The key to improving our instruction is to know what methods of instruction to use when. It's helpful to think of different methods of instruction as different tools for a carpenter. If you only have a hammer, then everything looks like a nail to you. And you won't be able to make a very good piece of furniture. So what we need is a knowledge base about methods of instruction to supplement the creative, "art" aspect of training. Such a knowledge base would offer optimal methods for given situations.

But what are the important situations that call for different methods? How can we tell what methods (tools) to use when? Some of the options are the nature of:

• the learner
• the content
• the goals
• the learning environment
• the teacher
• the resources

Which do you think are most important? Why?

In order to design our instruction, we need to know two things:

• We need to know about methods (what tools are available).
• We need to know about situations (when the tools should be used).

  

• What is the purpose of instruction?
• Challenge: How to make good instruction?
• What are the relevant kinds of learning?
• Levels of Cognitive Learning
• Application-level learning
• Synthesis
• Self-Test