Instruction

Instruction is the act of teaching or directing a learner in a way that intentionally promotes learning. Instruction is performed by a teacher or facilitator, a digital stystem, or media.

Definition

Instruction is a specific action or move made by a person or computer with a learner. This can be directions provided to the learner, with the specific intention of helping the learner achieve a learning objective, or it can be providing information to the learner.

Instruction can be understood as the actions that are (1) taken by an expert, a more experienced person, or an educational product itself, (2) toward a learner to (3) direct the learner on what to do in a learning experience.

Educational activities without instruction or the involvement of a teacher/instructor is often called self-directed learning.

Additional Information

Instructional tasks can be performed by people (instructors, teachers, facilitators) or computers (software, devices, etc.). Instruction is also inherently included in educational products and experiences, as the product's specifications and interfaces will tell a participant what to do with the intent of helping them learn. In other words, an educational design should direct and instruct a participant on what they should do within the experience and how they should interact.

In addition to instructional tasks that are performed by teachers or software, instruction can also simply be a set of directions or instructions on how to participate in an activity or how to perform an educational task. Examples include a how-to manual, step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task, or a written set of instructions on how to complete an assignment. However, instruction in the sense of "providing directions" is not interactive and learners do not receive the benefit of feedback or differentiated support, which are instructional tasks that are typically done by a teacher or a computer system. However, directions and instructions are still necessary within learning experiences, as people still need to know what to do and how to do it.

Instruction is often called pedagogy, which is the set of actions, strategies, and approaches that a teacher or facilitator takes with learners to promote learning objectives. Many pedagogical approaches exist, and each are founded on learning theories that predict how a person will learn as a result of their participation in an educational activity, but also combined with the pedagogical actions taken by an instructor.

Instructional design, as a field, is the intentional design of educational experiences and instructional tasks that are intended to teach a person specific learning objectives.

The inclusion of a teacher or facilitator within an educational product or experience provides one additional layer of interaction to learners. The role of the teacher in a learning experience is to provide additional, useful interactions to a learner that they could not achieve on their own. A teacher's instructional role is to take specific actions that are intended and expected to help the learner achieve their learning objectives.

Common instructional tasks and actions

Teachers do quite a lot of instructional tasks in the classroom! Instructional tasks can be completed by instructors, computer systems, and through the instructions given by the educational activity itself.

• Direct instruction, which is communicating informational content and facts to learners, usually in the form of lectures
• Giving directions (instructions) on how to participate in learning activities
• Implementation, which is the use of educational products and performing administrative tasks, to the expectation of the designer
• Adaptation of activities and products to meet the specific needs of participants
• Facilitation of educational activities and keeping activities moving on schedule
• Moderation of social activity, including keeping conversations civil and on track
• Tutoring students who need specialized and differentiated support
• Providing feedback for peoples' work and participation, including providing grades in formal education settings (particularly with formative assessments)
• Providing organization and guidance to help learners stay on track and keep on schedule
• Coaching and guidance to participants, such as helping them weigh options and present choices for them to make
• Monitoring the learning process, such as keeping a close eye on learner progress and participation
• Identifying participants' prior knowledge and experiences, and identifying how these influence their current activity
• Providing differentiated instruction based on each learner's individual needs and background
• Instructional planning, considering next steps based on needs of the learners
• Offering scaffolding and support, helping learners participate when needed

Common instructional approaches (also known as pedagogical approaches)

Multiple pedagogies and instructional approaches exist for instructors and facilitators to use in educational settings. This wiki emphasizes the use of active learning pedagogies where learners are active participants within a learning experience and not simply passive recipients of information, knowledge, and media. The instructional approaches (i.e., pedagogies) listed below are commonly found in educational products:

• Direct instruction and lecture-based teaching
• Content-based learning
• Active learning
• Student-centered learning
• Problem-based learning
• Project-based learning
• Case-based learning

Tips and Tricks

• Consider what specific roles and tasks any instructors, teachers, or the technologies that you use will have in the educational experience. Each time a person or technology interacts with a learner, this is considered an instructional task (or move). Inclusion of instructional tasks are an important part of planning the design of the educational activities and what learners will do and be exposed to. Instructional tasks can directly influence learners' behaviors and participation within an educational setting, so it is important to consider what these will be and document them.
• Think about all of the things that you expect a person to do while they are participating in an educational experience. A set of instructions should be provided (either written, as a video, etc.) to participants so that it is clear what they are supposed to do in the activities. Providing directions for how to participate in activities and instructing them on what they should know is another type of instructional task that should be considered during the design of an educational experience.
• Teachers and facilitators do more than just teach - or simply tell people what they should know. This is true not just in K-12 learning, but any educational context or industry. There are many pedagogical and instructional tasks that instructors could take to support participants' learning, such as providing support, guiding their participation, facilitating ongoing and sustained engagement, and monitoring progress. Review the list of instructional tasks above to find additional topics that may be useful for thinking about your design.

Related Concepts

• Teacher or facilitator role in learning
• Teacher-centered learning
• Content-focused learning
• Student-centered learning
• Instructional design
• Active learning
• Passive learning

Examples

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External Resources

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