This practice brief provides educators with current research findings and evidence-based, high quality, instructional mathematics' practices from the Institute of Education Sciences' Practice Guide for teaching English learners (ELs) academic content, and highlights instructional practices used to teach ELs according to the National Academies of…

Presents an overview of principles and heuristics for designing minimalist instruction, with examples and theoretical or empirical arguments. Provides a starting point from which to create minimalist instruction to suit a variety of uses. (SR)

Describes three types of visual materials that may be used in an educational setting and presents four rules for the effective use of visuals. Topics discussed include working with visual artists; what effective instructional visuals should do; and coordinating the use of visuals with words, either verbal or written. (LRW)

Uses R. Gagne and L. Briggs's nine Events of Instruction to discuss where video fits into the teaching and learning process, what educators can legitimately expect of video as an instructional tool, and where principles to guide the development of effective instructional videos can be found. (SR)

Argues that online help systems are often not helpful and even increase the user's frustration and stress level. States that an instructional design perspective can increase the effectiveness of online help systems, and offers a checklist. Examines the instructional components of the checklist and identifies ways they could be added to an online…

Identifies how researchers have defined active learning, and synthesizes current findings on the instructional designs that facilitate hands-on problem solving. Proposes three additional areas of inquiry into the instructional needs of active learners. (SR)

Intended to help educators select textbooks that represent the highest standards of quality instruction, these guidelines describe major aspects of textbooks--of language arts instruction--considered essential. Following an introduction, the eight guidelines (whose features should be central to a program's design and should pervade the entire…

This manual for secondary school teachers offers sample lesson plans that may be used to guide and stimulate experimentation and development of creative instructional units. Lesson plan components are defined, and various types of lessons and their significant characteristics are identified. These characteristic types of lessons are illustrated,…

Discusses the heuristics that should guide the creation of good examples to be used in instructional design. The elements of accuracy, clarity, attractiveness, and transferability are described, and an example of the concept of role conflict is given. (LRW)

We cannot assume that all teachers, however knowledgeable about their specific disciplines, are familiar with concepts in learning principles. Instructional design systems theory provides that construct. Includes seven references. (Author/MD)

Principles of establishing priorities are applied to the selection and scheduling of instructional priorities for beginning reading instruction, with emphasis on teaching phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge through more efficient use of instructional time; teaching less, more thoroughly; and providing oppportunities for oral…

Describes how trainers can promote trainee flexibility and increase the effectiveness of their instruction by using skill related, principle based rules. Highlights include skill performance variables; analyzing skills to derive principles; converting principles into rules; and how to integrate principle based rules into skill instruction. (LRW)

Though classroom instructional strategies should clearly be based on sound science and research, knowing when to use them and with whom is more of an art. In "The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction," author Robert J. Marzano presents a model for ensuring quality teaching that balances the necessity of…

Discusses the importance of identifying the audience and determining specific objectives when designing printed instructional materials that will communicate effectively and provides detailed guidelines for dealing with such design factors as content, writing style, typography, illustrations, and page organization. (MBR)

Argues that the most effective CD-ROM user's guides are written by a documentation team skilled in instructional design, graphic design, and writing. Three purposes of a manual--installation guide, teaching tool, and ongoing reference--are explained, and 10 guidelines for developing effective documentation are offered. (NRP)