Types of Instructional Design & Performance Evaluation and Improvement

Assume that you are trying to teach learners how to calculate and compare the unit costs (e.g., price per ounce) of various sizes and/or brands of the same product. Select three of the theories of learning discussed in this chapter. For each of the three, describe the nature of the instructional activities that you would design if you were adhering to that theory as you were planning the instruction.

THEORY	COGNITIVE	SITUATED LEARNING	CONSTRUCTIVE
Description	An environment that involves “feedback” and is considerate of HOW information enters the mind and subsequent understanding and embedded learning. Learning occurs when information is received through “senses” and processed through short term memory while being “negotiated” into “long term” memory assisted by integration with “prior knowledge” and “doing”.	“Learning” is linked to a “situational” process that considers a learner’s personal development and learning in context of a “community” (the practices and understandings of…)	Learning that occurs “inside out”. Meaning that “the learner actively imposes organization and meaning on the surrounding environment and constructs knowledge as a result” (Driscoll 2012)
Application	Here, one would break down the task into smaller ones. First of all, what is an ounce?…what is the total of large units utilizing the measurement of an ounce? How can you multiply these amounts with the cost of one ounce? What is a resulting price? Cents vs. dollars? Can you apply this strategy amongst items of various sizes?  If you are presented with examples of calculations figured for you at the beginning, can you apply this knowledge in problems you construct?	Being that the problem presented described products that could be distributed by the “unit costs”, I have chosen  lemonade. If being sold in a lower income neighborhood, it may be sold for a reasonable price of which passers by may be willing to pay. If set up in a neighborhood of which people are influenced in purchasing by advertising and attractiveness of display, people may be willing to pay more for this considering both cost of product and “hype”. Children are going to “reflect” what happens in the environment of which they are “situated” when applying their own approach that indicates their engagement with their surroundings.	Learner approaches situation of calculating and comparing unit costs of object in context of learning situation. Figures amounts of items being sold according to individual cost. Measures choice of “figured” price of individual product in reflection of what desired to profit according to price of producing product.

What are some ways the ideas/concepts/principles discussed in this chapter could be applied in your professional work? Do you see opportunities where these ideas could help you or your students?

Regarding the concepts presented in Ch 14 and the idea of a “worker’s” individual performance being evaluated according to the overall effectiveness of an organization and its influence on the daily practice of an educator in the classroom is not one that immediately “sat” well with me.  I had to examine my immediate personal assessment in reflection of the HPI/HPT definition of “valued accomplishment” in reference to the overall success and viability of student achievement in context of the values and objectives established according to an organization (which the article prescribes) versus the individual (which I, as an educator, tend to focus on).

I did comment in my notes how our school system may benefit from a person in the position of a “Performance Consultant” (PC) to observe and reflect on the “Organizational Effectiveness” (OE) of our school as long as this was accepted as a “non-threatening” and “supportive” role in delivering what we, as an organization, have deemed as desired instructional design and resulting “performance” of our students in the pursuit of collective, identified learning objectives.  I reflected on the fact that the closest “current” person in this kind of “position” is most likely our principal, who, upon consideration, probably has a variety of other factors to consider on a daily basis that may preclude a practical focus on learning design.

Although I do value the idea of evaluating our “effectiveness” as an organization (in my situation, a small rural Michigan school district educating our community’s students), I hesitate in how this type of presented broad evaluation is productively executed in consideration of our community’s individual parameters, needs and objectives. The bottom line is we desire to apply local control according to what we know for our community. It is the idea of “one size fits all” and the overreaching idea that we, as educators,  and our students can all be accountable to it that unsettles me.

I believe that most educators are invested in what is “best” and “best practice” for their students within their environment and desire to be evaluated as such.

References

Reiser, R. and Dempsey, J. (2012). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson, Ch. 4 & 14