A Comparison of Instructional Design Models According to the University of Michigan, instructional design is defined as the systematic development of instructional

specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction (1996). Instructional design encompasses the gathering of information about the learners and their needs, the objectives that are needed to be attained, and the development of instructional methods and strategies to meet the learning needs. In order for this to occur, a system of procedures for developing education and training curricula in a consistent and reliable fashion (Reiser, Dempsey, 2012, p. 8) must be established. Since its inception, instructional design has evolved and expanded, through the work of researchers, into a broad discipline containing various models that characterize the development of the teaching and learning process. These models are grouped based on different learning theories. These groups include the Cognitivism Models, the Prescriptive Models, and the Constructivist Models. These model groups contain a variety of research-based instructional strategies that are designed to meet students at their needs and help them to overcome those needs. The first model that I will discuss is the Cognitivism Model, and more specifically the relevance and use of advanced organizers in the instructional setting. Advanced organizers have been a part of the instructional design process since the 1960s. Since that time, educators have developed a wide variety of organizers (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005). This is because each educator expands on the knowledge base of his/her particular student body. The point of advanced organizers is in the name; they help to organize the curriculum in a logical and fluid manner. Advanced organizers may cover individual sections or whole units of the curriculum. The advanced organizer

is a special strategy in that it holds a dual purpose: it helps both students and teachers better focus and stay on track with the direction the curriculum is going. Advanced organizers allow teachers to see where the class has come from and where they need to go. This is critical and essential information to know in the planning process. Advanced organizers also allow the students to see the content in an organized way. This helps students bridge the gap between prior knowledge and new information by giving them a kind of road map by which to associate the two. Advanced organizers can be developed in sentence form or in graphic form. An example of an advanced organizer in sentence form is the K-W-L chart. K-W-L charts require students to write down what they already know (K), what they want to know (W), and what they have learned (L) (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005). This allows for students to practice both their writing skills and their critical thinking skills by requiring them to take the organization process into their own hands. While advanced organizers like K-W-L charts are presented in written form, graphic organizers are presented in graphic form. Graphic organizers can include mind maps or pictographs. This form of advanced organizer provides students with a visual representation of the curriculum to be studied. Students are usually required to draw the graphic organizer in their notebooks so they will have it with them inside and outside of the classroom. This is especially helpful to those students who are visual learners. The second model that I will discuss is the Prescriptive Model and its ASSURE model. ASSURE is an acronym for a six-step planning process for incorporating and ensuring teacher and student use of technology and media in a way that is intended to

assure effective instruction (Reiser, Dempsey, 2012, p. 210). Here we will discuss these six steps in detail. The first of the six steps is analyzing your learners. This process starts the planning development off by first knowing your learners and their learning styles. Reiser and Dempsey recommend that the following three areas be considered in order to accurately evaluate your learners: general characteristics, specify entry competencies, and learning style (Reiser, Dempsey, 2012, p. 210). The second step is to identify state standards and objectives. State standards represent the states expectations for what content the students should know by the end of each grade. Standardized tests are normally based on the states standards. Therefore, it is very important that the state standards be covered in the classroom. The state objectives are the methods by which we can accomplish a meaningful and inspiring learning experience for our students. Our third step is selecting strategies, media, and materials. This step is contingent upon the first two steps. By taking the information that was gathered from the first two steps, we can begin choosing the strategies that are best suited to our learners as well as the states expectations for our learners. The fourth step in the ASSURE model is utilizing media and materials. This step involves the teacher determining how the media and materials will be used to ensure that students meet the learning objectives as stated earlier. This step incorporates the 5Ps process, which includes previewing and preparing the technology, media, and materials, preparing the environment, preparing the learners, and providing the learning experience (Reiser, Dempsey, 2012, p. 210).

The fifth step is requiring learner participation. This can range from higher-order question and answer sessions that are simply mental activities to students actively participating in hand-on instructional activities. This step is designed to provide informal assessment so students can apply the new concepts and receive teacher feedback before a formal assessment is administered (Reiser, Dempsey, 2012, p. 210). The final step in this instructional model is evaluating and revising. The goal of this step is to evaluate the learning process and then revise the process based on the results of the evaluation (Reiser, Dempsey, 2012, p. 210). This model as a whole does a great job of guiding the instructor down a path that emphasizes the concepts of knowing your students, knowing your standards, and using these concepts to build a lesson that is tailored to the students needs. The final instructional design that I will discuss is the Constructivist Model and its concept of discovery learning. Discovery learning is an inquiry-based learning method (Clark, 2010). The method of learning moves students from the traditional teacher-led learning style to the more modern, research-based learning technique of student-led learning in which students are taught to develop their own questions and formulate solutions that answer those questions. With discovery learning, it is the teachers job to be the facilitator of the learning environment. The teacher will help students practice and apply their critical thinking skills in order to accomplish a predetermined learning objective. According to the University of Western Australia, discovery learning emphasizes a hypothetical mode of teaching/learning as opposed to a more didactic mode (University of Western Australia, 2000). It is simply hands-on learning.

Of the three models described above, I personally would be more likely to use an advanced organizer in my planning process. At the beginning of our last school year, my school implemented the use of advanced organizers as a requirement for our planning processes. We were required to have an advanced organizer posted on our bulletin board in graphic form in our classroom that coincided with our lesson plans. Using advanced organizers really helped me stay focused on the curriculum and in terms of my timing in teaching the curriculum. Usually we would post a blank graphic organizer on the bulletin board and allow students to help me fill in the information along the way. This seemed to not only give students a sense of ownership of the curriculum, but it also helped them to bridge the gap between prior knowledge and new information by being an active part of the process. This in turn helped to raise overall student achievement in the school. The use of an instructional design model is essential to a planning process that is relevant and effective. Instructional design models give teachers a guide to create valuable plans that convey logical connections between concepts taught from the curriculum to students in the classroom. Unorganized lesson planning is reflected during instructional time and students know it. Teachers should adopt an instructional design model they feel they can work though in order to deliver exemplary instruction that students can learn from. As it was mentioned earlier, our school adopted the use of advanced organizers. Since this was a school-wide policy, collaborative planning consisted of developing our advanced organizers. Being a math teacher, I met with the other math teachers where we all helped develop the advanced organizer for the math units. I believe that my current role is sufficient in the planning process. We are all active in planning meetings. This

stems from our belief that we all have an important job to do, which is to help our students reach their highest potential. I enjoy working with my co-workers to develop a plan that we all feel is content rich and pedagogically sound.

References University of Michigan. (1996, October 18). Definitions of Instructional Design. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://www.umich.edu/~ed626/define.html Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2005). Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/cues.php University of Western Australia. (2000, January 17). Alternative Modes of Teaching and Learning. Retrieved June 28, 2012 from http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/altmodes/to_delivery/discovery_learning.html Clark, Don. (2010, September 26). Discovery Learning. Retrieved June 28, 2012, from Big Dog and Little Dogs Performance Juxtaposition: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/history/discovery.html Reiser, Robert A., Dempsey, John V. (2012). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (Third Edition). Boston: Pearson.