Page 183 - Making Instruction Work

chap 15 3/11/97 5:08 PM Page 169

module drafting 169

You already have a description of relevant practice, so drafting
the practice section should be easy and help get you started.
Say what equipment and supplies students will have to get, say
where to get them and what to do with them, and describe
how feedback will be made available. Once you’ve done that,
you will have a much clearer picture of what the remainder of
the module should be like.
To be perfectly honest, you might consider writing the prac-
tice section first for all the modules you develop. Here’s why:
Just as the writing of a criterion test item is a good way to find
out where the objectives need sharpening, writing the practice
section is a good way to sharpen your understanding of what
else, if anything, will need to be added to the module in the
way of content. Just as the result (the objective) tells you what
kind of practice you need, the practice will suggest the addi-
tional content you will need.

The Lesson Plan
A lesson plan is an instructional prescription, a blueprint
describing the activities the instructor and student may engage
in to reach the objectives of the course. Its main purpose is to
prescribe the key events that should occur during the module.
If the instructor finds it necessary to deliver most or all of the
instruction through lectures, the lesson plan is the guide to the
instructor’s actions. When a module is put into the hands of
the student, it performs a similar function: it tells the student
what to do, where to locate the instructional resources, how to
practice, and how to demonstrate competence when ready.
The precise format of the lesson plan is less important than
making sure it performs its important functions. As you have
already listed or summarized the content of each lesson, the
task of preparing a module will be relatively simple. Whatever