Page 65 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

3.2 Linking Instructional Strategies to Learning Objectives 53
c. Exploratory instruction—appropriate for promoting understanding about
phenomena new to the learner.
d. Interactive simulation—appropriate for promoting critical reasoning about
dynamic, complex systems.
e. Socratic questioning—appropriate for helping a learner link something new
and seemingly unfamiliar to something already understood.
f. Lecture—appropriate for introducing a new topic and creating some motivation
and an appropriate foundation for that topic.

Of course, there are many more strategies, and they can be applied in many
ways. At a course level, the general approach might be an experiential strategy, but
at the unit level a lecture might be effective to introduce basic concepts, and at the
activity level, a case-based collaborative discourse or an interactive simulation
might be effective. What is important is to align the strategy with the type of thing
to be learned. Determining the appropriate strategy for a particular task is an
important aspect of instructional design, as already mentioned multiple times. The
designer takes into account various strategies suggested by an instructional theory
and relevant learning theory, along with the type of thing to be learned and the
learners involved, and then describes how to deploy those strategies in order to
achieve optimal learning outcomes (Table 3.2).
Mastery Learning
The mastery learning model is based on the assumption that all students of a class
can learn and attain the mastery level if sufficient time, adequate instruction, and
timely help are provided to them according to their needs, interests, and abilities
(Schwartz & Beichner, 1998). Therefore, the model focuses on attaining mastery
level (i.e., grade A as an indicator of mastery of a subject) by almost all the
students, say 95% of a class with due provisions of sufficient time and appropriate
types of scaffolding and feedback (i.e., help; see Bloom, 1971).

Programmed Learning
Generally, the learning performed or instruction provided by a teaching machine or
programmed textbook is referred to as programmed learning or instruction. Pro-
grammed learning is a method or technique of giving or receiving individualized
instruction from a variety of sources such as programmed textbook, teaching
machine, and computers with or without the help of a teacher (Schwartz &
Beichner, 1998).
Simulation
Simulation is used as a technique for providing training to the students. Such type
of instructional activities provides powerful learning tools to them (Schwartz &
Beichner, 1998).