At the beginning of this class, I was a little confused about exactly what instructional design was. As I learned more about the concept of instructional design, I began to realize that as an elementary school teacher, I have been using instructional design all along.
What is instructional design?
Instructional design is "the systematic development of instructional specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction" (Brown & Green, 2020, p.7). The learning experience is specifically designed for the learner to acquire new information or how to perform a new skill. The key word that stands out in the definition is "systematic". When developing effective instruction, it must be done in a systematic process to yield quality results. The needs of the participants and the desired outcomes must be consider during the design process.
In order to increase the effectiveness of the instruction, designers need to create opportunities for participant engagement. This can be accomplished by using instructional strategies. Brown and Green (2020) state that "instructional strategies are proven through research to have a strong effect on student achievement" (p. 148).
As I mentioned before, as an elementary teacher, I have been using many aspects of the instructional design process without realizing it! First, I consider the needs of my students. I must think about the common needs of the class as a whole, as well as specific needs individual students may have and the accommodations they may require. I have to think about the best way to present the material. I have found that when I activate my students' prior knowledge, or "frontload" some of the material, they are able to retain and apply the new information better. My students are eight and nine years old. It is not developmentally appropriate to lecture for thirty minutes. I incorporate active instructional strategies like "Think-Pair-Share" so students have an opportunity to clarify their understanding. After the instruction, I assess my students to check their understanding. Based on the data I gather, I develop new plans to address misconceptions or move on to the next learning objective. By following these steps, I am using instructional design.
The ADDIE Model
Using an model, like the ADDIE Model can guide the design process (Budoya, Kissaka, & Mtebe, 2019) . This model "helps instructional designers and teachers to create an efficient, and effective teaching design by applying the processes of the ADDIE model on any instructional product" (Budoya, Kissaka, & Mtebe, 2019, p.3). ADDIE stands for
- analyze
- design
- develop
- implement
- evaluate
Although I have been using aspects of instructional design all along, I now have a deeper understanding of what it is and how to make it more effective. Another difference is now I am considering how to design instruction for adults, not just children. Even when working with adults, it is important to incorporate instructional strategies to encourage engagement with the new material.
I love that your training will be mainly active participation. I think that is a great way to make it memorable for your teachers. Number sense fluency is so important and is an area that sometimes gets overlooked. According to Alsaleh (2020), “what attracts teachers to professional development is their expectation that it will expand their knowledge and skills, contribute to their growth, and improve students’ performance". Knowing that they will be learning strategies to help build that fluency creates a purpose for your training. Brown and Green (2020) state, “instructional design is conducted for a purpose--to produce a desired change” (p. 50). Student achievement should always be the goal of the educator and I think this training will help motivate/inspire your teachers to take these strategies back to the classroom. In return students will benefit from it. I enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Alsaleh, N. (2020). The effectiveness of an instructional design training program to enhance teachers’ perceived skills in solving educational problems. Educational Research and Reviews, 15(12), 751–763.
Brown, A. H., & Green, T. D. (2020). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (4th ed.). Routledge.
Valerie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your thoughts about instructional design. I also focused on the systematic approach that is involved in design that I had not previously considered. I agree with you about realizing that there were parts to instructional design that I did without realizing it, but I also think that going forward I would like to be more intentional about having a process instead of just creating in whatever ways I think are best. As Brown and Green (2020) explain, “An instructional design in the practical application of this knowledge to create a situation where learning is most likely to effectively occur” (p. 7). I want to create those situations both in my classroom and whenever I am leading professional development. I also liked that you talked about having your learners be active in your training that you created. I think having people get up and move and interact with their learning experience is something I am going to try and add as much as possible going forward. According to Abernathy (2019), “As students interact while engaged in learning tasks they become engaged members of their own social learning course community and are better able to connect course content to real world experiences” (para. 3).
References
Brown, A., & Green, T. D. (2020). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (Fourth). Routledge.
Abernathy, D. (2019). ADDIE in Action: A Transformational Course Redesign Process. Journal for the Advancement of Educational Research International, 13(Fall), 8–19.