Instructional Design: Summation

Good instructional design covers all stages of the ADDIE model, answering the critical questions of Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. As these critical questions are answered, the instructional designer identifies the overall goal, learner needs and additional learner information, as well as the targeted objectives. According to Ritzhaupt et al. (2017), “Beyond the general characteristics of learners, designers should know what prerequisite skills the learner should already have before attempting the course. Along with pre-requisite skills is a need to understand learners with disabilities.  While a knowledge of the population of the learners’ academic levels is important, the why behind their academic levels is equally important.”

Instructional designers who provide instruction that covers the different learning styles reach more of their learners; this is a student-centered approach. Admin (2019) states the golden principles of high- quality instructional design are as follows:

1.      It must begin with an end in mind.

2.      It must be student-centered.

3.      It is redefined through continuous assessment and improvement.

4.      It follows a well-defined system.

5.      It considers the big picture.

These principles align with the ADDIE model in that each principle is found within ADDIE. Principles 1-4 are easy to incorporate in Addie; however, principle number 5 may be a little difficult for some to interpret. When I really look at principle 5, I see the big picture as getting everyone involved to make things happen. This simply means getting all stakeholders involved in the process to exercise their talents and abilities. Ritzhaupt et al. (2017) states, “determining who the stakeholders are is an important part of the analysis process as well as the overall ADDIE process as these are the people who inform the process and will have some determination in the success or failure of the process due to their experience and knowledge.  Preferably the known stakeholders should convene to determine who else should be involved.”

As I read through the material for this course as well as researched material regarding instructional design, I worked hard to make sure I progressed through the stages of the ADDIE model while designing my pd session. My professional development session is designed to change mindsets in our building to establish clear expectations for all that will assist with the positive development of our climate and culture. My session consists of relationship building activities and reaffirming our purpose, which includes understanding why we do what we do, grounded in our school’s mission and vision. Additionally, my session requires the faculty and staff to work collaboratively to create our school’s flow of the day protocols for students, faculty, and staff.

My delivery method embraces all learning styles. For example, I have a Google Slide Presentation that includes words in print, images, and video clips. The learners within my session will move around to work on team building activities, be responsible for presenting information to the group (Jig Saw activity), as well as participant in a Socratic seminar where they get to further provide information that will help them to understand the importance of setting clear school-wide expectations for all. These expectations/protocols will be created using Google Docs, which will allow teams to work together outside of our work session for the day. I started including Google Docs two years ago at my school, so I feel confident about the faculty and staff’s ability to use it. Because I am the Lead Mentor at my school, I have been in communication with our new teachers, so I know they have worked with and feel comfortable with Google Docs.

I am extremely excited about my pd session and tracking the effects through classroom walk throughs, surveys, and one-on-one conversations.
Click here for PD Information

References

Admin. (2019). The golden principles of high-quality instructional design. Retrieved from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/344888/the-golden-rules-of-high-quality-instructional-design.

[Anna Sabramowicz]. [2014, Nov. 10]. Role of the Instructional Designer. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI0r9hwDc6Q.

Rithzaupt, A., Lee, B., Eichler., Calhoun, C., Salama, C., Nichols, J., Wilson, M., Hafizah, N., Davis, A., Beatty, O., Yaylaci, S., Sahau, S. & Wildberger, W. (2017, December 12). ADDIE Explained [text]. Retrieved from http://www.aritzhaupt.com/addie_explained/# CC BY license 4.0.

Instructional Designing with ADDIE: The Development Stage

Instructional designers have the task of creating instructional experiences that are beneficial and meaningful to learners while fulfilling the need(s) of learners and the organization. This can be a daunting task in essence; however, the ADDIE model breaks this process down into five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The first two stages have been discussed in previous post. This post will focus on the third stage of the ADDIE Model, development. According to Ritzhaupt et al. (2017), “The Development phase addresses the tools and processes used to create instructional material”. This is another important stage in the planning process that designers must refer to a previous stage. In order to effectively choose instructional tools and processes, instructional designers must know where they are going (have clear objectives) and know their cargo (the learners) to make sounds decision about their form of transportation (tools) and the route they will take (processes).

As I reflect over my years as an educator, I can remember several times when I created lessons and did not take the time that was needed to invest in the appropriate tools for smooth delivery. Requiring second graders to type in web addresses can drain all the positive energy from a lesson; therefore, I quickly began creating Symbaloos for my students, a bookmarking tool. As an instructional coach working with educators, I found myself utilizing Symbaloo more with educators who were not accustomed to typing in URLs, and they were extremely excited when they learned all they had to do was click on the tile. Symbaloo has become one of the tools I use when I know that my learners may struggle with typing at a certain paste and/or hand- eye coordination.

Symbaloo has worked extremely well for me with students and educators. At this point, I want to utilize a tool that will be beneficial for me as well as learners. One tool I have not really used is Google Bookmark. I laugh as I type this and look at the top of my screen and see sites bookmarked. This was done without any prior knowledge of what I was doing. I have since researched Google Bookmark and found a way that it can be beneficial for me as a presenter and for my participants. 

First, Google Bookmark will enable me to organize my material that will be presented during my presentation/lesson. I like to navigate to different sites, which can get confusing at times. Google Bookmark provides me with the opportunity to create folders and place them on my tool bar, arranging them in the order I will use them. According to Recess Tec, “The main advantage of your Google Bookmarks page is the ability to store your bookmarks and to access them from any browser on any computer.” As I mentioned before, I have used Symbaloo and have had much success; however, I want to teach other educators how to save and organize sites as well. What better way for me to do this than to be a presenting model.

References

Addie Model in Training Slideshare (2015, Dec 22). Development Phase [Image File]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=development+stage+of+addie&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgs6yu2tHjAhVQLK0KHdk-AOw.

 [J. Clark Gardner]. [2011, Sept. 25]. The ADDIE development phase [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzYDNWhQWYA.

Recess Tec (2015, May 24). Google Bookmarks. Retrieved from http://recesstec.com/google-bookmarks/.

Rithzaupt, A., Lee, B., Eichler., Calhoun, C., Salama, C., Nichols, J., Wilson, M., Hafizah, N., Davis, A., Beatty, O., Yaylaci, S., Sahau, S. & Wildberger, W. (2017, December 12). ADDIE Explained [text]. Retrieved from http://www.aritzhaupt.com/addie_explained/# CC BY license 4.0.

[WSD Training]. [2019, Jan. 22]. Using Bookmarks in Google Chrome to be more efficient on the web. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFx-3BML34Y.

Instructional Designing with ADDIE: The Design Stage

When designing a training session, it is important for designers to determine the type of learning that needs to take place. According to Ritzhaupt et al. (2017), “Many instructional designers refer to Gagne’s taxonomy of learning (1985) as a theory that identifies the major domains of learning: cognitive strategies, psychomotor skills, attitude, intellectual skills and verbal information. These classifications indicate the differences between these learning domains that must be accommodated in order to design effective instruction”. Once the type of learning is determined, designers must then establish learning objectives that could fall in one of the following categories: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. “Cognitive objectives are the most common in an academic setting; these objectives exist to determine how the learners can demonstrate they have gained new knowledge. Psychomotor objectives can be used to define the ideal execution of a physical skill set. Affective objectives are the last major category of instructional objectives.  These objectives pertain to attitudes and values” Ritzhaupt et al. (2017). Now that the learning domain and learning objectives are established, designers can write all objectives for the learners.

When objectives are properly written, designers are then tasked with selecting the instructional strategies and activities that will motivate, empower, and provide meaningful practice opportunities for learners. One strategy I have used is called Socratic Seminar (a combination of the fishbowl and Socratic discussion). During a Socratic Seminar, students respond to an open-ended statement by providing supporting evidence from the text that they have read, while making meaningful real-world connections.  Students (the outer circle from the fishbowl) use a rubric to assess the group as they participate in the Socratic Seminar and provide evidence for their ratings. This strategy always challenged my students and pushed so many out of their comfort zone because they had to speak in front of others. The first thing I had to do before starting a Socratic Seminar was have my students to set their norms to gain buy-in and set up accountability. Three objectives would be covered each time my students completed a seminar: a speaking and listening objective, reading objective. My students gained a love for Socratic Seminars and began creating questions and statements for me, based on the text they had read, and I must say, they did a great job creating them.

Another strategy I have used with students and teachers is “Stories with Holes” by Nathan Levy. These are short stories/ scenarios that omit information (holes) and learners can only acquire information by asking questions that warrant a yes or no response. Critical and creative thinking are nurtured, and great listening skills are a must. These stories work well with motivating and engaging learners. According to Education World (2013), “Community Toolbox contributor Phil Rabinowitz explains that critical thinking is an essential skill for 21st-century citizens, since it involves analyzing, questioning and challenging situations, issues and information of all kinds. We use critical thinking when we raise questions about survey results, theories, media stories, scientific research, political statements and conventional wisdom". Creating objectives and selecting the instructional strategies and learning activities are extremely important to student success.

References

 Education World (2013). Top 10 strategies for building students’ critical thinking. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/critical-thinking-higher-level-instructional-strategies.shtml.

[Fairfax Network]. [2014, Aug. 27]. Best Practices: Socratic Seminar for Critical Thinking [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-PBzjeYdp0

[J. Clark Gardner]. [2011, Sept. 25]. The ADDIE Design phase [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhLIiF9QyTo&t=244s.

Rithzaupt, A., Lee, B., Eichler., Calhoun, C., Salama, C., Nichols, J., Wilson, M., Hafizah, N., Davis, A., Beatty, O., Yaylaci, S., Sahau, S. & Wildberger, W. (2017, December 12). ADDIE Explained [text]. Retrieved from http://www.aritzhaupt.com/addie_explained/# CC BY license 4.0.

Instructional Designing with ADDIE

At some point in our career, we have all experienced a workshop where we wondered why we were in attendance again and what exactly would we take away from the session that we could apply in our day-to -day life. It is sad to say, but the reality is that many professionals experience this type of workshop too often. Unfortunate experiences like this happens when designers do not effectively plan professional development sessions by focusing on the instructional design components. According to Ritzhaupt et. al (2017), “Instructional design is a field concerned with the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instructional experiences designed to make the acquisition of knowledge and skills more efficient and effective” (pg. 1).

One instructional design model that is used by designers is the ADDIE Instructional Model, which stands for analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. These five components work cohesively, providing pertinent information that will enable the designer to make prudent decisions regarding the needs, goals, objectives, and action steps for the session/lesson. The first component, analysis, drives the remaining components. Ritzhaupt et.al (2017) states, “Analysis is the first stage of the ADDIE model because one must first determine what must be done in order to know what needs to be accomplished. The Analysis stage provides this gathered information to the remaining stages of the instructional design process, which builds upon this critical information to produce the solution” (pg. 5).

As stated in the beginning paragraph, we have all experienced a workshop where we wondered why we were there. This question arose because we did not see the relevance of the information and/ or we did not see the information as our primary need. Glynn and Tolsma (2017) believe that the analysis portion of ADDIE takes an empathetic role in learning about the learners and stakeholder. Glynn and Tolsma (2017) states," As ADDIE practitioners, we conduct interviews, document organizational and individual performance results, and identify measures and skill and knowledge requirements to determine the level of instruction needed. We need to do this; we should do this. Yet, as we do, we create distance between our work and the actual performer in the role. Empathy closes that distance". Instructional designers must make sure they take time to complete the analysis component of ADDIE before moving forward. One cannot move forward if he/she does not know where they are going.

Reference

Futuristic Playground-Wordpress [Image]. (2014). Retrieved from https://futuristicplayground.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/the-design-phase-of-addie/.

Glynn, K. & Tolsma, D., (2017). Design thinking meets addie. Learning and Development, 34(1714), 1-22.

[J. Clark Gardner]. [2011, Sept. 11]. The ADDIE Analysis phase [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZdv5lrJs4U.

Rithzaupt, A., Lee, B., Eichler., Calhoun, C., Salama, C., Nichols, J., Wilson, M., Hafizah, N., Davis, A., Beatty, O., Yaylaci, S., Sahau, S. & Wildberger, W. (2017, December 12). ADDIE Explained [text]. Retrieved from http://www.aritzhaupt.com/addie_explained/# CC BY license 4.0.

The Addie Model [Image]. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.savannahstate.edu/elearning/addie.shtml.