Page 106 - Making Instruction Work

chap 9 3/4/97 3:35 PM Page 92

92 making instruction work

point, or outcomes, of instruction. With the information
derived from the task, goal, and performance analyses, it will
be possible to write objectives that describe what students
should be able to do at the time they leave the instruction.
(This is the topic of Chapter 7.) Now it will be useful to think
about the “raw material” for the instruction, the students
themselves. Just as the objectives will help determine where the
instruction should end, the characteristics of the entering stu-
dents will help determine where the instruction should begin.
Think of it this way: Instruction takes students from where
they are to where they need to be, from their present state to a
desired state. Thus, the instruction for any individual student
should close the gap between actual and desired competence.

What they need to be able to do
– What they can already do
= The instruction

You can see from this simple formula why the importance of
a target population description cannot be overemphasized.
Without it, the entry point for any student can only be arrived
at by guessing.

What’s in It for Me?

Target population information not only will help to reveal a
useful starting point, it will help to shape the course itself. It
will help determine which examples are most likely to fit, what
vocabulary to use, and even what media and procedures to
adopt. For example, if you learn that your students are active
people, you won’t make them sit passively for long periods of
time. If you know they find reading difficult, you’ll want to
minimize the reading load by using other ways to present
information. If they tend not to be interested in sports, you’ll