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Dauran McNeil
Introduction
Instructional design models are reflective in almost any sphere of learning and are
supported by strategies that facilitate learning. Once determining factors are identified,
instructional designers can create new models that describe and support different environments.
In this paper, I will examine the instructional variables that best describes my present work
environment stating which existing instructional variables are prevalent. Additionally, I will
create a new instructional model for my working environment comparing and contrasting
Background
Nassau, Bahamas. Presently, the school caters to a student population averaging about one
thousand students from grades seven through twelve. The students who attend the institution are
between the ages of twelve and seventeen. The school comprises of an administration team,
information technology team, facilities team, support staff and the teaching faculty. The school
follows the traditional chain of command with administrators, heads of department and teaching
staff. The working culture is one of collaboration, comradery and support among the institution
stakeholders. The teaching faculty age range from twenty-four to mid sixty. The teaching faculty
academic background range from an undergraduate degree to postgraduate degrees along with
teacher-training certification.
Philosophy
promotes democratic ideals, the dignity of human beings, freedom of speech and freedom of
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worship. As a catholic school, it fosters religious and moral values. Moreover, the institution and
faculty are grounded and driven by academic philosophy, underpinnings and pedagogy. The
institution subscribes to traditional pedagogy and assessment models being written test in the
form of summative, formative and standardized testing. Instructors and teachers used a
multiplicity of methodology and strategies to present curriculum content and achieve learning
outcomes. As result of this, the environment seeks to be conducive to learning and educational
context. Therefore, the artifacts, equipment and material are such as chairs, desks, interactive
boards, textbooks, educational resources and technology, which seek to cater to educating the
whole child.
Academia
The institution’s academic disciplines are Mathematics, English, Natural Sciences, Social
Sciences, Technology and Humanities. It is compulsory for students to take English, Literature,
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Music, Foreign Language, Information Technology, and
Physical Education. The school run a rigorous schedule starting the academic day at 8:00 a.m
with a spiritual devotional, attendance followed by daily announcements and ends the academic
day at 3:00 pm with homeroom attendance. There are eight periods of classes with a duration of
forty minutes each including lunch. The school follows the Bahamas Ministry of Education
curriculum for all subjects and international curriculum for Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Teachers are responsible for All classes sizes remain below thirty pupils and are mixed ability
except advanced placement classes. It is compulsory that students sit national examinations at the
end of grades nine and twelve. The institution is in the top percentile of highly recognized high
school institutions in The Bahamas both academically, athletically and socially. It is accredited
by the The National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB).
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Physical Environment/Structure
The campus consist of an administration building with business offices and a boardroom.
There are thirty one classrooms, three computer lab, six science labs, one reading lab, two art
rooms, one music room, library and a cafeteria. The school also has an athletic area with lockers,
changing rooms, offices, gym, pool, court for various sports as basketball, volleyball and
More specifically, I work in one of the computer labs which is suited with Hewlett-
Packard computer work systems placed in a cubicle, a promethean ActivBoard, a scanner and
printer. All of the students’ computer systems are on a shared network for intercommunication.
This enables me to share and access students’ files and completed work. The network also allows
students to access other shared resources such as the printer and scanner. The use of the
promethean ActivBoard allows me as the teacher to demonstrate skills and concepts integrating
various technology. Each student using a computer system to practice and complete
practical and simulated environment. I have the primary responsibility of planning and executing
lesson in accordance with the Information Technology curriculum to achieve student learning
outcomes.
Direct Instruction
The first instructional model that best suits my working environment is the Direct
Instruction model. The focus of this model is the teacher follow a step-by-step, lesson-by-lesson
to students according to Luke (2014). This model is utilized by teachers and myself by lecturing
CREATING AN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL 5
students and then having students perform a particular skill or task. Alternatively, direct
instruction within my working environment can be seen by teachers provide instructions, which
is followed by assessment tasks and or tests. According Rüütmann and Kipper (2011) “direct
instructional strategies are academically focused with the teacher clearly stating the goals for the
lesson. The teacher monitors student understanding and provides feedback to students on their
performance” (p. 38). This involves the teacher giving directives with regard to curriculum
outcomes, providing assessment for learners’ outcome and use of effective classroom
management.
Moore (2006) states the five phases for the exemplary model of direct instruction are;
orientation, presentation, structured practice, guided practice and independent practice. These
five phases are truly demonstrated in my working environment. The first phase of orientation is
where teachers activate students’ prior knowledge and experience through questioning, trivia,
introductions or explaining the lesson’s purpose. In the second phase teachers present the content
to students using strategies such as examples and lectures. Next, in the structured practice and
guided practice phase teachers guide students through modeling of various skills or concepts.
Finally in the independent practice, students are given an assignment to complete usually
ASSURE Model
The second instructional model that best suits my working environment is the ASSURE
model. The model components are reflective in teachers’ lesson plans, teaching and learning.
The ASSURE model is an acronym used to describe the process teachers and trainers can use to
design and develop learning. The first process is analyzing the learner. At my school, teachers
examine the various types of learners within their classes through the use of different inventory
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and pre-assessment tools to build learners’ profile. The next letter in the ASSURE model, S,
refers to stating the standards and objectives. At my school, before teachers teach, they clearly
outline their objectives in their lesson plans to properly design instruction and for learners to
know what is expected of them. The next S in the ASSURE model refers to selecting strategies,
technology, media and materials. Teachers within my working environment utilize this process
to deliver the lesson content and engage the various learners. The U in the ASSURE model refers
captivate and engage the twenty-first century learner in such technologic era. The R in the
ASSURE model refers to require learner participation. This is a vital process in learning to
ensure learners’ are active. Teachers at my school fosters student participation by asking them
questions or involving them in the lesson. Finally, the E in the ASSURE model refers to evaluate
and revise. In this stage, teachers within my working environment conduct an evaluation of their
lesson and implementation process. During this process teachers look at data, learning outcomes
and impressions of the students to assist with future designs and implementations and how to
There can be a diverse range of strategies being used in this learning environment. This
can be attributed to the wide range of diverse learners to which teachers seek to address. Among
some the innumerable instructional strategies used throughout the educational institution are:
One of the most prevalent strategy is Drill and Practice. According to Rymarz, 2012 Drill
and practice is a strategy that is focused on rote learning and automatization through the
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repetition of prompts and corrective feedback. It is utilized to show understanding and mastering
Analogies
The use of analogies are very prevalent as it is utilized in almost all classes within the
institution. Driscoll (2000) emphasize that analogies are taught to establish a new schema or
restructure an existing one. It is also noted that students benefit greatly when complex material is
Role Play
According to Rymarz (2012), role play uses key ideas and skills. They are illustrated or
practiced by students playing roles and context to which ideas and skills are applied. This allows
Questioning
questioning engages students in dialogue through probing their thinking and prompting them to
justify their response. It allows students to make meaningful contributions and yields immediate
Collaborative Learning
This strategy allows students to work together in small groups where each student is
actively participating in a learning task. The collaboration may involve a project where each
Name
After having to complete research on previous models, I have created the Theoretical
Practice (TP) Instructional model. Its name was founded based on two concepts in education and
Description
The model takes into account that each discipline or subject matter is tied to some kind of
theoretical foundation. However, many like to separate theory and practice but the two are
heavily connected to each other despite its segregation. Take for example the field of accounting;
you cannot practice balancing the books without understanding the theory of the principle.
Oehler (1942) maintains, “this correlation exists because there can be no scientific practice of
accountancy without a sound body of principles upon which the practice can be based”(pg. 277)
believed that in order for theory to be mastered it will require cognitive structures. According to
Ormrod (2012) the cognitive focuses on the internal changes, thought process and mental
representation of how learning is achieved. On the other hand, in order for the practical to be
achieved it requires that of a desired behaviour. Ormrod (2012) describe this behaviourism as
Theoretical Practice model is a four phase design model. The phases are inquiry, theory,
practice and evaluation. Each phase is implemented predicated upon the previous stage.
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The first phase is Inquiry. In the phase, the designer is responsible for identifying the
objectives, goals, problem or instructional goals to be achieved. Below are some questions to be
The second phase of Theoretical Practice model is theory. In this phase the theoretical
knowledge of the subject matter is delivered to the audience. It is in this phase that pedagogy and
delivery medium are used to convey the content. Technology, books, materials and tools are
utilized to deliver the theory of the subject matter. Learners’ knowledge and comprehension
The third phase of Theoretical Practice model is practice. This is where the learner takes
what was learnt in theory phase and apply it in practice phase. In this phase, practical strategies
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and assessment tools are utilized to successful achieve practical outcomes. Learners’ application
The final phase in the Theoretical Practice model is evaluate. The evaluation phase is
where the data, assessment, outcomes and prior phases are examined. Once you have completed
the previous phases, you can take the time to consider what went well and what can be done to
improve the design. This phase also help you to better address your learners in instruction and
needs.
This model will be able to fully support my work environment by firstly ensuring
learning goals and objectives are achieved. With use of the Inquiry phase, teachers will be able to
profile their learners, write learning objective and meet curriculum goals.
the subjects taught at the institution have a theoretical component. The teaching of theory for
various subjects at my school will be achieved in the theory phase of the theoretical practice
model. For example, before a learner can spell or read (practical) they would need to learn the
letters and sounds of the alphabet (theory). Chemistry for example, would require one to have an
understanding of the element property and their reactivity with other elements (compounds like
Consequently, most of the subjects at the institution have a practical component that can
be supported by the third phase of this model. For example I teach Information Technology and
with this subject there is a theory component and a practical component. Therefore by utilizing
the Theoretical Practice model, I would be able to employ the strategies planned in the Inquiry
Lastly in the Evaluation phase, teachers are encouraged to reflect upon each lesson taught
and to then make revisions taking into account the data and the learners. These activities are
In order to facilitate the stages of the Theoretical Practice model, there are several
strategies that will complement the model. The theoretical stage will accommodate such
teacher is seen as the primary delivery channel for instructional content through presentation and
lecture (Rymarz, 2012). Another strategy is analogies, which seek to make inferences between
the familiar, and the new. Glynn and Duit (1996) states, “The advantage of teaching with
relational rather than rote and therefore it is more meaningful” (p. 258).
The practical stage can utilize strategies like guided practice, demonstration, authentic
task, role-play, instructional game and project-based learning. These strategies implore the
practice of skills, ideas and concepts. It can also revolve around making a product, task or
There are several similarities that exist between Theoretical Practice and the institution’s
current models of Direct Instruction and ASSURE. Firstly, Theoretical Practice and Direct
Instruction implore similar strategies that are teacher-centered. Both models focus on recalling
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and understanding factual information and theory using cognition. Another similarity observed in
Theoretical Practice and ASSURE model is how both models utilize a phase that examine learner
characteristics, objectives, goals and outcomes for instruction. For the ASSURE model, the first
two stages (Analyze learners and state standards and objectives) are similar to Theoretical
Practice’s inquiry phase. Additionally, both ASSURE and Theoretical Practice models utilize an
evaluation phase that allows for data collection, reflection and revision for future instruction.
model lends itself to other strategies, which are not teacher-directed. On the other hand Direct
Practice is different from the ASSURE model because Theoretical Practice is built upon teaching
and delivery of theory. Then assessing the learners’ ability to apply the theory practically during
the practical phase. Additionally, the Theoretical Practice model does not have a single phase
that focus exclusively on A — Analyze learners, S — State standards & objectives, S — Select
strategies, technology, media & materials, U — Utilize technology, media & materials, R —
Require learner participation, except with the evaluation phase. Theoretical practice believes that
analyzing learners and stating objectives/standards can be done in one phase, which is the
inquiry phase. The same is true for selecting strategies, technology, media & materials, U —
Utilize technology, media & materials. Unlike the ASSURE model, these stages are considered
Conclusion
models, it has the potential to achieve outcomes in learning and training. With the use of further
research, study and development the future for theoretical practice can reap much benefit to our
References
Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and
Bacon.
Glynn, S., Duit, R. (1996). Learning Science in the Schools. New York: Routledge.
https://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/instructionaldesignmodels
http://instructionaldesign.org/models/
Luke, A. (2014). Australian Literacy Educators’ Association on Explicit and Direct Instruction.
Moore, D. W. (2006). Direct Instruction: Target Strategies for Student Success. Retrieved from
http://ngl.cengage.com/assets/downloads/inside_pro0000000029/am_moore_direct_instr_
seb21_0414a.pdf
Oehler, C. (1942). Theory and Practice. The Accounting Review,17 (3), 277-282. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/239898
Rymarz, R. (2012), Instructional-Design Theories and Models, Volume III – Edited by Charles
Reigeluth and Alison Carr-Chellman. Teaching Theology & Religion, 15: 93–95.
doi:10.1111/j.1467-9647.2011.00772.x
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http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/support/highimpactteachstra
t.pdf
T. Rüütmann, and H. Kipper. (2011) Teaching strategies for direct and indirect instruction in
journals.org/index.php/i-jep/article/view/1805/1930
http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q=instruction/direct_instruction