career bridges early Direct Instr…

I’m joined by Marty Siegel, Professor Emeritus of Informatics and Instructional Systems Technology, and a pioneer whose career bridges Direct Instruction, large-scale computer-based learning, and the emerging world of AI-driven instruction.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/23/s...

S5E09: Marty Siegel on Direct Instruction Engineering and the Future of EdTech In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Marty Siegel, Professor Emeritus of Informatics and Instructional Systems Technology, and a pioneer whose career bridges early Direct Instr…

I wanted to talk to someone truly serious about EdTech - someone who knows principles of Direct Instruction Design inside and out, and has built learning systems with rugged efficiency.

There are very few people like this. Marty Siegel is one of them.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/23/s...

One-day Instructional Coaching Intensive - New York City, NY

www.tickettailor.com/events/stepl...

Why Direct Instruction Remains Relevant Today Direct Instruction—note the capital D and I—is the OG of explicit teaching. Back in the mid-1960s, folks at the University of Illinois and later at Oregon arrived at a simple but essential insight:…

Direct Instruction isn’t a relic, it’s the blueprint. The evidence converges: kids win when design + delivery align.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/17/w...

S5E08: Doug Lemov on “What to Do” and Active Observation Techniques In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m re-joined by Doug Lemov—author of Teach Like a Champion and The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, and one of the most influential figures in the history of …

Techniques to prevent fires:

Clear, observable, sequential directions
Non verbals
Praise and positive framing
Private corrections for small behaviors

These together form the “What to Do Cycle” - a tidy cluster of techniques that get ahead of behavior.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/10/s...

The Escape Room Problem With Collaborative Cognitive Load Theory Every so often, someone who knows I’m a fan of Cognitive Load Theory brings up its collaborative offshoot, Collaborative Cognitive Load Theory (see Open Access Article here), and wonders what I thi…

On the one hand, collaboration could be expected to reduce cognitive load, because it distributes thinking across different people.

On the other hand, collaboration comes with transactional costs, such as arguing and social loafing.

Check out the blog ⬇️

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/12/t...

Science of Learning Jargon And Element Interactivity A possible barrier to the science of learning movement is that there are potentially a lot of research terms and definitions that need to be learned in order to communicate clearly with one another…

New blog!

The Science of learning gives names to phenomena teachers already observe every day. The more unnecessary jargon we strip out, the more cognitive bandwidth teachers have to focus on what actually moves the needle.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/16/s...

Should we try to get kids discover it for themselves or just tell them?

What does the evidence say about modeling and demonstration?

This is the number one book in Educational PD and Administration.

Hope you enjoy reading 📖

a.co/d/bgKY1W9

S5E08: Doug Lemov on “What to Do” and Active Observation Techniques In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m re-joined by Doug Lemov—author of Teach Like a Champion and The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, and one of the most influential figures in the history of …

Doug Lemov talks about my two favorite Teach Like a Champion heavy-hitters: The What to Do Cycle and Active Observation.

You'll love it!

Any educators rocking TLAC, please help me spread it around!

educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/10/s...

S5E07: Denarius Frazier on Belonging, Rigor, and Scaling Effective Teaching In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Denarius Frazier—Regional Superintendent of Instruction at Uncommon Schools, co-author of Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, P…

One of the best things I’ve been a part of or produced:

educationrickshaw.com/2025/10/25/s...

Guide: Fånga eleverna med strukturerad undervisning Läraren och undervisningscoachen Zach Groshells undervisningsråd: ”Berätta bara för eleverna vad de ska kunna”.

You’ll need to press translate to read this - but a fun interview about my book’s impact in Sweden

www.vilarare.se/nyheter/guid...

S5E07: Denarius Frazier on Belonging, Rigor, and and Scaling Effective Teaching In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Denarius Frazier—Managing Director of Academics at Uncommon Schools, co-author of Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, Purpose, …

Denarius Frazier - perhaps the best teacher ever caught on camera - has a lot to say about how to build classrooms that run like clockwork.

This is a fantastic episode that explores the impact and scalability of masterful teaching.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/10/25/s...

S5E05: Anna Stokke on Where Math Education Went Wrong—and How to Fix It In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Anna Stokke—mathematician, professor, and host of the Chalk & Talk podcast. Anna has become one of the most influential voices calling …

In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Anna Stokke—mathematician, professor, and host of the Chalk & Talk podcast. Anna has become one of the most influential voices calling for a return to clarity, structure, and evidence in math instruction.
educationrickshaw.com/2025/10/09/s...

S5E05: Anna Stokke on Where Math Education Went Wrong—and How to Fix It In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Anna Stokke—mathematician, professor, and host of the Chalk & Talk podcast. Anna has become one of the most influential voices calling …

I am a huge fan of @mrzachg.bsky.social so I was thrilled to be a guest on his podcast! He asks really good questions too! (Tough questions, but good questions.) Thank you Zach!
educationrickshaw.com/2025/10/09/s...

Take an Edu-Trip to New York City When I first started teaching, the best professional development I received came from two people: the math coach at my school and my assigned mentor teacher. It wasn’t perfect. The math coach only …

Join me and @Steplab_co at FLACS Middle School in the Bronx for a rip roaring intensive training on building an instructional coaching program that works.

Registration in link below 👇

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/29/t...

Take an Edu-Trip to New York City When I first started teaching, the best professional development I received came from two people: the math coach at my school and my assigned mentor teacher. It wasn’t perfect. The math coach only …

Here’s a little about my experience with coaching as a new teacher, and some of the Steplab instructional coaching courses happening this winter -online and in person.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/29/t...

Explicit and Direct Instruction Systematically Manages Cognitive Load—It’s Not Just Lecturing I recently presented a two-part series for an organization called POPEY (the Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years). A B.C.-based organization, they support K–3 educators with research-ba…

Explicit and Direct Instruction Systematically Manages Cognitive Load

It’s Not Just Lecturing!

educationrickshaw.com/2025/10/02/e...

Direct Instruction Embodies the Science of Learning In one of my more popular posts, I argued that we need to do better than just nod politely at Direct Instruction (DI). Cognitive Load Theory is honored through DI’s ruthless efficiency: every word …

Hey folks, free webinar coming up in an hour (1pm Pacific)

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/30/d...

S5E04: Marcie Samayoa on NGSS and Explicit Science Instruction In this episode, I’m joined by Marcie Samayoa—science teacher, cognitive science enthusiast, and blogger of Scientists in the Making. Marcie shares the origin story behind her innovative classroom …

As a longtime listener, it was surreal to be on the other side of the mic! Thanks @mrzachg.bsky.social for the opportunity to discuss science education and how teachers can balance explicit instruction with NGSS. Check it out below ⬇️

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/28/s...

Zach Groshell series The Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY) is a British Columbia Ministry of Education and Child Care Provincial Resource Program with an outreach focus.

Two fantastic PD sessions available for free on the Popey website, which is evidence of Canada’s growing commitment towards all learners

www.popey.ca/webinars/zac...

Direct Instruction Embodies the Science of Learning In one of my more popular posts, I argued that we need to do better than just nod politely at Direct Instruction (DI). Cognitive Load Theory is honored through DI’s ruthless efficiency: every word …

Free Webinar Opportunity:

Direct Instruction (DI) Embodies the Science of Learning

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/30/d...

Take an Edu-Trip to New York City When I first started teaching, the best professional development I received came from two people: the math coach at my school and my assigned mentor teacher. It wasn’t perfect. The math coach only …

🚨 Announcement 🚨

Join me for the Instructional Coaching Intensive in New York City!

It's a great opportunity to get out and hone your feedback and observation skills.

Supercharged by Steplab, this is the coaching approach schools are waiting for.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/29/t...

The feedback I use for coaching educators isn’t just theory—it’s been field-tested in 14,000 Steplab schools. At this point, I’m convinced: it’s a formula for feedback that actually lands, every time.

Learn all about it in this training program:

steplab.co/news/steplab...

S5E03: John Mighton on Building Math Confidence, One Problem at a Time In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. John Mighton — mathematician, playwright, best-selling author, and founder of JUMP Math. John shares his insights into one of the most misunderstood concepts in e…

The greatest myth of math education is not learning styles, not timed tests, and not productive struggle.

It’s that we should pretend that kids hating math has to do with some mystical mindset and not the quality of instruction.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/20/s...

Direct Instruction Motivation, Part 3: Success, Not Struggle This series explores a rarely discussed strength of direct instruction: its power to motivate students. While critics often paint explicit teaching as boring or uninspiring, the truth is that its s…

Success breeds success. Direct and explicit instruction propels a virtuous cycle. It gets kids on a winning streak.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/16/d...

S5E02: Linda Diamond & Paige Pullen on Connecting Learning, Literacy, and Instruction In this powerful episode, I’m joined by two of the most influential voices in literacy education today—Linda Diamond and Paige Pullen. With decades of experience in education, Linda and Paige bring…

S5E02: Linda Diamond & Paige Pullen on Connecting Learning, Literacy, and Instruction

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/15/s...

S5E02: Linda Diamond & Paige Pullen on Connecting Learning, Literacy, and Instruction In this powerful premiere episode, I’m joined by two of the most influential voices in literacy education today—Linda Diamond and Paige Pullen. With decades of experience in education, Linda and Pa…

The latest episode of Progressively Incorrect speaks to a missing piece of some districts’ science of reading initiatives: the crucial role of effective instruction and the broader science of learning.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/15/s...

@gregashman.bsky.social was the first person who I engaged with and challenged me in a way that shattered my pedagogy and I hated him at first for it. Craig Barton has a much better story of leaving behind the inquiry-led drivel. But I’ll always appreciate what Greg Ashman did for me and my students

S5E01: Greg Ashman on Explicit Teaching and Inquiry Learning Welcome to Season 5 of Progressively Incorrect! In this special premiere episode, I’m joined by Greg Ashman, a leading advocate for explicit instruction and one of the most important voices in educ…

Wonderful news: lots of people like this episode, where myths are dispelled and evidence is discussed about explicit instruction.

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/02/s...

The Truth About Lesson Planning The first truth about lesson planning is a paradox: in a perfect world, it wouldn’t even exist. Designing curriculum and instruction is its own science, and a difficult one at that. When well-desig…

This post is about how I plan lessons from scratch, what we get right and wrong about lesson planning, and the great paradox of lesson planning:

In a perfect world, it wouldn’t even exist!

educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/06/t...