EDID6503 Theories and instructional strategies

The thought of how theories were developed, proven, built upon, or much less researched never crossed my mind. Comparing design theory and learning theory gave a greater insight into the necessary groundwork for Instructional Design and how views play an essential role in its development. What stood out is that no single theory or approach is enough to stand on its own; a combination of ideas and strategies should be used given the context. This will be seen more in my final project design.

​

Being exposed to this course made it possible to develop and lead a teacher's continuing education session on instructional strategies. The session incorporated several instructional methods that brought friendly rivalry through game-based learning, group work, reflection and experiential learning. These strategies were selected based on observations made during a previous development session I facilitated. Back then the teachers were more engaged when they competed against each other using Kahoot at the end of the session using Google classroom. 

​

Since joining the teaching profession, I have believed that classroom teaching techniques must change and move with the ever-changing times. This course has equipped me with ways to do that in my classroom. The diverse learner set we encounter as educators and trainers require matching teaching strategies. I firmly believe that educational sectors and businesses must change teaching strategies to accommodate a new generation of learners (Pick et al., 2017).

​

As a budding Instructional Designer, teacher, trainer and futurist facilitator, Foundational Theories and Instructional Strategies is a course that sheds light on many questions for me. While the course progressed, epiphany moments flowed as the importance of understanding the foundational theories, knowing design concepts and when to use instructional models has stuck with me. This course was the catalyst for my journey as an instructional designer. As I completed this design project, I ensured that various strategies were incorporated. For example, group work, peer-to-peer learning, scenario-based learning, teamwork, coaching and, most importantly, gamification were featured in the design.