Identifying Subordinate Skills and Entry Behaviors (Week 5)

                We have analyzed the goal and determined the skills that are going to be taught. But what if the learners do not know the basic skills to learn the intended skills? At that point identifying subordinate skills come forth.

                There are several approaches to subordinate skills and entry behaviors analysis.

• ·         Hierarchical Approach: Used to analyze individual steps in the goal analysis that are categorized as intellectual psychomotor skills. According to the text, there is also Gagne’s hierarchy skills, “..in order to learn how to perform problem-solving skills, the learner must first know how to apply the rules that are required to solve the problem.” The best question that summarizes all is: “What would the learner have to know in order to learn to do the first step in performing the goal.” So if you want to run, first you have to learn walking J
• ·         Cluster Analysis: is a process of grouping a group variable into a group of pre-defined properties. Thus, the variables in a similar structure are combined and clustered together. It helps to better define the verbal information (“learning vocabularies in a new language”)  and reduces the number of variables.
• ·         Attitude Goals (Entry Behaviors): Identify exactly what learners already have to know or are able to do at the beginning of the instruction.
• ·         Combining the techniques

Instructional analysis diagrams categorize the goal and perform. It helps to select the appropriate techniques to identify the subordinate skills.

I have found a video that I want to share with you about this subject :

Task Analysis (Week 5)

Task analysis is a general definition of what is expected from the instructions given (what are the results) at the end of the process. It also consists of setting a goal and strategical planning activities. To set a goal means, to determine what the outputs will be and strategical planning is to settle a suitable method which is necessary to absorb a new skill. Designers should conduct a task analysis to set a goal right after they get all the detailed information from the subject matter expert.

Task analysis determines the information and the skills that are required to be acquired and developed by the learners. During the task analysis, designers should ask themselves that “From where should I start designing?, What is the sequence of the information I have taken from the SME?”

I think there are several benefits of task analysis. This step in instructional design determines the necessary content to solve the instructional problem. Moreover, it makes the subject matter expert take every step into consideration, and thus the designer can see the content from the learner’s point of view.

There are 3 task analysis techniques:

Chapter 3: Conducting a Goal Analysis (Dick & Carey, 2001) (Week 4)

In Chapter 3, “Conducting a Goal Analysis” means determining the crucial steps of the instructional goal by using goal analysis. Why do we teach this subject-matter? Why do we mention about it? What is the goal? What are the benefits of this subject? What will the learner be able to do with the new knowledge he/she acquire after this lesson? The word “goal” here equals another important word “acquisition”; identifying exactly what the learner will be able to do?

Goal analysis has two main steps; 1) “classifying the goal according to the type of learning which will happen at the end of the course”, 2) “identify and sequence the major steps when the learner is performing the goal”. 

1)      Before starting designing a goal statement, we should know that there are certain subordinate skills to be learned. Gagne’s “domains of learning” will help to classify the goal.

2)      Another step of the goal analysis is to “imagine performing the step or explaining it to a learner”.  The designer can use a diagram to sequence the steps that will be learned. 

So the designer has to know everything about the goal. The best way to see if the goal is appropriate is having the learner performing the goal, or make the learner explain what he/she understands like peer teaching.

Chapter 5: Analyzing Learners and Contexts (Dick & Carey, 2001) (Week 3)

In Chapter 5, while analyzing the learners, first you should first determine the “target population”. You cannot teach someone (a child, a teenager, an adult..etc) who does not want to learn. So the instructors should gain the attraction of the learners by relating the subject “to their interests”. Therefore the learners will feel more interested in the subject, and they are going to be more likely to achieve the goal of the instruction.

                During the design of the instruction, designers should also give importance to the setting where the target “skill will be used”. The environment where the learners use their new knowledge is important as well. From my point of view as an English teacher, creating corridors or classes like Oxford Street, London, New York etc. I think teaching the culture of the target language is as important as teaching the language itself. The learners should be exposed to the target language as much as they can be.

                About the Context Analysis of Learning Environment part, the designer should check the current situation of the learning environment, and determine what can be added like “types of equipment and resources” in order to facilitate learning.

                So there was a question in the evaluation part which makes me think about: “How would they describe it in their own words?” If a subject is well-known you can paraphrasing it easily and without any help. So taking and giving feedback is one of the crucial steps of the ID process. 

                  I want to show a video about Analyzing the learner. Hope it will help :)

Introduction to the Instructional Design Process (Morrison, Ross & Kemp, 2007)

Morrison, Ross & Kemp asked a question at the very beginning of the chapter after an introduction: “What will you say to this group that will help ensure your longevity with the company?” I would answer to that question like “I’m going to provide you more efficient, and more effective way to earn money in a less time”.

The aim of the instructional design is to facilitate learning and teaching. In addition to this we can use instructional design to improve the quality of the lesson. As an English teacher, I think that kind of change will be a revolution: to narrow the lesson duration and improve the quality. In order to do this change, the masters of instructional design should unite and form a brand new, evolvable system. Thus the thing that we call “learning” will be more active, more influential, easier, and less time-consuming.

        As a teacher, I think learning the details of the instructional design process is important in terms of to ease teaching. By details, I mean “how to present text, design, deliver a lecture and prepare a test”. These components will also improve the quality of the lesson.

The article also speaks of the fields that we can use Instructional Design. Moreover, there are some basic statements that might help us to comprehend the ID process and perform it correctly.

Assessing Needs to Identify Instructional Goals (Dick & Carey, 2001)

                In the second chapter, Dick and Carey mention the significance of needs assessment process in order to achieve the instructional goals like “skills, knowledge, and attitudes”. Designers mostly focus on the acquisitions at the end of the course. The acquisitions also take place in our yearly plans (guess what? I’m a teacher J) and they are like “students will be able to take notes while listening.

                The problem, the solution and the instructional goal have to be crystal clear. The authors stated some questions for the clear goals (p.23). As the authors said “identify the problem” and find solutions about them is not an easy task. This is where our lesson about. We, as learners, have to find a problem and try to identify a solution, too. We should emphasize the acquisition part which is the main goal of instructional design.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Instructional Design (Dick & Carey, 2001)

                The first chapter starts with a traditional instructional process which contains only learners, textbooks and the instructors. To teach the students already existing content in their textbook was the duty of the teacher. According to this, training the teacher would be enough to raise the learning.

                However, the modern appearance of the instructional process includes learners, instructional materials, instructor, and learning environment. It is more systematic. In the chapter, we also have a chance to find the answer to a question: What is a system? In a system, every single unit reckons upon each other. Every unit of the system (materials, instructor, learner, environment) is related to each other. The failure of one means the hitch of the whole. The instructional system evolves whenever something goes wrong, it automatically starts to look for a solution that can make itself better. For example, if a student has a problem with the present perfect tense and s/he doesn’t understand the way the instructor taught, then a new way should be found. But on the contrary, I believe the system should change continuously. The process should improve progressively without needing a failure in order to change.

                In the “Components of the Systems Approach Model” part, Dick and Carey explain us the instructional system design step by step. I think this part is to ease our understanding of the whole concept. However, like the authors said, if you are a novice, you will understand the system better when “you begin to use” it. So the first chapter crayons the aims, the utility of the instructional process and why should we use the systems approach.