Teletext in Israel: a new instructional tool

The Israeli Teletext project, initiated by the Instructional TV Centre in collaboration with the British Government, is a pioneering endeavour in exploring the potential of teletext for education. As was the case for Instructional Television, teletext broadcasts for education preceded in Israel the commercial use of this technology. This sequence of development strengthens the educational impact of the new medium, while attaching the services to the Instructional TV Centre enables extensive penetration into the educational system. In May 1983, the first experimental teletext pages were broadcast to kindergartens. In November 1983, a pilot trial of teletext pages for 6th grade arithmetic was conducted. In March 1984, a pre‐pilot in teletext pages for 10th grade English was broadcast and, in May 1984, an electronic magazine for youth and a quiz on the weekly Pentateuch for 5th graders were also on air. In all areas, teletext pages were designed for small groups of 4‐5 learners. In order to meet the specific needs of different populations, the principles underlying the design of teletext pages varied from one subject area to another. Although the broadcast period of each pilot trial was short (1‐2 months), an intensive evaluation took place. The analyses of the data showed that teletext can be a useful educational medium in both kindergartens and elementary schools, but was less successful at the secondary school level.     

Exploring the potential of a computer tool for instructional developers

Information and communication technology tools currently permeate almost every professional domain. Those geared toward the field of instructional development have emerged in recent years. This article explores the potential for linking the domains of computer support and instructional development.This article reports on the design and evaluation of CASCADE (Computer Assisted Curriculum Analysis, Design and Evaluation), a computer system that supports instructional developers during formative evaluation efforts. Five prototypes of CASCADE were created and evaluated on the basis of their validity (reflection of state-of-the-art knowledge and internal consistency); practicality (ability to meet the needs, wishes and contextual constraints of the target group); and effectiveness (improved user task performance).The results of this study suggest that the use of CASCADE could: (a) improve the consistency of formative evaluation plans and activities; (b) motivate developers by elevating their confidence in using formative evaluation activities; (c) save time; and (d) help to provide justifications for decisions made.     

Components of instruction toward a theoretical tool for instructional design

This article defines primary knowledgecomponents for entities, actions, andprocesses. It also defines primaryinstructional strategy components. It proposesthat a different combination of strategy andknowledge components is required for differentkinds of instructional goals. It furtherproposes that if these fundamentalstrategy-knowledge component combinations arenot present that there will be a decrement inthe student's effective and efficientacquisition of the desired knowledge and skill.It further proposes that the underlyingarchitecture of an instructional strategy is acombination of primary strategy components andprimary knowledge components appropriate for,and consistent with, a given instructionalgoal. Instructional components are a theoreticaltool. They are not a method or developmentprocedure. These instructional strategy andknowledge components can be imbedded in a widevariety of different instructionalarchitectures based on a variety of differentphilosophical orientations. It is hoped thatone of the primary benefits of instructionalcomponents is to provide a common vocabularythat will enable designers, theorists, andinstructional developers to more clearlydescribe their products and procedures.     

Understanding video as a tool for teacher education: investigating instructional strategies to promote reflection

There is a general consensus among researchers and teacher educators that classroom video can be a valuable tool for pre-service teacher education. Media such as video are not, however, in themselves effective. They have to be embedded in an instructional program to be useful. Yet, little empirical research examines how specific instructional approaches might effectively exploit the potential of video in teacher education. In this study we explored the use of two video-based university courses, one representing a cognitive instructional strategy integrating video, the other representing a situative strategy. Using data from learning journals we analyzed the effects of the two strategies on pre-service teachers’ (N = 28) ability to reflect on classroom video. We found that the two strategies have distinct impacts on the kinds of reflection patterns that are fostered. Our findings suggest that the learning goal and purpose at hand should determine which instructional strategy should be employed when embedding classroom video into teacher education courses.     

A small-scale concept-based laboratory component: the best of both worlds

In this article, we describe an exploratory study of a small-scale, concept-driven, voluntary laboratory component of Introductory Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We wished to investigate whether students' attitudes toward biology and their understanding of basic biological principles would improve through concept-based learning in a laboratory environment. With these goals in mind, and using our Biology Concept Framework as a guide, we designed laboratory exercises to connect topics from the lecture portion of the course and highlight key concepts. We also strove to make abstract concepts tangible, encourage learning in nonlecture format, expose the students to scientific method in action, and convey the excitement of performing experiments. Our initial small-scale assessments indicate participation in the laboratory component, which featured both hands-on and minds-on components, improved student learning and retention of basic biological concepts. Further investigation will focus on improving the balance between the minds-on concept-based learning and the hands-on experimental component of the laboratory.     

Increasing empathic capabilities of instructional developers: Evaluation of a three-phase instructional strategy

Thomas Aquinas, who knew more about education and persuasion than almost anybody who ever lived, once said that when you want to convert someone to your point of view, you go over to where he is standing, take him by the hand (mentally speaking), and guide him to where you want him to go. You don’t stand across the room and shout at him. You don’t call him a dummy. You don’t order him to come over to where you are. You start where he is, and work from that position. That’s the only way to get him to change. Sidney Harris (1973)     

The impact of the instructional planning self-reflective tool on preservice teacher performance, disposition, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding systematic instructional planning

This study investigated the impact of a self-regulatory tool, the Instructional Planning Self-Reflective Tool (IPSRT), on preservice teachers' performance, disposition, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding systematic instructional planning. Participants enrolled in an introductory educational technology course were taught how to develop an instructional plan as part of the course. An experimental group was provided with instruction on how to use the IPSRT while engaging in instructional planning. Results indicated that the experimental group demonstrated greater skill acquisition, showed more positive disposition, and reported higher perceived instrumentality of instructional planning. In terms of self-efficacy, no significant differences were found between the two groups. However, further analyses revealed that participants who were initially high in self-efficacy reported significantly lower self-efficacy following the tool intervention; in contrast, participants initially low in self-efficacy showed significantly higher self-efficacy following the tool intervention. Findings are discussed from a social-cognitive perspective.     

Learning from friends: measuring influence in a dyadic computer instructional setting

Data collected from partners in a dyadic instructional setting are, by definition, not statistically independent. As a consequence, conventional parametric statistical analyses of change and influence carry considerable risk of bias. In this article, we illustrate a strategy to overcome this obstacle: the longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Participants included 60 girls and 100 boys enrolled in public middle schools, who ranged in age from 10 to 14 at the outset. Students worked in pairs assigned by teachers. At the beginning and end of the instructional period, students completed surveys rating the degree to which the partner was a friend, confidence in one's own computing skills, and computer programming knowledge. APIM analyses revealed partner influence over the acquisition of computer programming skills among friends but not nonfriends. Students with higher initial levels of confidence in their own computing skills were more apt to be influenced by friends. This association was especially strong when confident partners were paired with friends who knew relatively more about computer programming.     

Real books vs reading schemes: a new perspective from instructional psychology

A fiercely contested debate in teaching reading concerns the respective roles and merits of reading schemes and real books. Underpinning the controversy are different philosophies and beliefs about how children learn to read. However, to some extent debates have largely been rhetoric‐driven, rather than research‐driven. This article provides a theoretical perspective derived from instructional psychology and explores the assumptions that have been made about the use of real books and reading schemes, which have tended to polarise arguments about their respective strengths and limitations. It analyses the structures of adult literature, children’s real books, and reading schemes, and examines the demands that they make on children’s sight vocabulary and phonic skills. The critical high‐frequency words and grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) are identified that will enable children to read the majority of phonically regular and irregular words that they encounter which, perhaps surprisingly, occur more often in real books than structured reading schemes. Learning additional sight words or GPCs is of limited value due to their relatively low occurrence in written English and, thus, potentially minimal impact on children’s reading. Finally, the implications of this research for teaching reading are considered, particularly the complementary roles of real books and teaching methods derived from instructional psychology. In the past they have been viewed as diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive.     

Critical trial use of TIMS* as an alternative instructional delivery tool

This quantitative-qualitative study seeks to determine the effectiveness of TIMS (Thomasian Interactive Multimedia Software) in teaching the introductory topics in Trigonometry. The acceptability of the software to the student respondents was established using the content, design, interface, and effectiveness of the media used as the evaluation criteria. The critical trial use of the software involving a small group of students was employed to elicit the needed information. It aims to provide meaningful report which includes the strengths and weaknesses of the software, the recurring problems, and constraints during its implementation, and a critique of the software as to how it should be improved for future use.     

Direct Instruction: a model of instructional design

Abstract Instructional design is chiefly concerned with the arrangement of the environment to optimise learning according to various criteria. While there are a number of instructional design theories and models, the Direct Instruction Model (Engelmann & Carnine, 1982) is the focus of this paper. The importance of instructional design is stressed and the Direct Instruction Model is analysed in terms of four components of a theory of instruction. A discussion of two of these components, structure and sequence, and an analysis of relevant research form the bulk of the paper. One goal of instructional training (be it for teachers or industry trainers) is the creative application of empirically verified instructional design principles so that the effectiveness of instruction, across a wide range of cognitive outcomes may be optimised.     

Imagine if we could start over: Designing a college from scratch

Sitting in traditional offices, in traditional departments, doing traditional duties, it's not hard to picture a few educators thinking, “Wouldn't it be great if I could build my own college?” A team of Texas educators got to do just that. The result was a living laboratory for engaged and collaborative learning.     

Instructional conceptions: Analysis from an instructional design perspective

Learners are active actors in learning environments and not mere consumers of instructional designers' products. In line with mediating paradigm instructional conceptions of students are analysed. These conceptions act as cognitive filters that affect students' use of both instructional interventions and support in learning environments. To gain insight in the complexity of students' instructional conceptions, the concept is analysed and its theoretical assumptions scrutinised. Next, research findings regarding instructional conceptions are reviewed. Attention is paid to the nature and development of students' instructional conceptions and to the relationship with similar conceptions. In the Discussion section, current limitations of both the conceptualisation and instrumentation of instructional conceptions are described and perspectives are opened on further research.     

不可忽视教态的教学功能

一、身体的动作 教师在课堂上身体的动作,主要指教师在教室里身体位置的移动和身体的局部动作. 1.教师在课堂上的走动走动是教师传递信息的一种方式,如果一个教师一节课只一个姿势地站在那里一动也不动,课堂就会显得单调而沉闷.相反,教师适时地在学生面前走动,而又能调动学生的注意力,课堂就会变得有生气,还能激发学生的兴趣,调动其积极情绪.     

From concepts of motivation to its application in instructional design: Reconsidering motivation from an instructional design perspective

This paper explores the concepts of motivation, including extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. It describes how motivation becomes a major concern in the field of instructional design (ID). Furthermore, a motivation model—the ARCS model—is identified and discussed. Finally, it provides an example of how to apply the motivational design process in ID. The aim of this paper is to facilitate a deeper understanding of motivation and to inform professionals about its importance in learning