If you are looking for a fairly good overview of the major approaches to Instructional Design, check out this slideshow on the topic. It includes a nice chart referencing, classroom, product and systems approaches to the design of instruction. Ideal for teachers, designers and trainers, since any person involved in helping others learn should understand the basics of design so they can modify instruction on the fly if necessary.
Most trainers and educators are somewhat limited in terms of the training and instructional approaches or methods they use. That’s understandable given the huge realm of possibilities for helping others learn. Here’s a list of instructional strategies that can be used in your instructional design and training delivery. Above all a great list for helping you develop creative instructional approaches for all ages, Kindergarten to adult.
Knowledge Management in Instructional Design. ERIC Digest.
Instructional designers engage in activities related to the planning and implementation of instructional and performance support solutions. Available tools and technologies influence the way in which instructional designers accomplish their tasks. Knowledge management represents a technology that is changing how instructional design professionals work. This article will review what instructional designers do, describe knowledge management, and indicate how knowledge management is influencing instructional design.
If you believe learning by doing is a superior method of learning, and training, certainly better than old boring lectures, reading, etc, you’re in good (well, maybe not good) company. Many educators and trainers believe the same — that “real” learning can only occur if learners are demonstrably active. That is, you can see them doing something. Then again most trainers lack a sound education in learning and learning theories, at least to the breadth and depth needed to be competent in helping other people learn.
Here’s the thing. Despite the fact that most trainers come at learning from a humanistic perspective that emerged from the 60′s, they tend to ignore some human capabilities that distinguish us from animals. Animals tend to learn by doing because they lack abilities that we have. Hamsters learn by trial and error, primarily, and by the effects of reinforcement, but that mode of learning by doing is one of the least effective methods. Then again, hamsters don’t have many other options. And yet again, again, a wrong move in the learning by doing might result in the hamster’s demise.