Instructional design for different learner characteristics

 

Instructional design for different learner characteristics

    The table includes eight learner characteristics: intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, verbal information, attitudes, motor skills, schemas, abilities, and traits. Each of these characteristics holds meaningful implications for the instructional design choices of a teacher. I rarely incorporate all 8 skills in any lesson. I am not sure that I will have the time to wind up the lesson in the 45 min that I get. My goal is to bring the kids to the point of self-directed learning (Kochar, 2010) and hence the strategies I use are focused to build the skills in them for the same.

    A typical class for me is (a) I teach, (b) I organize think pair share or group work for problem solving and then (c) regroup for a check for understanding. There are variations to this, but the main model stays the same. I also continuously check for understanding and walk around ensuring there is a ‘connect’ (Brown, 2020) with each child. Hence among the list given, at any given point, the strategies I use are (a) Intellectual skills, (b) Cognitive strategies, (c) Verbal information, (d) Attitudes and (e) Traits.

    I am able to use these because of the IB school environment where we get a lot of space for experimentation and failure is accepted as a natural part of the growth. If they were to move into clubbed classes where we had long stretch of time for a subject as against cubes of 45 min, I could be more experimental.

    Having read the list, I can play around with my model and include (a) schemas and (b) traits into the lessons. When the kids get into groups to recap the learning, they could express it using schemas. Also I could go easy on my model and allow for some differences. For example, if a kid does not wish to work in a group, he/she could work alone.

    This way the model would be more inclusive of the differences in the class. 

 References

       Brown, B. (2020). Transcript of "The power of vulnerability". TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability.

       Gagne, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of instructional design. https://www.hcs64.com/files/Principles%20of%20instructional%20design.pdf

       Kochar, M. (2010). User driven learning in mathematics. Academia.edu - Share research.  https://www.academia.edu/1563753/User_Driven_Learning_in_Mathematics

 

 

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