Instructional Design and Teaching Styles

Demonstrator Approach

Overview

This approach to curriculum planning focuses on performance of an academic procedure. The instructor defines the steps an expert in the field would use to accomplish necessary tasks and defines the standards which would indicate mastery in applying these procedures. The instructor then develops situations in which these steps can be performed and results observed. The instructor may be the one who demonstrates the procedures, the students may be the ones practicing the procedures, or some combination of both. The students are given tasks to accomplish and their success at completing them forms the core of the evaluation.  This approach is most closely linked to Sections I, II, or V of Angelo and Cross's inventory.

Goals

The goals of the demonstrator are usually defined in terms of a student's ability to successfully perform an academic task. The emphasis shifts from "knowing about" to "able to do." The concern changes from content coverage to thoughtful application of content as part of the task. More common in laboratory settings, this approach might also appear when traditional disciplines incorporate a goal that students should be apprentice scholars in the discipline: able to "do" history, philosophy, or linguistic critique not just know about it. Some use this model to teach small group social skills. It also becomes an important approach to planning when the instructor's goal includes basic intellectual skills and/or critical thinking skills.

Key to successfully planning demonstration lessons is the instructor's choice of a model that defines the steps of successful performance. This most frequently is done by adopting a model accepted in the field (steps of critical thinking, stages of problem-solving, etc.). The instructor must also define the standards of acceptable performance. This is the goal. Often, the instructor sequences the stages of total mastery, moving students along a sequence where mastery is reached at specific points along the way. These are the sub-goals.

Lesson Plans

The lesson will normally be organized to present some set of procedures that students are expected to master. Where the steps are not clearly stated in an existing model, a task analysis -a step-by-step listing of actions to complete the task -- must be done. The lesson is organized according to the steps and, like the Formal Authority lesson, probably includes an introductory overview and a summary review. Andy Farquharson recommends the EDICT approach -Explain, Demonstrate, Involve, Coach, Test/Terminate/Transfer.

In outlining the steps to be followed, the instructor should anticipate questions, concerns, and confusions that appear at each step. He or she should also define clearly how students will be able to evaluate successful completion of each step (self-evaluation is usually an essential dimension of successful performance).

If the step will be presented by the instructor, many of the same considerations described in the Formal Authority lesson plans will apply. If the steps will be performed by the students, instructors should assure adequate organization of necessary materials and prepare questions that will prompt students at each step (and where experience indicates, special mini-lessons on particularly troublesome steps).

Because of the concern for content coverage, it is worth noting that demonstrators do not assume that skilled performance should exclude basic knowledge of terms, concepts, principles, or theories. Rather, they assume that they will be better learned when integrated into the steps of a task. Texts are better viewed as resource manuals to be used when course knowledge is needed for successful completion of the task. Instructors normally include instructions on when (at what step) students should expect to turn to this material and, possible, how to obtain it effectively (through library searches, text reviews, etc.)

Evaluation

The principle summative evaluation used by demonstrators is the successful accomplishment of a task. This evaluation may be broken down into segments that are related to mastery of particular parts of the procedure. Often tests are used to determine mastery rather than grades. Grades may be determined by how many mastery levels are accomplished (although degrees of mastery are also possible discriminators).

A great deal of the teaching process may hinge on the formative evaluation process in which students are monitored and corrective advice given. Decisions about whether a student should proceed to the next step or return for further learning at the current step are based on these results. The course itself is evaluated by how many students can successfully accomplish the performance goals. An ongoing review of steps that are causing greatest difficulty indicates the areas for future improvement.

A Useful Source

Andy Farquharson, (1995). Teaching in Practice. SF: Jossey-Bass.

Connections to other Instructional Design and Teaching Styles pages:
Introduction
Formal Authority Teaching Style
Facilitator Teaching Style
Delegator Teaching Style

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