Design Guide: Part 2 - Lesson

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Overview

Please open your copy of the Design Guide, and turn your attention to Part 2: Lesson Links to an external site.. Now that you’ve outlined important foundational information related to your lesson within the Lesson Description, it is time to create the lesson itself. The Lesson section of the Design Guide provides guiding prompts for each of the sections below.

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Instructional Strategies and Activities

In this section of the lesson, you will revise the lesson itself (i.e. the instructional strategies and activities the instructor will implement within the lesson). As you’ll remember from Module 2, we reviewed Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction, and you completed a Design Practice: Learning Experience Map exercise that documented your recommended changes within the context of these principles. You will now develop your lesson and related instructional materials within the context of the WIPPEA lesson framework (Warm-Up, Introduction, Presentation, Practice, Assessment, and Application), as described below.

WIPPEA Framework: Overview

Let's take a closer look at how you will integrate Merrill's First Principles of Instruction into the design of our lessons. Those in the adult education field will notice the similarities between Merrill's First Principles of Instruction and the WIPPEA framework commonly used in adult education lesson planning. WIPPEA is an acronym for:

  • W = Warm-up
  • I = Introduction
  • P = Presentation
  • P = Practice
  • E = (Summative) Evaluation (not to be confused with Formative Evaluation in Module 6)
  • A = Application

WIPPEA Lesson Planning Components

A comprehensive review of the WIPPEA framework is provided in the Just Write! Guide published by the American Institutes of Research for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education Links to an external site.. [Note: the guide is in the public domain ... yay!] The steps with examples from that guide (p. 80) are reprinted below.

W: Warm-up

Assesses prior knowledge by reviewing previous materials relevant to the current lesson. Introduce an activity that reviews previously learned content (e.g. for a vocabulary lesson, the warm-up may be a quick matching exercise with words previously learned and their definitions), and also include an activity that focuses on the topic to be taught.

I: Introduction

Provides a broad overview of the content and concepts to be taught and focuses the learners’ attention on the new lesson. Introduce the purpose of the lesson by stating and writing the objectives for learners and discussing the lesson content and benefits by relating the objective to learners’ own lives. Assess learners’ prior knowledge of the new material by asking questions and writing learners’ responses on a chalkboard or flip chart.

P: Presentation

Teaches the lesson content and concepts. Create an activity to introduce the concept or skill (e.g. introduce new vocabulary by asking learners to work in groups to identify words related to taking medications) and then introduce information through a variety of modalities using visuals, realia, description, explanation, and written text. Check for learner understanding of the new material and make changes in lesson procedures if necessary.

P: Practice

Models the skills and provides opportunities for guided practice. Introduce a variety of activities that allow learners to work in groups, in pairs, or independently to practice the skills, concepts, and information presented. Integrate technology into activities as available.

E: (Summative) Evaluation

Assesses each learner’s attainment of the objective. Include oral, aural, written, or applied performance assessments. For example, ask learners to fill in the blanks on a close activity using the four medicine warning labels that were discussed in class. For lower level learners, provide a word bank at the bottom of the worksheet. Omit the word bank for more advanced students.

A: Application

Provides activities that help learners apply their learning to new situations or contexts beyond the lesson and connect it to their own lives. Choose activities that learners can relate to or have expressed concern about. For example, have learners read the label of a medication they or a family member may use at home to make certain they understand the meaning of the words on the label. Gather feedback from learners in follow-up classes and help them assess what additional support, if any, they may require.

WIPPEA Aligned with Merrill's First Principles

In reviewing the WIPPEA framework, you likely noticed an overlap with Merrill's First Principles of Instruction that we covered in Module 2. The table below illustrates how Merrill's First Principles are incorporated into the WIPPEA framework.

First Principles

WIPPEA

Comments

Activation

 Warm Up
Introduction

Both frameworks use activities to activate
the learners prior knowledge

Demonstration

 Presentation

Both frameworks demonstrate
the new information

Application

Practice

Both frameworks encourage
learners to practice skills

Integration

Summative
Evaluation

Application

Both frameworks encourage learners
to use new information in their daily life

Pause.png Before you move on ...

We've covered a lot of material in this module, and now is a good time to take a moment and reflect on your redesign approach. Keep in mind that the instructional activities you develop should focus on what the learner will be doing during the lesson ... in other words ... the learning experience. This is where you can let your creativity shine by designing activities that will engage your learners with the content. Your goal should be to avoid the instructional "shovel-ware" trap of presenting a lot of content, and then quizzing the learners for the extent of their recall of what was just presented.

While we all know from our experiences as students we can learn in a range of conditions, we believe that it is our role as designers to create experiences that offer the learner opportunities to deeply engage with the subject matter, with the instructor, and / or peers. This is your chance to get creative and to think long and hard about the instructional experiences you are designing for your learners. Think about how your learners’ histories might affect how they perceive and engage with your instruction. In addition to contemplating potential obstacles your learners may face, also think about ways to draw on the rich life experiences of your learners within the real-life scenarios and exercises you develop. Our best advice as you prepare this section is to require the learners to do more than simply receive a presentation and take a quiz. This is your opportunity to get creative, and apply your knowledge and experience as designers!

We offer some suggestions within the table below to help ensure your lesson integrates the steps in the WIPPEA lesson framework and Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction. In addition, be sure to keep all other aspects of the Design Guide in mind while revising your lesson to ensure that you are meeting the desired objectives, staying within your articulated lesson scope, and meeting the needs of your defined audience. Overall, focus on the design and sequencing of activities and materials to guide and support your learners as they progress through the lesson to achieve the learning objectives.

For additional guidance, please refer to the following resources:

Instructional Strategy and Activity Description

Warm-Up
  • Create an activity that reviews previously learned content to begin a new lesson.
  • Create an activity to focus on the topic to be taught.

Introduction
  • Create an activity to focus learners’ attention on the new lesson.
  • Describe the purpose by stating and writing the objective.
  • Describe the content and benefits by relating the objective to learners' lives.
  • Assess learners' prior knowledge of the new material by asking questions.

Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration
  • Create an activity to introduce new vocabulary.
  • Introduce new information with a variety of strategies using visuals, description, explanation, written text.
  • Check for level of learner understanding by asking questions, using polls, etc. (comprehension check)

Guided Practice
  • Model the activity or skill that learners are to practice the activity or skill.
  • Monitor learner practice by moving around the room
  • Provide an immediate feedback of the activity to learners.

Evaluation
  • Create an activity to assess each learner’s attainment of the objective.
  • Assess using oral, written or applied performance assessments.
  • Create an activity that helps learners reflect about their learning and/or the strategies used to teach the lesson.

Application, Closure, Connection
  • Provide an activity that requires learners to apply the learning beyond the lesson and connect to their own lives.
  • Provide an activity to transfer the skills to a new situation.

Source: Gigante, L. (2012) Links to an external site.

Key Terms and Concepts

As an aid to the instructors and learners who will use your lesson, provide an alphabetical list of the major terms and concepts that will be discussed in the lesson. Include definitions of terms that are:

  • Important to achievement of the learning objectives
  • Unfamiliar to learners who might not have previous knowledge about the topic of discussion