Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction

Gagne’s and Construtivist Theories

Learning Goal:  Teaching 5^th grade students about simple adaptations.

I would first show the students a power point slide of a chameleon and ask them they knew what the organism was and where it lived.  I would also ask if any students have ever seen a live chameleon or have an animal that would be similar to the chameleon and why they are similar.  I would then inform them that they are going to be learning how to identify traits that help a particular species survive and reproduce in their habitat.   

Next I would explain to the students that there is an environment of chameleons under some butcher paper that I have already placed on their tables in their groups.  They will have 30 seconds to look at the environment, replace the paper cover and write in their journals what they saw.  After they are finished writing we will have a class discussion as to what the students saw regarding number and color.  I might also have the different grouping tables put their information on the board. 

(The chameleons will be pasted to newspaper print with several cut out from newspaper and several in different colors)

Students would then be able to look at the environment again to see and compare their answers with those of the class.  After they have had a second chance to look for several minutes, the actual numbers will be given to them. 

Students will then create their own camouflage chameleon to be placed in the classroom.  When students are finished creating their chameleon, they will all exit the classroom.  They will re-enter one by one to place their chameleons and return outside the classroom.  Students will then all re-enter the classroom and have a chance to search for other student’s camouflaged chameleons around the room.  A class discussion will occur about certain adaptive characteristics that made it easy or difficult to locate the camouflaged chameleons and why it would be important for an organism to posses these characteristics.  Students will then write in their journals what they have learned. 

I found this reference to Gagne’s nine events of instruction on the web at edutech wiki:

http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Nine_events_of_instruction

The conditions of learning

Gagné's most essential ingredients of teaching are:

• presenting the knowledge or demonstrating the skill
• providing practice with feedback
• providing learner guidance

These elements have to be designed differently according to the type of learning level (learning goal) to be achieved. For Gagné, instructional design means to first identify the goal (a learning outcome) and then construct the learning hierarchy, i.e. do a task analysis of skills needed to perform a measurable activity that demonstrates a learning goal.

The nine events of instruction

Gagne's 9 general steps of instruction for learning are:

1. Gain attention:
• e.g. present a good problem, a new situation, use a multimedia advertisement, ask questions.
• This helps to ground the lesson, and to motivate
2. Describe the goal:
• e.g. state what students will be able to accomplish and how they will be able to use the knowledge, give a demonstration if appropriate.
• Allows students to frame information, i.e. treat it better.
3. Stimulate recall of prior knowledge
• e.g. remind the student of prior knowledge relevant to the current lesson (facts, rules, procedures or skills). Show how knowledge is connected, provide the student with a framework that helps learning and remembering. Tests can be included.
4. Present the material to be learned
• e.g. text, graphics, simulations, figures, pictures, sound, etc. Chunk information (avoid memory overload, recall information).
5. Provide guidance for learning
• e.g. presentation of content is different from instructions on how to learn. Use of different channel (e.g. side-boxes)
6. Elicit performance "practice"
• let the learner do something with the newly acquired behavior, practice skills or apply knowledge. At least use MCQ's.
7. Provide informative feedback ,
• show correctness of the trainee's response, analyze learner's behavior, maybe present a good (step-by-step) solution of the problem
8. Assess performance test, if the lesson has been learned. Also give sometimes general progress information
9. Enhance retention and transfer :
• e.g. inform the learner about similar problem situations, provide additional practice. Put the learner in a transfer situation. Maybe let the learner review the lesson.

Application of First Principles:

The lesson involves real world situations referring to the survival of an organism in its environment due to adaptations.  A way to change this to first lesson principles would be to begin by telling the students they are going to learn about how certain organisms are able to survive in their environments because of unique characteristics.  Problem solving could be applied by determining if these organisms could survive in a different ecosystem just as they are or would the organism need to change.  Recalling prior knowledge could be done in the same fashion as described above.  The demonstration phase of the lesson would be accomplished by showing students several different organisms in their different ecosystems and having the students come up with ideas on how that organism survives in that environment.  The application principle would be considered the same as when the students look at the environment the first time to see if they can spot the chameleons.  The watch me principle would be applied when students themselves have to find the organisms.  Another step could be added here to see if the students could create an organism that would live in an ecosystem of their choice.  They would have to create one and tell why and how it can live in the environment they choose. 

Whole-task, scaffolding, and mathemagenic model:

Students will work in small groups of 3 to 4.  Provide students with a computer-generated scenario of an ecosystem and the organisms that live in that ecosystem.  Present problems within the ecosystem that are data based within the computer.  Students must accomplish survival of the organisms within the ecosystem to maintain homeostasis and success in preserving the ecosystem.  Each group will have a different ecosystem to work on and will share ideas about might work across ecosystems as they solve some of the same problems presented in different ecosystems.  Problems presented will build on knowledge that the students show while solving problems.  Computer will generate the next sequence of problems dependent on responses from students. 

At the end of the lesson, going to school could also be tied into this model to show students that they need to have the proper tools in order to survive and be successful in school. 

K9 Narcotics Detection

Attention:

Perceptual Arousal – Show a photo of several thousand dollars confiscated from a productive K9 search. 

Inquiry Arousal – Ask the students to smell two different objects, one with a strong smell that would be easily identified and the other with a very weak odor.  Tell them that the K9 can detect small odors very successfully just like it was easy for them to identify the strong odor.  Make the comparison that the K9 can detect the small odor like the human can detect the well recognized and strong one.   

Variability – Do a blind-fold test to see if they can identify objects, show video clips of dogs detecting odors under water, show live demonstrations of dogs finding hidden target scents in different situations during the training.

Relevance

Goal Orientation – Know what level experience and training that handlers may have previously had.

Motive Matching – Students need to understand that if they do not properly conduct a search that they will be unsuccessful in identifying the target scent and possibly allow the infusion of a greater amount of narcotics in the community.

Familiarity – Use background knowledge of the handler to determine what instruction is necessary for a successful team.  Knowing if the handler has any type of  K9 training experience would determine how to incorporate lessons.  Also know if the K9 has had any prior training and match that to the ability of the handler.

Confidence

Learning Requirements – Make first efforts at detection easy for the dog and handler to understand and build from there. 

Success Opportunities – Allow the student to search for known hides before asking to search for un-known hides.  Make first un-known hides attainable to build confidence in trusting the K9. 

Personal Control – Handlers will know they are successful in handling and reading the K9 if they find the target scent.

Satisfaction

Intrinsic Reinforcement – Allow handlers that understand the process to help other handlers with problems they may be encountering.  Allow handlers to create their own hides to determine if other handlers are successful at finding the target scent.  They can discuss what was good and not so good about their choices.  

Extrinsic Rewards -  Build in more difficult tasks that the handlers can be successful at during training.  Do school and/or local searches that will help the community.

Equity – They will be self-reinforced doing this type of work.

The benefits to learning about design research is that it adds to the “teacher toolbox” with different strategies that can accomplish learning.  By investigating a myriad of possible incorporation's to learning and how they are accomplished, a teacher will have greater knowledge on problem-solving themselves within the classroom.  It also allows the instructor to understand why something works or doesn’t work in the field of education and how it might apply to their own classrooms.