ABSTRACT
The Design, as it became known, was developed at the Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning, one of a handful of educational research centers around the United States. Under funding from the US Department of Education, the Design was spearheaded by principal investigator Wayne Otto and a staff of full-time employees and graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Wayne’s Design attempted to provide teachers with what they intuitively knew would work with children-focused reading instruction. Even in today’s more enlightened environment, good teachers use small ad hoc groups to fine-tune students’ reading skills and strategies. Their groups are formed after systematically observing the reading and writing behavior of students. Instead, a Teacher’s Resource File of teaching ideas and a listing of commercially available instruction materials was keyed to each of the skills in the program.
