Educational Pedagogy

We are going to be discussing many aspects of interactive learning materials, so we might as well agree on a common working definition. Since the start of eLearning, many things have happened and many more will for sure. For those committed to the learning and engagement of their learners, the idea of an interactive material should by now be well beyond having a place where you can see some images and click next. When we talk about interactive learning materials, it means that the learner is not passively going through and trying to sip in the contents but it means that they have to solve problems, make decisions, look for pieces of information, test assumptions and take risks.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

On the surface, learning objectives don’t seem all that complicated. You begin with an objective or you can work backwards from the desired outcome. Then you select an activity or assignment that accomplishes the objective or outcome. After completion of the activity or assignment, you assess to discover if students did in fact learn what was proposed. All that’s very appropriate. Teachers should be clear about what students need to know and be able to do when a course ends. But too often that’s where it stops. We don’t go any further in our thinking about our learning objectives. There’s another, more challenging, set of questions that also merit our attention.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Over the last few years, e-learning has become the most preferred means of learning for both the corporate and the education domain. E-learning is a cost-effective way to deliver online learning courses to learners worldwide. The self-paced nature of the e-learning experience results in high retention of employees at the workplace. Learners can access training content online, without wasting their time and budget. A plethora of methods can be followed in e-learning, and developers need to choose the one that best fits their requirements as well as aligns well with a technology-aided platform. Given below is the list of Gagné’s 9 Events of Instruction:

Via Carlos Fosca

In addition to literacy strategies, approaches to assessment, and grouping strategies (among many others), knowing the right teaching strategy for the right academic situation may not be a matter of expertise or training, but memory: out of sight, out of mind, yes?

Which makes the following infographic from fortheteachers.org useful.

While it doesn’t offer definitions and explanations for each strategy (it’s an infographic, not a book), and many great strategies are missing (e.g., 3-2-1, exit slip, project-based learning, accountable talk, ask a question, etc.) it does work well as a kind of reminder for what’s possible, even offering categories for each strategy, from progress monitoring (think-pair-share, KWL charts), to Note-Taking (graphic organizers).

There are 87 instructional strategies listed below, but several are repeated across categories, so let’s call it “50+” strategies.

Via John Evans, Dean J. Fusto, Elizabeth E Charles

Want to know how to avoid Overwhelming Learners? Check 5 ways to avoid Overwhelming Learners and not throw too much content at them.

Via EDTECH@UTRGV, Miloš Bajčetić, Jim Lerman