Page 161 - Making Instruction Work

chap 13 3/11/97 5:06 PM Page 147

content derivation 147

NOTE: Here’s an important tip on how to complete this
step in the development process. Think of yourself as con-
structing a summary of lesson content, rather than an
outline of content. Sure, your content will be presented in
an organized manner when the module is finished, but it
can be an obstacle to begin outlining before you have any
substance to outline. So just list the content of the module
as you answer the questions above. And when you find
that for some objectives you will need only to provide
practice and feedback, reward yourself. Your students will
thank you for refraining from boring them with things
they already know, and, if they’re an enlightened lot, your
administrators will thank you for getting the job done
with a minimum of wasted motion.
“But I couldn’t let my students out early,” I hear you
gasping. Of course not. After all, we’re not that enlight-
ened. But you can provide a menu of optional activities
that students would find interesting and productive if
they reach competence before the time is up. Or, you
could teach them how to do a performance or goal analy-
sis. Everybody ought to know how to do that.

Warning: Danger Ahead

The technique described in this chapter is a powerful one.
Use it for the course that you develop, but be cautious about
applying it to someone else’s. Though you will be able to iden-
tify all sorts of unnecessary instruction once you’ve learned
this technique, you would be wise to share that knowledge
with great care. Nobody likes to be told that there is no need
for some—or all—of what they are teaching.