Instructional design/Adult learning/Instructional Methods

Common Instructional Methods
When working with adult learners, there are instructional strategies that work well, and others that don't. For example, a drill-and-response method where instructor provides terms and figures for the learner to memorize might not be very effective. As the previous slide mentioned, the adult learner's readiness and orientation to learn bring a desire to immediately apply new learning to a context that the learner finds important (such as at work). So, memorizing terms and phrases apart from providing contexts or appropriate suggestions for application would likely seem frustrating to the learner.

How do we increase the likelihood that the learner finds relevance in the instruction (and, as a result, retains and uses the information)? The following table outlines seven common instructional strategies, along with how individual adult learning characteristics may be addressed by the strategy. Finally, the last paragraph provides examples of how the individual strategies might be utilized when delivering subject specific content.

For the last two instructional methods, the adult learning characteristic and example are blank. Please take a moment to determine which characteristic(s) the method addresses, and provide an example of how it might play out in an instructional setting.

More Information
To read more about Instructional Methods:

Olson, Dorsey, & Reigeluth - as found on page 22 of Instructional -Design Theories and Models

Click Choosing Methods to continue.