ABSTRACT
To build a common knowledge base and a common language about instruc-• tion
Defi nition of Instruction
Instruction is anything that is done purposely to facilitate learning.•
Th e Nature of Th eories Related to Instruction
Design theory is goal oriented and normative.• Instructional design theory is a set of design theories that pertain to various • aspects of instruction and include: 1. Instructional-event design theory (DT) 2. Instructional-analysis DT 3. Instructional-planning DT 4. Instructional-building DT 5. Instructional-implementation DT 6. Instructional-evaluation DT Related theories include:• 1. Student-assessment design theory 2. Curriculum design theory 3. Learning theory 4. Learning sciences Interrelationships among all these kinds of theories are powerful, and it is • oft en benefi cial to integrate them. Instructional design theories and layers of design• 1. Content layer 2. Strategy layer 3. Message layer 4. Control layer 5. Representation layer 6. Media logic layer 7. Data management layer
Th e Role of Instructional Th eory in Educational Reform
Why a new paradigm of education is needed and possible• Relation to paradigm change in education• Relation to Learner-Centered Instruction• Learner-centered psychological principles• Th e science of learning• New paradigm of instructional theory (volume 2)• Cognitive fl exibility theory, personalized learning, brain-based learning, and • diff erentiated instruction
Th e Nature of Instructional Th eories: Constructs and Terms
Results of a Delphi study• Recommended constructs and terms• 1. Instructional method
1.1. Scope (micro-meso-macro) 1.2. Generality (universal-local) 1.3. Precision (imprecise-precise) based on parts, kinds, or criteria 1.4. Power (low-high) 1.5. Consistency (low-high)
2. Instructional situation 2.1. Values
2.1.1. About learning goals 2.1.2. About priorities (eff ectiveness, effi ciency, appeal) 2.1.3. About methods 2.1.4. About power (learner, teacher, institution)
2.2. Conditions 2.2.1. Content 2.2.2. Learner 2.2.3. Learning environment 2.2.4. Instructional development constraints
—CMR & ACC
UNDERSTANDING INSTRUCTIONAL THEORY Instructional theory may sound, at fi rst, like a dense and diffi cult topic, but it is easier to understand than you might think. Furthermore, this knowledge is central to helping you improve the quality of your teaching and training. Taking the time to understand the nature of instructional theory will help you to understand individual instructional theories and even help you make contributions to this growing knowledge base. Th erefore, an understanding of the nature of instructional theory is important to both your growth and the growth of our fi eld.
