Learning should never be boring.
Many years ago, I started to think about how people learn. It began with homeschooling my children – all five of them, all with different strengths and interests – and continued through all of the work situations where I have needed to help someone learn. I am also a lifelong learner, constantly diving into a new and interesting subject. Learning how to learn better has been an integral part of this process. This intense interest in how human beings learn, coupled with a love of words and design, led me to where I am today: formalizing my learning about learning.
Graduate school has been a wonderful window into the world of learning theory. It’s allowed me to refine my understanding of some concepts, extend my understanding of others, and put everything together into a cohesive philosophy on the methodologies that will best engage and motivate learners. The philosophy that has evolved through this process is fairly simple: know your desired result, engage the learner, and tell a good story.
“Begin with the end in mind.”
-Stephen Covey
My learning philosophy is centered around the concept of “begin with the end in mind,” which is the central concept of the Backward Design Model developed by Wiggins and McTighe (2005). The Backward Design Model focuses on the end result of the learning. It starts with the big idea – the true goal of the course or lesson. The big idea then guides the entire development process, acting as the compass for the project.
This concept is also central to the concepts written about by Cathy Moore in her book “Map It” (2017). The Map It framework is centered around the question” what does the learner need to do?” (Moore, 2017). Every action develops from that question, from analysis through evaluation of results. These models keep the learner squarely at the center of all learning. It is the actions or knowledge that the learner needs that drives the entire process of designing instruction.
“Learning can only happen when a child is interested. If he’s not interested, it’s like throwing marshmallows at his head and calling it eating.”
-Katrina Gutleben
If what the learner needs to do is the central focus of instructional design, then engaging the learner is the first responsibility of the instructional designer. In an ideal world, the learner would be self-motivated before the lesson even starts. The reality is that motivation has many levels, and not all of them have to do with the contents of the lesson. Motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic.
It is my job as the instructional designer to engage the learner no matter what their motivation is. This can be accomplished by connecting the dots for the learner regarding the value of the learning and ensuring that the content is presented in an engaging way.
Connecting the dots is about answering the learner’s unspoken question: what’s in it for me? Sometimes answering the question outright is the most efficient choice. At other times, the content itself is necessary but not all that motivational. In that case, placing the content in a format that engages can carry the learner through to mastery. Gamification and humor are two ways that this can be accomplished.
“Storytelling is the oldest form of education.”
-Terry Tempest Williams
Another way to engage the learner is by utilizing the natural human affinity for story. Stepping outside of the traditional format of information dump followed by a test and engaging the learner with scenario-based learning can often increase engagement and retention. Scenario-based learning follows the age-old writing dictum “show, don’t tell” attributed to Anton Chekhov. As the learner moves through the scenario, they are drawn in to the world created by the instructional designer. Scenario-based learning is not the only format that storytelling can fit into, though. Story can be used to enhance any content and encourage an emotional connection with the learner.
My goal as an instructional designer is to keep the learner front and center at all times and to create courses that meet the learner’s needs. By beginning with the end in mind, engaging the learner throughout the course, and telling a good story, I hope to do just that.
“We are all just stories in the end.”
-Doctor Who (11th)