A

ANALYZE LEARNERS

General character Specific entry competencies Learning Style

To begin designing a course, you must know whom you are teaching. General Characteristics that impact instruction:

Prerequisite skills or knowledge (ex. Computer skills) What point are they in their program or major? What courses are taken prior to this one? What knowledge is assumed? Learning Styles of the students - This model emphasizes teaching for different learning styles. Motivations - Why are they taking the class? Is it required or an elective?

STATE OBJECTIVES

Learning outcomes Conditions of performance Degree of acceptable performance

SELECT METHODS, MEDIA, AND MATERIALS

Select available materials Modify existing materials Design new materials

UTILIZE MEDIA AND MATERIALS

Preview the materials Prepare the materials, environment Provide the learning experience In-class and follow-up activities so learner can process the information

What is the student to learn? It will be helpful to state the objectives using the ABCD format. A = Statement of the audience B = A verb describing a new skill or learned concept after instruction C = Conditions for the behavior, what tools or materials will they use to demonstrate mastery D = State the degree of accuracy or proficiency (What is success) What materials will the course require? The following questions will help to decide what media will be useful: 1. Look at my Objectives, what method is appropriate for delivery of the information needed for the learning task? Can it be done independently or is some type of guided instruction required? Does it have to be completed in the classroom? 2. What types of media provide the information needed to complete the task? What media do my students have available to them? What types of media do they have prior experience with? What types of media are common or required for the subject matter? 3. Can I select media that is already created? Will something work with a little modification? Do I need to design something myself? Once selected, the media needs to be created and utilized. It is important to preview all materials before assigning them to students. This step could be used as an opportunity to conduct instruction as a pilot or a test run. Test the materials to make sure they are appropriate and make adjustments before presented the materials to students. The basis of the Constructivist theory of learning is that students learn through active engagement with their learning environment, not passive engagement. Participation includes discussion, small group learning and testing or assessment. It is important to allow for frequent feedback on the students' performance and many opportunities to practice what they have learned. Did the skills/ concepts get taught? Did the students meet the set performance objectives? What was their attitude toward the learning environment? Did the materials work? Did the materials help the students meet their objectives? At this point in the process you need to evaluate the student's performance, the materials and the assessment methods. After looking at all of these areas, decide if the intended outcome was reached. If performance objectives were not met, try to determine the cause. Has my audience changed? Were the objectives unclear? Was my assessment fair? Did my assessment measure what was learned? Did the materials match the objectives? Were the performance requirements impossible to achieve? Did media failure prevent students from learning key pieces of information? Was more feedback or practice required? When results are unsatisfactory, consider the possibility that the course performed poorly, not the students.

REQUIRE LEARNER PARTICIPATION EVALUATE

Before, during and after instruction Assess learner, media methods

The ASSURE Model

To become skilled in todays classrooms it is crucial to know when to use a wide range of instructional strategies and passive and interactive media. Heinich, R., Molenda, M., Russell, D. J., & Smaldino, E. S., (2002) stated to use media and technologies effectively a systematic plan for thier use is necessary. They suggest utilizing the ASSURE model as a guide, which identifies six major steps in an instructional planning process. The Assure Model is: A procedural guide for planning and delivering instruction that integrates technology and media into the teaching process. A systematic approach to writing lesson plans. A plan used to help teachers organize instructional procedures. A plan used to help teachers do an authentic assessment of student learning. A model that can be used by all presenters.

Analyze learners:
General Characteristics This is a description of the class as a whole. This includes such information as the number of students, grade or age level, gender, socioeconomic factors, exceptionalities, and cultural/ethnic/or other types of diversity. Entry Competencies This is a description of the types of knowledge expected of the learners. Ask questions such as: Do the learners have the knowledge base required to enter the lesson? Do the learners have the entry competencies and technical vocabulary for this lesson? Have the learners already mastered the skills you are planning to teach? Do the learners have biases or misconceptions about the subject? Learning Styles: This is a description of the learning stylistic preferences of the individual members of the class. First of all the instructor will want to find the learners perceptual preferences and strengths. The main choices are auditory, visual, and tactile/kinesthetic. Slower learners tend to prefer kinesthetic experiences. The instructor will then determine the information processing habits of the learners. This category includes a broad range of variables related to how individuals tend to approach the cognitive processing of information. Finally the instructor will determine the motivational and physiological factors of the learners. When it comes to motivational factors the instructor needs to consider things such as anxiety, degree of structure, achievement motivation, social motivation, cautiousness, and competitiveness. The most prominent influences in physiological factors are sexual differences, health, and environmental conditions.

State Objectives
Statements describing what the learner will do as a result of instruction. Things to keep in mind as you write your objectives are: Focus on the learner, not the teacher Use behaviors that reflect real world concerns Objectives are descriptions of the learning outcomes and are written using the ABCD format

Audience:
Who is the audience? Specifies the learner(s) for whom the objective is intended.

Behavior:
What do you want them to do? The behavior or capability needs to be demonstrated as learner performance, an observable, measurable behavior, or a real-world skill. Use an action verb from the helpful verbs list if you have difficulty doing this.

Condition:
Under what circumstances or conditions are the learners to demonstrate the skill being taught? Be sure to include equipment, tools, aids, or references the learner may or may not use, and/or special environmental conditions in which the learner has to perform.

Degree:
How well do you want them to demonstrate their mastery? Degree to which the new skill must be mastered or the criterion for acceptable performance (include time limit, range of accuracy, proportion of correct responses required, and/or qualitative standards.) Examples of Objective Statements: The Drama I class will be able to identify and draw stage directions using pencils and rulers with 100% accuracy. (Or) The kindergarten class will identify the colors, red, green, and blue using blocks 9 out of 10 tries. (Or) The Tenth grade English class will identify and discuss the effects of symbolism in the short story "Young Goodman Brown" using their text, Paper, and Pen in one hour. Use as many objective statements needed in order to meet the different objectives for the lesson. Use the following questions to assess objectives. Does the objective allow you to do the following with your lesson? 1. Identify what the expectations are for the learner 2. Identify the necessary requirements for the learning environment 3. Assess learning 4. Determine needs for appropriate media or materials How would you classify your objective? Is the learning outcome primarily: 1. Cognitive? 2. Affective? 3. Psychomotor / Motor Skill? 4. Interpersonal? 5. Intrapersonal?

Select, modify, design Methods, Media, & Materials

This is the step where the Instructor will build a bridge between the audience and the objectives. You need to decide what method you will primarily use: a lecture, group work, a field trip, etc. What media you will use: photos, multimedia, video, a computer? Are you using store bought materials, getting an outside resource to provide materials, modifying something you already have, or making something from scratch? Selection Criteria Media Selection Media should be selected on the basis of student need. We must consider the total learning situation.

 Should follow learning objectives. Must be appropriate for the teaching format. Should be consistent with the students' capabilities and learning styles. Should be chosen objectively. Should be selected in order to best meet the learning outcomes. No single medium is the total solution. Does it match the curriculum? Is it accurate and current? Does it contain clear and concise language? Will it motivate and maintain interest? Does it provide for learner participation? Is it of good technical quality? Is there evidence of its effectiveness (e.g., field-test results)? Is it free from objectionable bias and advertising Is a user guide or other documentation included?

Utilize Methods, Media, & Materials

Plan of how you are going to implement your media and materials. For each type of media and/or materials listed under Select, modify, and design describe in detail how you are going to implement them into your lesson to help your learners meet the lesson's objective. Please write in full sentences; do this for each item. In order to utilize materials correctly there are several steps to creating good student-centered instruction. 1. Preview the material- Never use anything in class you havent thoroughly checked out. 2. Prepare the material- Make sure you have everything you need and that it all works. 3. Prepare the environment- Set up the classroom so that whatever youre doing will work in the space you have. 4. Prepare the learners- Give the students an overview, explain how they can take this information and use it and how they will be evaluated up front. 5. Provide the learning experience- Teaching is simply high theatre. Showmanship is part of the facilitators job. Teaching and learning should be an experience not an ordeal.

Require Learner Participation

Describe how you are going to get each learner "actively and individually involved in the lesson. Ex: games, group work, presentations, skit, etc. Remember that the days of sage on the stage are gone. Our role in the classroom today is one of a guide on the side and students, especially with technology connected lessons, need to experience learning. All activities should provide opportunities to manipulate the information and allow time for practice during the demonstration of the skill.

Evaluate and Revise

Describe how you will, in the future, measure whether or not the lesson objectives were met. Were the media and the instruction effective? Evaluate student performance: How will you determine whether or not they met the lesson's objective? The evaluation should match the objective. Some objectives can be adequately assessed with a pen and paper test. If the objectives call for demonstrating a process, creating a product, or developing an attitude, the evaluation will frequently require observing the behavior in action. Evaluate media components: How will you determine the media effectiveness? Evaluate instructor performance: How will you determine whether or not your own performance as instructor/facilitator was effective?

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE CURRICULUM

Most teachers understand that integrating technology into the curriculum is the best way to make a positive difference in education. While many specific strategies can be used to add technology to the mix, the following model is one example of how to integrate technology into your future lessons. The ASSURE model was developed by Heinich, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino (1999) and is an instructional model for planning a lesson and the technology that will enhance it. The ASSURE model contains six steps and the letters in ASSURE form an acronym. The A stands for Analyze the learner. Who are your students? While this seems to be common sense, the step is important to mention because keeping your students in mind will help ensure that you work diligently to find those materials and resources that will be most appropriate and useful to your students. You should know who your students are (e. g. , demographics, prior knowledge, learning styles, academic abilities) on a multitude of levels, and use this knowledge in every lesson you plan. The first S stands for State objectives. You will have a curriculum to teach in your classroom, with specific objectives that will become the focus of individual lessons. What are these objectives? What should be the outcomes of the lessons that your students will know or learn? Each lesson will probably be tied to curricular objectives and this step reminds you to keep these objectives as the focus of the student learning.

The second S is Select media and materials. When choosing the media and materials to help you teach a lesson, you will first choose a method for delivering your instruction. For example, you might decide that having your students work in small cooperative groups is most appropriate, or you might determine that a lesson is best taught using a tutorial. You then select the media that best supplements or enhances the method of teaching you have chosen. The media could include technology solutions (e. g. , CD-ROMs, DVDs, calculators, software, Internet resources, videos); print resources, such as a textbook; or any combination of the various media types. You will have to decide which materials and media can best help your students master the learning objectives you have identified. The U stands for Utilize media and materials. In the last step you identified specific media and materials to help meet your learning objectives. In this step, the lesson is actually taught and the media and materials get implemented. This is also the step that should have a backup plan in place. Technology solutions can break down, so an alternative solution should be available. For this reason, a teacher should always test the media first, to help prevent disappointment. In other words, make sure you have tried the software or device to ensure that it is age appropriate, grade appropriate, usable, and valid for the lesson and objectives being taught. Evaluating the media will also raise any red flags (e. g. , is any training going to be required? Is an extension cord going to be necessary?). The R stands for Require learner participation. Your students are going find learning more meaningful when they are actively involved in the learning process and not sitting there passively. Are there strategies you can use to get your students practicing? Thinking? Solving? Creating? Developing? Analyzing? More often than not, a lecture is not going to allow your students to move beyond passive learning. On the other hand, integrating technology into a lesson almost necessitates that you use a teaching method beyond lecturing. How can you best facilitate the learning process? Finally, the E stands for Evaluate and revise. This is one of the most important steps, but is often overlooked. Becoming a good teacher requires that you constantly evaluate your own teaching, evaluate the student learning, and make needed revisions for the next lesson and for the next time you teach the current lesson. Always striving to improve is the first step to becoming a better teacher. Evaluation occurs when you determine the worth of your teaching methods and the media you used. During the evaluation stage, you should ask yourself questions such as, Did this lesson meet the objectives? Did students gain from this lesson? Can this lesson be improved? How so? Could individual work or group work have been more effective for parts of this lesson? Was the media appropriate? Are there other technology solutions that might have worked better? While this is not a comprehensive list of questions, this should provide you with some direction for the evaluation stage. You might also ask students to reflect on their learning and the experience they had in the lesson. Perhaps your students will have feedback that could help you to improve the lesson for next time, or feedback that could help you improve future lessons for them. Having things go wrong does not make a teacher a bad teacher. However, failing to take corrective and preventative actions for the future is bad teaching. The ASSURE model is just one strategy to effectively integrate technology into curriculum. Some teachers will create an ASSURE poster to help them remember the steps of the model. As you become a more experienced teacher, you will probably find that the steps in the ASSURE model are second nature and that will lead to better teaching. As you revise lessons from year to year, remember to keep in mind new and emerging technologies that might be more effective.