Instructional Design

D. Lemon
NC Teach II
April 4, 2009

Teaching is Complex
Teaching

involves much more than

telling students information.
It involves classroom management,
short and long term planning,
knowledge of content, knowledge of
learning styles, use of materials, and
an understanding of varied
instructional skills and strategies

Are you good enough?

Estimates of teacher effect revealed

that highly effective teachers tended to
be effective with all groups of students
regardless of initial achievement level,
while highly ineffective teachers
produced unsatisfactory gains among
all groups of students (Sanders &
Rivers, 1996).

Moreover, results were additive and cumulative,

so that the contributions of both highly effective
and ineffective teachers to students learning
gains could be measured for at least four years
after students left their classrooms (Sanders &
Rivers, 1996). Simulations revealed that
students who were assigned to highly effective
teachers after having been assigned to a series of
highly ineffective teachers made greater than
expected gains, but not enough to make up for
lost ground.

Children assigned to three effective teachers in a row scored at

the 83rd percentile in math at the end of 5th grade, while
children assigned to three ineffective teachers in a row scored at
the 29th percentile.

This figure illustrates results from an

equivalent study on math performance in
Dallas (Jordan, Mendro, & Weerasinghe,
1997). The results are very similar.

Planning for Instruction

The

instructional
decisions we make
will increase the
probability that our
students will learn.

Elements of Effective Instruction

Teachers

make hundreds of decisions

every hour. The decisions that are made
make the difference in the learning that
occurs in the classroom.
A teacher can motivate students and can
get through to the most difficult students.

Teaching Makes a Difference!

Planning for Instruction

Planning

is the key to effective

instruction
Effective teachers spend
necessary time deciding on
how to facilitate an
environment where varied
learning styles are met.

Define Instructional Goals

An objective may be defined as a
general statement of desired
accomplishment.
Example: Given peanut butter, jelly, and
bread, the learner will follow the steps
to create a delicious sandwich.

Conduct a Task Analysis

Identify which prerequisite skills need
to be mastered to reach the
objective. The task analysis is
performed by asking "What are all of
the things the student must know
and/or be able to do to achieve the
goal?"

Prerequisite skills needed to make a

sandwich
Open

the jars
Use a knife
Spread the peanut butter without tearing
the bread
Spread the two ingredients evenly so
that the sandwich is not overpowered by
one taste

Select the Objective: Level of

Difficulty
If

we start instruction at a level that is either

too easy or too difficult for the learners, we are
wasting their time and ours.
Task analysis can add precision to a
teachers diagnosis of students learning
needs.
A task analysis is done by listing the subskills
or prerequisites that are necessary for a
student to accomplish a given objective.

Select the objective at the correct

level of difficulty
Once

the sublearnings are

listed, eliminate
any learnings not
essential and
sequence the
learnings.

Select an objective at the correct

level of difficulty
Make

task analysis part of your daily

thinking and planning
Before you teach, consider what your
students will need to know before you
begin
Do they know the necessary prerequisite
skills needed to be successful?
How can you give your students a quick
assessment to determine what they
know?

Your Turn
Think

about a task that you know how to do

well. It can be something you perform each
day such as driving, cooking, changing
diapers, etc., or a task you do occasionally
such as decorating a tree or dancing
Write the name of the task at the top of your
paper and think about all of the prerequisite
skills you need to understand and be able to
do to accomplish the task
List all of these skills and be prepared to
discuss the process

Designing Instruction
Step One Decide on your objective
Think:
What will the students be able to do
when demonstrating mastery of this
objective?

Designing Instruction
Review

the lesson plan for todays

lesson and discuss
Using the lesson plan format given,
choose an objective you are going to
teach to others and write this goal
under Statement of Objective

Selecting an objective: Level of

complexity
Students

have the most difficulty

with problems requiring higher levels
of thinking.
When teachers understand the
various levels of cognition,
(domains) it is easier to write plans
that encourage mastery learning of
the objectives.

Defining Higher Levels of Thinking

Benjamin

Bloom developed a
classification of thinking skills:
Blooms Taxonomy
Consider the difference in difficulty
between memorizing and singing a
song and creating the words and
melody for an original one!

Blooms Taxonomy
Knowledge:

recalling facts
Comprehension: comprehend the facts,
summarize
Application: solve a problem in a new
situation
Analysis: break down information and identify
relationships between the parts
Synthesis: bring together several pieces of
information, ideas, or skills and arrange them
into a creative new whole
Evaluation: make a judgement and give
reasons to support that particular position

Blooms Taxonomy
Knowledge: write, list, name, label,
define
Understanding: summarize, explain,
describe, draw a picture, predict,
defend
Application: develop, propose,
demonstrate, use

Blooms Taxonomy
Analysis:

break into parts, clarify,

identify the patterns, issues
Synthesis: design, create, compose,
invent
Evaluation: conclude and support
that conclusion, select the best and
tell why, criticize, choose and justify
your decision

Revised Bloom
Original Terms

New Terms

Evaluation

Creating

Synthesis

Evaluating

Analysis

Analysing

Application

Applying

Comprehension

Understanding

Knowledge

Remembering

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to

Sample Unit : Space

Remembering

Cut out space pictures from a magazine. Make a display or a

collage. List space words (Alphabet Key). List the names of the
planets in our universe. List all the things an astronaut would need
for a space journey.

Understanding

Make your desk into a spaceship, Make an astronaut for a puppet

play. Use it to tell what an astronaut does. Make a model of the
planets in our solar system.

Applying

Keep a diary of your space adventure (5 days). What sort of

instruments would you need to make space music? Make a list of
questions you would like to ask an astronaut.

Analyzing

Make an application form for a person applying for the job of an

astronaut. Compare Galileos telescope to a modern telescope.
Distinguish between the Russian and American space programs.

Evaluating

Compare the benefits of living on Earth and the moon. You can
take three people with you to the moon. Choose and give reasons.
Choose a planet you would like to live on- explain why.

Creating

Write a newspaper report for the following headline: Spaceship out

of control. Use the SCAMPER strategy to design a new space suit.
Create a game called Space Snap. Prepare a menu for your
spaceship crew. Design an advertising program for trips to the
moon.

Your Turn
Complete

the Blooms
Taxonomy activities in your
group
Each group must reach
consensus on the answers and
be able to defend your
reasoning

Teach to the Objective

Teachers

must plan instruction around clearly

defined objectives NOT activities
Think about what the learning will look like if it
is accomplished. Are you teaching what you
are assessing?
Teacher and learner time should be spent on
the task
There is a direct relationship between the
amount of time a student spends working on a
task and the achievement of that task

Teach to the Objective

To increase student achievement in your
classroom:
specify what the student is to learn
(clearly define the objective)
find ways to keep the student involved
with the specific learning (plan teacher
and student behaviors that lead to the
accomplished task of that objective)

Teach to the objective

When selecting your activities, ask yourself the
following questions:
What new learning(s) do I want my students to be
able to do at the end of class?
What is the thinking skill needed to achieve this
objective?
Does my objective match the thinking level
required of the task?
What percent of time will be devoted to student
engagement of the pursuit of the intended
learning?

Designing Instruction
Focus and Review
Think..
How will I generate interest in the
objective I am going to teach? What
prerequisite skills will students need
to know to be successful?

Your Turn
Review

the objective you listed on your lesson

plan
Quickly complete a task analysis to review the
prerequisite skills required for success
Decide on the thinking level required for
students to successfully master the objective
Decide on a way to introduce the task and
generate interest
Complete the section for focus and review on
your lesson plan form

Monitor and Adjust

Porter and Brophy (1988):
Effective teachers continuously monitor
their students understanding of
presentations and responses to
assignments. They routinely provide timely
and detailed feedback
Research

states that the most effective

teachers ask an average of 24 questions
during a 50-minute period: the least
effective asked an average of 8.6.

Monitor and Adjust

Mager (1968): If telling were the same as
teaching, wed all be so smart we could
hardly stand it. Without the monitoring
and adjusting, wed be simply telling!
Of

the variables influencing learning,

frequent assessment and feedback are
ranked among the most important.

Teaching Strategies
A traditional

view of the teacher is of

someone who dispenses knowledge:
someone who Lectures, tells, disseminates,
covers material. The students sit passively
while the teacher does all of the work.
Consider the amount of information
available to students through technology.
Teaching has to change!

Effective Teaching Strategies

Demonstrations

allow students to experience more

fully the information and concepts the teacher
wants to impart during the lesson. Although the
teacher is still the center of the action and the
dispenser of knowledge, students can more easily
see what they need to know and more efficiently
link it to prior knowledge in their own ways.
Students remember much better what they have
both heard and seen (or even touched, smelled, or
tasted)!

Effective Teaching Stragegies

Mastery

occurs when students are able

to use the information when they need
it!
Students need to be actively involved in
learning what are they doing to
demonstrate the new learning?
A great way to assess mastery is to ask
students to teach others.

Your Turn
Think

about a teacher who

made an impact on your
learning
What teaching strategies
did the teacher use to
make learning effective?
List any strategies or
activities you remember
and be ready to share and
list on the board.

Select an Instructional Method

The purpose of selecting an
instructional method is to
identify and employ
teaching strategies and
techniques that most
effectively achieve the
performance objectives.

Active Learners
Current educational theory and research
support the use of instructional methods
that make students active learners (e.g.,
lecture, lab, small group discussion, casebased study, simulations, independent
study, etc.).

Designing Instruction
Design teaching and learning strategies to
teach the objective.
Think..
What should the students do to effectively
learn the objective?

Designing Instruction
Teacher

Input What information do

students need to know? How will you
disseminate this information?
Guided Practice How will you assess if
students understand the knowledge
before assigning independent practice?
Independent Practice - How will students
apply and practice the new knowledge?

Your Turn
Think

about the objective you have chosen

to teach and decide on what information
you must provide
How will you facilitate an environment for
students to learn this information?
Complete the teacher input, guided
practice and independent practice part of
your lesson plan form

Monitoring Strategies
Choral responses
Signals (thumbs
up or down)
Write answer
down
Discuss answer
with a partner

Steps in Monitoring and Adjusting

Elicit overt behavior:

Check the behavior
Interpret the behavior
Act on the interpretation
-Adjust the level of difficulty
-Move on
-Reteach
-Abandon

Curriculum and Assessment to

Improve Teaching and Learning
Focus

on standards as the basis for developing

curriculum and developing assessments
Backward Design: Identify the NCSCOS
objectives that define what students should
know and be able to do,
Determine the assessments that will allow the
students to demonstrate what theyve learned,
Decide on the instructional strategies that will
prepare students to show what they have
learned

Designing Instruction
Closure
What will students do to help them
remember the new learning?
Think
Research tells us that the brain easily
remembers the first and last parts of a
task. How will I close the lesson to
promote further retention?

Your Turn
Review

the strategies you listed to

teach your students the objective you
have chosen to teach
How will you know they understand?
Complete the closure section of your
lesson plan

Assessment
Should

provide ongoing feedback to

students and teachers regarding what
students have learned
Should be used to improve teaching and
learning, not simply judge and/or rank
student performance
Should include a wide range of methods
such as traditional paper/pencil tests,
projects, performance tasks, rubrics,
portfolios, etc

Plan and Reflect

It is important to remember that sometimes
the plans that look so good on paper
actually fail in practice. Remember to
reflect on each lesson by analyzing the
teaching methods implemented and the
course materials provided. Did students
learn the intended objective? What will
you do differently next time?

Elements of a Lesson Plan

Objectives--what students will be able to do as a result of

the lesson
Standards--which state content and developmental
standards are addressed in the lesson
Procedures--what the teacher will do to get the students
there
Assessment --what the teacher can do to see if the lesson
was taught effectively: watching students work,
assigning application activities, getting feedback, etc.
Modifications/accommodations for any special needs
students in the class

Elements of Lesson Plans

Additionally,

many lesson plans

also include:
Materials needed for the
class period and any special
equipment
Time estimates, and of
course procedural subpoints.

Planning for Instruction

Anticipatory Set (setting the stage)--attention-getter and

focuser
Statement of Objectives--tell students what they'll be able
to do as a result of the lesson
Instructional Input--lecture, but not necessarily lecture:
demo, explanation, instructions
Guided Practice--help students start practicing new skills,
applying new knowledge
Check for Understanding--watch faces, ask questions
Independent Practice--turn them loose to work on their
own, homework assignment, etc.
Closuresummarize the main points that students should
remember

Your Turn
Review

and refine the plan you have written.

Exchange plans with a partner and critique
the lesson plans using the rubric provided.

Effective Instructional Skills

The

teacher in the classroom makes the

difference
Teacher behaviors have a direct link to
student achievement
Classroom instruction and climate have
nearly as much impact on learning as
student aptitude
Detailed planning is imperative to
successful teaching

Lesson Plan Assignment

Review

the lesson plans and be

prepared to ask questions and/or
discuss
What new learning is to occur and
how will the students demonstrate
the new learning?
Are students actively involved in the
learning process?

Lesson Plan Assignment

Choose

an objective from the curriculum

you plan to teach
Work in groups to brainstorm and analyze
available resources
Use

the lesson plan format provided and

develop a detailed plan for one of the
objectives
Submit to me via Taskstream and share
with classmates for feedback

Lesson Plan Resources

www.ncpublicschools.org
http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/dep

artments/eleminstr/pacing.htm
http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/dep
artments/secinstr/index.htm
http://www.learnnc.org/