It is amazing how much good information is available for putting together effective learning lessons. Why do well-meaning educators not use it?
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending an ASTD webinar on Instructional Design for the Synchronous Environment by Nanette Miner, Ed.D. who is with the Training Doctor, LLC. Aside from the audio difficulties, the presentation had a wealth of great information on preparing instruction for a synchronous environment. She foot-stomped several principles that educators should already use to help learners grasp new material.
As Miner explained her process for creating instructional system designs for online environments, she outlined three key points I took away:
- What is the objective of learning?
- How will the slides involve the learner?
- Will learning involve a participant’s guide?
What is the objective of learning?
While I maintain an objective as I design my lessons, Miner advises including a slide that explicitly tells learners what they will need to do at the lesson’s conclusion. Including an objective that ties back to one of Wlodkowski’s strategies for establishing inclusion. Since it has been driven home to me from two different resources, I will start incorporating this strategy.
How will the slides involve the learner?
Miner outlined several great tips for developing visual slides for a lesson; however, the takeaway point for this topic was to create activities that had learners doing something every 3 to 5 minutes. This again fits perfectly with Wlodkowski’s Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching. As you plan your instruction, weave these motivational strategies and activities into your lessons. In my Improving Your Webinars and Virtual Meetings lesson, I touch upon several principles; I recommend you take a look. She also stressed the importance of using more visuals and less text; I am already a believer.
Will learning involve a participant’s guide?
I took away three key points from this topic.
- Rather than put lots of text in your slide presentation, take it out and place it into a participant’s guide.
- A PowerPoint slide handout is not a participant guide.
- A participant guide is a learner’s lifeline. This should be the takeaway from the lesson.
Miner provides a useful guide for preparing participant guides.
This was a solid presentation that reinforced ideas I had about learning and instruction, as well as provided me with additional things to think about. I have to get smarter on developing participant guides.
