Cara Moore

Core Course Question

EDUC 680

Instructional Design is something that all teachers do subconsciously if they want to

implement a successful lesson or week of lessons. When thinking about instructional design,
there are three very important factors that I take into account; the demographic of students I am
working with, the objective or learning targets of the lesson, and how I can make it fun and
active. The idea is to make my instructional design exactly what David Merrells definition says,
engaging, effective, and efficient.
Considering the demographic of the students that I am working with is the first step in my
instructional design process. Observing this and figuring out how I will implement this into the
lesson is critical no matter what the subject is. There are several times throughout the day that
grant me the opportunity to teach a large group lesson or mini lesson with my students. When
thinking about students with exceptional needs, I have to consider what David Merrell defines. If
I have a student who has ADD/ADHD, I have to deliberate on how I will include movement
breaks, organization, structure, and a level of engagement that interests them. Not only does this
ensure that the lesson is effective for this particular student, but so that it is also successful for
the other students I am working with if it is a large group activity. I approach this by thinking
about what my theme is and how I will make it more engaging. For example, if I am teaching my
students about the jungle, I know I will be teaching them how it looks, sounds, feels, and maybe
include the animals involved with it. I then select specific tools I can involve to increase the level
of engagement and activity for those exceptional students. Showing my students clips of animals
and then allowing the students to act them out would be one way I could allow for that
movement break but also include the information I need to get the information to the students.
Part of my instructional design is to permit an opportunity for students to watch, touch, and do.

Cara Moore
Core Course Question
EDUC 680
So although seeing, hearing, or watching the information is vital to my instructional design, I
always want there to be something hands-on to follow-up the lesson/activity with. Differentiating
the instruction with technology, tools, and real movement activities provides me a way to adhere
to all the students I may be working with.
The other two factors I consider during my instructional design process is again the
objectives and learning targets and to make it fun and active. This is important in my
instructional design because depending on what these things are will determine what tools I can
use around my lesson. Almost anything you need to know about any subject can be found on the
internet somewhere, however, just learning the content or viewing it wont keep my students
focused and interested. Working with the age group that I do matters and considering their
developmental milestones is crucial in creating an effective instructional design. These younger
children learn best by doing. My instructional design process depends on me having to research
fun ways to get students up and moving, using their senses, talking, interacting with each
other, and doing something tactile to go along with the material we are learning.
Before answering this question, I truly wasnt sure of the design model that I traditionally
use as the guiding format for the development of my instruction. However, after some research I
found the instructional design model that best fits how I guide my format, which is the Kemp
Design Model. The Kemp Design Model consists of 9 steps:
1. Identify instructional problems, and specify goals for designing an instructional
program.
2. Examine learner characteristics that should receive attention during planning.
3. Identify subject content, and analyze task components related to stated goals and
purposes.

Cara Moore
Core Course Question
EDUC 680
4. State instructional objectives for the learner.
5. Sequence content within each instructional unit for logical learning.
6. Design instructional strategies so that each learner can master the objectives.
7. Plan the instructional message and delivery.
8. Develop evaluation instruments to assess objectives.
9. Select resources to support instruction and learning activities.

Now to some this may seem like a very intricate process, but for me its exactly how I set
up my instruction. It happens far too often that instructors will jump right in and begin designing
their lessons without identifying instructional problems. These problems can fall anywhere
between not having the materials you need for every student or that each student hasnt mastered
the prior knowledge needed to successfully undertake the new content. The second step of the
Kemp Design Model is more important to me than almost any of the steps. We have to consider
the demographic of learners in our classroom and we must think about how what we are doing
will impact their learning. Some students with exceptional needs may require specific materials,
accommodations, and modifications in order to complete the task and meet learning objectives. I
take this step into consideration every time I am planning and ensure that I am differentiating my
instruction to meet the needs of my learners. The remaining steps are there to guarantee that I am
keeping the other factors in mind while planning. Its important to note that selecting the
resources to support instruction should be the last step. I always wait until everything else has
been lined up and planned out. The fun about selecting the tools and resources at the end is that
you can find endless materials that will adhere to your needs for the specific lesson you are
planning. There are specific learner characteristics that can limit instruction such as eye sight,

Cara Moore
Core Course Question
EDUC 680
reading level, and prior knowledge (e.g., students with all levels of background knowledge). All
these characteristics are important and must be accounted for when we design instruction. I have
seen too many examples of inappropriate designs that failed to account for the learner.
Concerning the ADDIE Model, there are several domains that I use during the process of
my instructional design. Although the ADDIE model itself is not my instructional design model,
there are several domains in which I use. Like the Kemp Model, the ADDIE model requires you
to pre-plan and think about the course before you even begin the actual planning process. As
educators, it is important to do this. Part of analysis in general is learner analysis. Although it
may not be as exciting as say a needs assessment or task analysis, we must still do a learner
analysis even though it may limit what we can do, or to look at it in a positive way, it can create
some great challenges for creative designs to address the instructional problem.