Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction

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How do they compare?

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Merrill's First Principles

1. Problem centered - Let me do the task!

Provide students with clear and complete instruction on "how-to" generate a blog and discuss different uses for an electronic blog. Make certain that students understand the instructional goals and are able to see the "big picture" or the "whole task."

2. Activation - Where do I start?

Ask students to consider their favorite book and give a brief oral book talk. Direct students to recall important information to be included in a book report (prior knowledge). Question students about why they recommend the book and invite them to publish an electronic "book talk". To create interest in reading and book discussions, students will publish their personal reflections about books in their own blog that can be shared with classmates.

3. Demonstration - Don't just tell me, show me!

Provide students with a range of examples of blogs that include the criteria that is to be included in the assignment. Use a Jing presentation to guide students through the process of setting up an account, creating a blog, and posting a reflection. A clear, narrative description along with this visual model of the sequence of events that characterize the process enable students to think about and recall prior knowledge.

4. Application -- Let me do it!

Provide learners with the opportunity to practice and apply their new knowledge and skills by generating a blog and posting their first personal reflection about their favorite book. Check for student understanding and offer corrective feedback and redirect if necessary.

5. Integration - Watch me!

Provide learners with the opportunity to use their new knowledge and skills by joining the class book club, generating a blog in which they post personal reflections about books, share favorite authors, and recommend books to classmates.

Whole-task approach refers to the shift in instructional design to a holistic approach in which objectives are not taught one-by-one or in isolation. Instead, instruction integrates skills in an effort to teach the "whole task." Creating a blog would be taught as a whole task consisting of the following subskills: Create an account using Blogger, post a reflection, edit post, insert a picture, embed a video, and publish the blog.

Scaffolding refers to the idea that specialized instructional supports need to be in place in order to facilitate learning. Some scaffolding techniques might include using a Jing presentation to model the subskills, activating prior knowledge by reflecting on what information would be included in a written book report, and conducting book talks on popular new books to pique interest.

Mathemagenic methods, like other holistic design approaches, aim at learning goals that go beyond a limited list of specific examples, and teach for transfer in order to foster learning. By asking leading questions throughout the learning task, the instructor may help students to transfer information and reach a more general understanding. By asking the students to read and analyze other blogs and give constructive feedback or by asking students to generate blogs for a variety of purposes, transfer of knowledge has taken place.

ARCS Model

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Students often have difficulties integrating the things they learn into a knowledge base and transfering this knowledge in their work and daily lives. A well-designed, holistic approach helps learners to coordinate integrated objectives and allows for transfer that goes beyond the classroom into the real world. The development of holistic instructional design models based on sound research have made a real difference in educational practices. As a result of this evidence-based instructional design, learners are learning to see the whole picture rather than learning in fragmented objectives that don't transfer to real and useful knowledge.