Page 164 - Making Instruction Work

chap 13 3/11/97 5:06 PM Page 150

150 making instruction work

• Demonstration of correct performance
Here’s what it looks and sounds like when done correctly . . .

• Practice in recognizing correct performance
This will help keep you from practicing the wrong thing . . .

• Practice in performing, with feedback
Now it’s your turn . . .

•Skill check
Let’s find out how well you’re doing . . .
(Ironically, ventriloquism provides a good example of how
the absence of a critical piece of information can slow devel-
opment of the skill. The critical information missing from
every course I’ve seen is this: The ventriloquist can never hear
the illusion! No matter how much they may practice, they will
never “hear” the puppet’s voice coming from the puppet,
because they themselves are making that voice. Once this fact
is known by the students they don’t feel nearly as silly “talking
to themselves;” they’re more likely to practice, and they devel-
op confidence in their skills much faster.)

Example #2: Let’s use one of the same examples we used for
relevant practice. Here’s the objective again and the description
of relevant practice for that objective:

Objective: Given an objective and a relevant practice
checklist, be able to write a description of
relevant practice. Criteria: The description
includes (a) the performance required, (b)
critical cues and conditions under which the
performance is expected to occur, and (c)
sources of adequacy,diagnostic,and corrective
feedback.