The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how public-school teachers of English learners (ELs) describe their experiences using direct instruction and explicit instruction to support the academic progress of ELs. The sample included nine ESOL and nine general education teachers of ELs in southeastern Georgia. Constructivist theory served as the theoretical foundation for exploring the teachers' experiences. Activity-based teaching was used as the conceptual framework. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the teachers' responses. Two research questions were addressed: (1) How do teachers of ELs describe their experiences using direct instruction to support the academic progress of ELs? (2) How do teachers of ELs describe their experiences using explicit instruction to support the academic progress of ELs? Six themes emerged from the analyzed data: (a) primary style of instructional delivery, (b) assistive direct instructional approaches, (c) value of direct instruction, (d) enhanced instructional strategy, (e) assistive explicit instructional approaches, and (f) value of explicit instruction. Whereas EL teachers deemed direct instruction and explicit instruction as appropriate strategies to support the academic progress of ELs, these strategies were found to be more effective when they were blended with other instructional approaches. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]