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2 making instruction work

with the tools at hand. Fortunately, those tools are within the
grasp of those with even the most limited instructional
resources—they need no special approval or budget to make
them work.

Who It’s For

This book is for those vitally important people who teach in
an environment where the outcomes of their instruction are of
serious consequence to both student and sponsor alike—who
teach, in other words, where it matters whether the instruction
accomplishes its announced goals and objectives. It is for those
who teach so that others may achieve intellectual and eco-
nomic independence, as well as self-respect, in their own
worlds.

What It’s For
The purpose of this book is to describe and illustrate the key
components of the instructional craft. But just as there are far
more words in the English language than you will ever need or
use, there is far more to know about the craft of instruction
than you can, or need to, put to practical use. This book is
about those practical pieces—the pieces that will make your
instruction lean, on target, motivating, and effective.
Though the chapters of this book cannot send you away
highly skilled in the procedures being described, they will
point you to those procedures that, if applied, will increase the
elegance (effectiveness and efficiency) of your efforts.
NOTE: Many instructors are literally dropped into a
course, given a textbook, and told to “Go teach.” Though
this situation may not be ideal from either an instructor’s
or student’s point of view, it often cannot be avoided. But
even though you have to “hit the ground running,” you