University of the West Indies

Faculty of Humanities and Education

MSc Instructional Design and Technology

EDID 6505 - Systems Approach to Designing Instructional Materials

Mini Instructional Unit

Student: Sean Thomas

Student ID: 307000917

Course Coordinator: Dr Leroy Hills

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Needs Assessment Plan...................................................................................................................................... 2

Needs Assessment Goal ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Target Audience ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Goal of Instructional Unit .................................................................................................................................. 4
Perfomance Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Task Analysis ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Procedural Analysis ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Hierarchical Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Assessment of Participants Learning ................................................................................................................. 7
Performance Rubric ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Instructional Strategies..................................................................................................................................... 10
Reflection ......................................................................................................................................................... 13
References ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
Appendix A: Analogies and Graphic Organizer ............................................................................................. 15

Introduction
Instructional designing seeks to make learning more efficient, more effective and less difficult for learners
(Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp, 2013). Instructional designing is about improving human performance
in the work place; increasing productivity and efficiency (Silber & Foshay, 2010). The process requires the
instruction designer to perform the following before designing instructions: needs assessment, task and
contextual analysis, formulating performance objectives, designing instructional strategies and creating
assessment. The following project seeks to demonstrate the use of these processes to solve an instruction
problem at a school where students were having difficulty with deep level comprehension.

Needs Assessment Plan

The Context and Problem
The administrators at the Tablepiece Government Primary School are seeking to improve students
performance in comprehension. The administrators have revealed that students have being having difficulty
in extracting the deeper meaning from a variety of texts; this is evident by students scores on the
comprehension component of Language Arts National Test. They have also asserted that this may be linked
to students performance on worded mathematical problems. To address this problem, an instructional
design was hired. A needs assessment was developed to ascertain the performance problem and to assess
the effectiveness of an instructional intervention. The diagram below shows the sequence of needs
assessment plan.

Instructional
Problem

Need
Assessment
Goal

Target
Audience

Collecting
Data

Data
Analysis

Action to be
taken

Needs Assessment Goal

To determine whether or not an instructional intervention will be an appropriate measured to address

the improvement of students comprehension within the school.
2

Target Audience
There are nine teachers at the school. Three teachers hold a first degree in Education, while one holds a first
degree in Behavioural Science and post graduate degree in Health Education and Promotion. Two teachers
are present finishing their degrees in education. Most of the teachers are computer literate and attempt to
integrate information technology in their teaching. The teachers are a cooperative group and are motivated to
improve the standards and performance of the school. They have worked on many projects together for the
enhancement of the school.
Topic of Instruction: Deep Level Comprehension
Format of Instruction: A Face to Face 2 Day workshop
Information Required for Needs Assessment

Goal of Instructional Unit

At the end to the two-day workshop at the Tablepiece Government Primary School participants will create
lessons using one of the strategies for teaching deep level comprehension with 90 % accuracy.

Perfomance Objectives
1. After looking at a presentation on two teaching strategies used in the deep level comprehension
participants will demonstrate the teaching of the strategies used in the teaching of comprehension
with 90% accuracy
2. After reading handouts on the different strategies for the teaching of deep level comprehension
participants will share at least 3 benefits of using each of the strategies the read about.
3. After viewing a presentation on lesson planning and designing for the teaching of deep level
comprehension participants will create 3 instructional activities for the teaching of deep level
comprehension
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4. After viewing a presentation on lesson planning and designing for the teaching of deep level
comprehension participants will create 4 assessment items for use in the teaching of deep level
comprehension

Task Analysis
Criteria for Task Selection
Worksheet

Criticalit
y

Universalit
y

Frequen
cy

Standardizati
on

Difficult
y

40 pts

10 pts

10 pts

10 pts

30 pts

TASKS
1. Identifying Best
Practices in the
teaching of deep level
Comprehension

#1
40

#2
10

#3
10

#4
10

#5
15

2. Identifying critical
features of best
practice
3. Plan lessons using
deep level
comprehension best
practice Strategies
4. Critique lesson plan

40

10

10

40

10

10

30

5. Share ideas to
improve lesson
planning

20

100
pts

15

83

10

15

85

15

60

15

50

Writing the goal of the lesson

A. List what is to be achieved at the end of the lesson
B. Writing goal using measurable terms
Writing the Objectives for the lesson
A. List the outcomes to be achieve at the end of the lesson

Priorit
y

85

Steps To Taken

II.

Notes

#8
1

Procedural Analysis
Task Selected: Plan lessons using deep level comprehension best practice Strategies

I.

Total

#6

#7

B. Write the objectives using the four criteria of audience, behaviour, condition and
degree of achievement.
III.

Applying Blooms taxonomy of educational objectives

A. Write objectives using the different domains of learning according to the Blooms
Taxonomy
B. Identify suitable verbs in writing the domain specific objective
C. Write objectives using the verbs identify for the different learning domains
D. Sequence objective according of level of complexity

IV.

Creating learning activities and strategies related to the best practices of teaching deep level
comprehension
A. Identifying the best practices used in the teaching of deep level comprehension
B. Write learning activities using the best identified
C. Sequence learning activities according to level of difficulty

V.

Creating activities that ensure the outcomes of each objective listed.

A. Identifying learning styles.
B. Writing activities incorporating the different learning styles

VI.

Writing assessment
A. Identify assessment strategies
B. Writing Assessment based on deep level comprehension learning and teaching
strategies
C. Writing assessment to match objectives stated

Hierarchical Analysis

Assessment of Participants Learning

The following Assessment items can be used during the lesson as form of formative assessment

1. You were asked to critique Mrs. Brown comprehension lesson using the reciprocal teaching
strategies. What are the features of the lesson should you be looking for?
A. She engages students in questioning and summarizing
B. She engages students in questioning the authors intent
C. She engages students in summarizing, questioning, predicting and planning
D. She engages students in summarizing, questioning, predicting and Clarifying

2. In implementing a reciprocal teaching strategy for deep level comprehension Mrs. Brown should do
which of the following first?
A. Prepare a list of questions she wants to ask
B. Summarize the text she is using carefully
C. Choose a text that is interest to students in her class
D. Choose a movie that excites students interest and discussion

3. Mrs. Brown wants use the Questioning the author teaching strategy. What type of question would
deem not suitable for this approach?
A. Does the author tell us why this happened?
B. What two cities did author living as a child?
C. What is the author trying to tell us here?
D. Why do you think the author wrote this story?
4. What of the pros and cons of strategies use to teach inferential comprehension?
5. Which strategy is better suited for small group work? And why?

Performance Rubric
The performance Rubric is use after the lesson to evaluate participants performance on their lesson plan
designs

Objectives

Resources

Basic

Standard

Proficient

Exceptional

Lesson objectives
are not written in
measurable terms

Lesson objectives are

measurable but not
written to address higher
order thinking (e.g.
analysing, synthesizing
interpret and predict)

Lesson objectives
are measurable and
address higher
order thinking (e.g.
interpret and
predict)

Lesson objectives
are measurable.
They address
higher order
thinking. The
objectives are
incrementally
sequenced based
on difficulty or
familiarity.

Resources listed are

not linked to lesson

Resources listed are

related to the lesson but
inadequate. There is
only some integration of

Resources listed are

relevant to the
lesson and are
adequate for both

Resources list are

relevant to the
lesson. They
adequate for both

resources into the

learning activities.

teacher and
students. They are
however, not
properly integrated
into the learning
activities

teacher and learner.

They are
integrated into
learning activities

Introduction

Introduction does
not relate to lesson

Introduction has some

relevance to lesson.

Introduction is
relevant to lesson
and connects with
student previous
learning or
experience. Does
not lead directly to
lesson

Introduction is
relevant to lesson
and connects with
student previous
learning or
experience.
Connect directly
with the goals of
the lesson

Learning
Activities

Learning activities
make use of deep
level comprehension
teaching strategies
but they are
inadequate. Does
not provide for
independent
practice.

Learning activities make

adequate use of deep
level comprehension
teaching and learning
strategies. Provides
some level of
independent practice

Learning activities
make use of deep
level
comprehension
teaching and
learning strategies.
Lesson are properly
sequenced and
provides for
independent
practice

Learning activities
make use of deep
level
comprehension
teaching and
learning strategies.
Lessons are
properly sequenced
and provides for
collaborative
learning as well as
independent
practice. There is
evidence of
differentiated
learning.

Assessment

Assessment does not

measure the
objectives

Assessment does not

accurately measure the
objective. No
application of
assessment methods
learned in the workshop.

Assessment
accurately measures
the objectives
stated. Assessment
makes use of
assessment
strategies learned in
the workshop

Assessment
accurately
measures the
objectives of the
lesson. Assessment
makes use of the
assessment
strategies learned
in the work shop.
There is evidence
of both summative
and formative
assessment
strategies.

Instructional Strategies
This is workshop powerpoint presentation that incorporates the first principles of instruction namely;

Task centred

Activation

Demonstration

Application

Integration

10

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12

Reflection

This instructional unit was designed to close the gap between teachers actual practice in the teaching of
deep level comprehension and the best practices for teaching it. The instructional unit targets a group of
elementary school teachers in one school. There nine teachers on staff inclusive of the principal and senior
teacher. Eight teachers are trained; five hold first degrees in education and two hold post graduate degrees.
The staff displays a high level of camaraderie and work cooperative for the development of the students and
school.
The instructional strategies used are based on the first principles as posited by (Merill, 2002). These include
the following: the task or problem, activation, demonstration, application and integration. The second slide
of the powerpoint presentation sets the task or problem. The task or problem provides a framework for
participants to use the knowledge they will be acquiring. Merill (2002) states that modern cognitive
psychology has shown that students learn better when engaged in problem solving. The presentation also
made use of analogies; these can be found on slides 3, 4 and 6. Analogies were used to activate participants
previous knowledge so that the new information would be easily integrated into their schema.
The presentation also made use of demonstrations. Demonstration was made possible by the use of two
youtube videos that demonstrated the concept to participants; these are located on slides. Demonstration
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provides participants with the opportunity to see what is to be learned and the see the concepts used in realworld environment; these videos can be found on slides 12 and 19. Participants were given the opportunity
of apply what they have learnt; slides 13 and 20. Merill (2002) has stated that learning is promoted when
students are required to use the knowledge they have acquired. Integration was promoted be the use of a
graphic organizer seen on slide 21. The graphic organizer facilitates the integration of information.
The video demonstrations worked because they provided participants with the opportunity to see the concept
or information use in real-world setting. The information provided in the presentation, even though
adequate, should have made some reference to a handout that the participants can reference at a later date.
Teachers, it would appear love to take, notes. Handouts would have prevented continuous noting taking
during the presentation.
Peer review was a continuous part of this course. The review helps me to identify mistakes in my work. It
also allowed me the opportunity to improve on areas that were weak. The peer review helps in improving
the overall quality of the instructional material. Instructional designing is about improving human
performance and what better way to do that, by accepting feedbacks. In giving feedbacks to others it allow
me to look at the design process from a different perspective. It developed my ability to critical analyze the
process and see where the shortcomings and strengths are located.

References
Carter, C. J. (1997). Why Reciprocal Teaching? Retrieved from Educational Leadership:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar97/vol54/num06/Why-ReciprocalTeaching%C2%A2.aspx
Dorn, L. J., & Soffos, C. (2005). Teaching for Deep Comprehension: A Reading Workshop Approach.
Portland: Stenhouse Publishers.
Merill, D. M. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development,
43-59.
Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2013). Designing Effective Instruction. New
Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

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Silber, K. H., & Foshay, W. (2010). Handbook of Improving Performance in the Workplace. New Jersey:
Pfeiffer.
Texas Education Agency. (n.d.). Strategies that Promote Comprehension. Retrieved from Reading Rockets:
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/strategies-promote-comprehension

Appendix A: Analogies and Graphic Organizer

After looking at this presentation on two teaching strategies used for the teaching of Deep Level
Comprehension participants will demonstrate the teaching of those strategies with 90% accuracy.

Concepts of that may prove difficult for learners

1. What is reciprocal teaching strategy as it relates to inferential comprehension?

Analogy
Reciprocal Teaching strategy is like having a conversation with a friend who continuously interrupts you
with following: I agree, I understand what you are saying there, I can relate to that, I do understand what you
are saying there, I use to believe that now I understand or I am not clear about what you are saying there.
Besides being annoyed you would find yourself having to adjust those issues raised by your friend.
Reciprocal teaching attempts to have a similar conversation only about a text. This deepens the
understanding of text.

2. How to implement the reciprocal teaching?

Analogy
The implementation of reciprocal teaching is like a group of four detectives interrogating a suspect in a
criminal case. It is similar to the good-cop-bad-cop scenario. Each detective has a role to play while
interrogating the suspect. One may be responsible for recording or summarizing the statement of the suspect,
another for analysing and determining motive, while another may ask clarifying questions. This will allow
the detectives to have a greater insight into the case. Students in groups of four can be assigned roles similar
to the detectives interrogating a suspect or suspects. They roles can be reassigned as the lesson progresses.

15

Objective
After looking at this presentation on two teaching strategies used for the teaching of Deep Level
Comprehension participants will demonstrate the teaching of those strategies.
Advance Organizer Graphic

16

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