Chapter 8 - Planning the Instructional Strategy: Theoretical Bases (The Systematic Design of Instruction. 8th edition)

1. Planning the Instructional Strategy:
Theoretical Bases
By
Jett Even

2. Background
This presentation will address chapter seven including the ways an instructional
designer identifies how instruction engages learners. Instructional strategy is
essentially made up of a lot of microstrategies which are bonded together in the overall
macrostratgey that must take learners from a motivational introduction into a topic, and
then through learners’ mastery of the objectives.
Sets of instructional materials that are well-designed contain many of the
strategies or procedures that a good teacher might typically use within the group of
learners. Educational psychologists have done a lot of research to see and understand
how people learn. They have identified several major components in the learning
process that typically always lead to learning, a few of these components include:
motivation, prerequisite and subordinate skills, and practice and feedback.

3. Objectives
‣ Name the five learning components of an instructional strategy and list the primary
considerations within each.
‣ Plan the learning components of an instructional strategy for a set of objectives for
a particular group of learners.
‣ Specify learning components congruent with learners’ maturity and ability levels.
‣ Tailor learning comments for the type of learning outcome.

4. Learning Components of Instructional Strategies
๏ The concept of instructional strategy originated with the
events of instruction which is described in R.M. Gagne’s
conditions of learning. (1985)
๏ Gagne says nine events that support internal mental process
learning.
1. Gaining attention
2. Informing learner of objective
3. Stimulating recall of prerequisite learning
4. Presenting the stimulus material
5. Providing learning guidance
6. Eliciting the performance
7. Providing feedback about performance correctness
8. Assessing the performance
9. Enhancing retention and transfer

5. Pre-instructional Activities
Before any instruction had been done or introduced, consider
three factors:
1. Motivating learners
2. Informing them of what they will learn
3. stimulating recall of relevant knowledge and skills that
they should already know
John Keller developed the ARCS model based on his studies of
the psychological literature on motivation.
He says there are four parts to his model: Attention, relevance,
confidence, and satisfaction.
All these separate have little impact on a learner, however, when
you combine them all together in the ARCS model strategy, the
chances of keeping your learners interest increases drastically.

6. ARCS Model

7. Content Presentation and Learning Guidance
Content presentation is always interwoven with learning
guidance meaning the content must be formatted in such a way
that it allows us to understand it and remember it for the future.
A textbook or powerpoint presentation is a prime example of how
we use formatting to help us learn in the simplest way possible,
with the layout. The layout obviously being: headings,
subheadings, paragraph headings. Getting more specific and
more specific the more down the line you go.

8. Assessment & Follow Through Activities
You must decide exactly what your strategy as a designer will be
for assessing what learners have accomplished using one of the
four basic criterion from the last chapter (entry skills test,
pretests, practice tests, and posttests).
Make sure your assessments clearly asses your learners and
answer the questions that need to be answered for the learner to
retain information.
Review the entire strategy to determine whether the learners
memory transferred over and was a success or it needs to be
addressed.

9. Learning Components for Learners of Different
Maturity and Ability Levels
Depending on the level of the learner, the material presented may
differ significantly. For example, in a third grade math class
learning division, all the information and components to the
problem should be presented to its entirety.
On the contrast, if you are going on your third year in
medical school, the information given will be very specific and
direct examples and practice. The information and learning curve
should always be tailored to the learner and his/her level of
education.
More independent and highly autonomous learners are able
to go through a low structure level with little interaction with the
instructor. While a less autonomous learner who has now
“learned how to learn” needs a lot more instructor involvement
with a rigid course of structure.

10. Learning Components for Various Learning Outcomes
Each of the five learning components should be considered when
designing instruction for intellectual skills:
1. Preinstructional Activities
Motivation for activity: attention, relevance, confidence, and
satisfaction. Learner objectives made clear. Linking new
content.
2. Content Presentation and Learning Guidance
Know distinguishing characteristics of concepts. Organizing
structures (outlines, headings, graphics, etc.) Create new
ways of organizing existing skills. Point out common errors.
3. Learner Participation
Make sure everything is in one accord from practice to
conditions and behaviors. Progress difficulty from less to
more. Feedback balanced positive and negative.

11. Learning Components for Various Learning Outcomes
(Continued)
4. Assessment
Make sure learners’ are ready for testing. Apply correct
criteria for natural skills, age and ability.
5. Follow-Through
Promote transfer of knowledge. Consider memory
requirements and job aid requirements. Reflect on learning
experience and future applications.

12. Learning Components for Verbal Information
Table 8.4

13. Learning Components and Considerations for
Attitudes
Table 8.6

14. Learning Components for Constructivist Strategies
Constructivism has roots in cognitive psychology and has two
branches:
1. Cognitive constructivism
2. Social constructivism
Social constructivism was developed from a Russian
psychologist Lev Vygotsky in the beginning of the 20th century.
Social constructivism is simply referred to as constructivism and
this thinking has become a main feature of the instructional
design literature and new literature of design research and
learning sciences.
Constructivists make the case that students need minimal
guidance during learning as apposed to cognitive psychologists
viewpoint which infers that students need fully guided instruction.

15. Theoretical Considerations
Although the differences between cognitive ID processes and
constructivist ideology simply seem like, minimal guidance
versus full guided instruction, it is a lot more complex than that.
That is why the ideal approach is to consider Constructivist
Learning Environments (CLEs) into cognitive processes like the
Dick and Carey Design Model, and blend the learning together to
come out with the most efficient way for learners to consume
and engrain the new content and information in the individuals
mind.
This all comes back to the ability level and maturity level of the
learner, it must correspond to the individual for the necessary
amount of guidance and CLEs.

16. Table 8.7

17. Goals and Skills
Attitudinal goals are essential to the instructional design and
strategy working and being successful overall. The information in
the strategy does not directly relate to developing the skill
necessarily, but instead, developing the desire to want to do that
particular skill that is being tested.
It is all related to recruitment, encouragement, confidence
building, camaraderie, and the opportunity to participate.
Verbal information subordinate skills unlike attitudinal skills, the
strategy is directly related to learning the verbal information
required to perform the intellectual skill it supports.
In the actual instruction of a skill, the verbal information would be
combined with the intellectual skills

18. Intellectual and Motor Skills
The intellectual strategy is to get the learners to actually
understand the factors that influence the accuracy of your
objective and make a plan that is related.
For motor skills, it is critical that learners are confident they can
perform the skill, have seen the skill performed, and have a good
amount of opportunities to practice with appropriate feedback.

19. Reflective Practitioner Response
This chapter addresses the ways an instructional designer
identifies how instruction engages learners and the planning of
the instructional strategy. It is important that we identify not only
how instruction engages the majority of people but even more
specifically how each individual learns and accepts the
instruction. Determining what type of abilities they have and the
maturity level they are currently at, the instructor must customize
all the instruction and tailor it to the individual.
This also is the case between the constructivist versus the
cognitive ID processes. Using more guidance in instruction for
the cognitive ID process for someone that has low ability and
maturity levels. Constructivist for low guidance and more
advanced learners, but all depending on the learner. It is the most
beneficial when you have a good amount of both combined in a
proportionate manor than is advantageous to the learner and
tailored specifically to that individual person.

20. By Jett Even
jeven.44@gmail.com