2. Axioms Rules of thumb or truthismsthat I think are controlling when we are thinking about adult learning (though not exclusively applied to adults) and instructional best practice with technology enhanced training. Don’t tell – do Learn by doing Knowing isn’t doing Practice makes perfect Make people reflect Time cannot be cheated
3. Goal-Based Scenarios A shorthand way of thinking of this is as an authentic project if when thinking of or presenting the project it places the participants in a “story.” A “story” of this nature sets the instructional target. Steps: Determine the career goals of the participants (these could be the intrinsic to the person or the organization they are members of – the “district”) Determine the key activities that comprise the life a person who has achieved the goal that the participants aspire to. Determine key events that might and often do occur in the life of a person who has achieved the goal Design a "story” or scenario that all of the above can fit believably within. (I have used an RFP written from the perspective of a relevant “client” to create the “story “ in the past.) This identifies the Success Criteria. Lastly – determine what things a person will need to know coming into the scenario that are not part of the “story” per se. (This builds background knowledge)
4. Design Questions 1. Who does this job (meaning the goal of the scenario) well now? (Exemplars) 2. What small tasks comprise the larger job? (One quality at a time) 3. What is the sequence of tasks that comprise the typical “deliverable” in this job. (Scaffolding) 4. What mistakes are typical when someone performs this job? (Feedback- Revision) 5. What problems can occur that people find themselves unprepared for?
6. Yes! Ten - Process This is pretty simple – we translate doing into Practice, Feedback and Reflection as an iterative and cyclical process within the story. Here is where mini-lessons, dialog, forums, experiments, journals, blogs, and presentations all play a part in providing Practice, Feedback and Reflection within the story and pursuing the goal of the product. Any of these can be used to focus on learning target types of knowledge, reasoning and skills.
8. You doubted me….Delivery A key delivery method is mentoring which can be done by either face-to-face or online or in blended fashion. The important parts of the mentoring done by any method are: Be ignorant. Don’t give up the goods easily or too soon. Let the “mentees” (there I go again with the quotes) struggle a little - trust their ability to figure it out. Make suggestions. Offer thoughts that make the mentee think. Recognize when a mentee is spinning her wheels and make a suggestion that gives her firm footing to start again. This is just-in-time training. Lie – impede at opportune moments. Present things that, you may not believe, in order to get the mentee to think hard. Wait – know when not to talk and when more practice is needed. Tell – give answers to prevent danger or a needless waste of time on a trivial matter or distracter.
10. Motivation The card up the sleeve (never leave anything to chance) – is Motivation. The story will motivate if it has some of the following qualities within it and inserted in the unfolding of the drama: (Here we address the learning target type of Disposition using Abduction.) Fascination Exhilaration Confusion Anticipation Curiosity Determination Emotional identification Excitement Arousal (stop that – you know what I mean)
11. Royal Flush – SCC - Experience A Story Centered Curriculum or Goal-Based Scenario creates an experience and only experiences are transformative. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. An experience is worth a thousand pictures. (After 1,000,000 words - what would be left to say?)
