LESSON 4 – SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO TEACHING

LESSON 4 – Systematic Approach To Technology

“A plan emphasizes the parts may pay the cost of failing to consider the whole, and a plan that emphasizes the whole must pay the cost of failing to get down to the real depth with respect to the parts.” - C. West Churchman

                 The broad definition of educational technology encompasses systems or designs of instruction. In this lesson, let's discuss a system's or a systematic approach to instruction.

                 SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO TEACHING

                       As depicted in the chart, the focus of systematic instructional planning is the student. Instruction begins with the definition of instructional objectives that consider the student's needs, interest and readiness. On the basis of these objectives, the teacher selects appropriate teaching methods to be used and, in turn, based on the teaching method selected, the appropriate learning experiences and appropriate materials, equipment and facilities will also be selected.

                       The use of learning materials, equipment and facilities necessitates assigning the appropriate personnel to assist the teacher and defining the role of any personnel involved in the preparation, setting and returning of these learning resources. (In some school settings, there is a custodian/librarian who takes care of the learning resources and/or technician who operates the equipment while teacher facilitates.) The effective use of learning resources is dependent on the expertise of the teacher, the motivation level or responsiveness, and the involvement of the students in the learning process. With the instructional objective in the mind, the teacher implements planned instruction with the use of the the selected teaching method, ;earning activities, and learning materials with the help of other personnel whose role has been defined by the teacher.

                      Will the teacher use direct instruction or indirect instruction? Will he/she teach using the deductive of the inductive approach? It depends on his/her instructional objective, nature of the subject matter, readiness of the students and the expertise of the teacher himself or herself.

                      Example of learning activities that the teacher can choose from, depending on his/her instructional objective, nature of the lesson content, readiness of the students, are reading, writing, interviewing, reporting or doing presentation, discussing, thinking, reflecting, dramatizing, visualizing, creating judging and evaluating.

                     Some examples of learning resources for instructional use are textbooks, workbooks, programmed materials, computer, television programs, flat pictures, slides and transparencies, maps, charts, cartoons, posters, models, mock ups, flannel board materials, chalkboard, real objects and the like.

                     After instruction, teacher evaluates the outcome of instruction. From the evaluation results, teacher comes to know if the instructional was attained. If the the instructional objective was attained, teacher proceeds to the next lesson going through the same cycle once more. If instructional objective was attained, then teacher diagnosis what was not learned and finds out why it was not learned in order to introduce a remedial measure for improved students performance and attainment of instructional objective.

                     The systems approach views the entire educational program as a system of closely interrelated parts. It is an orchestrated learning pattern with all parts harmoniously integrated into the whole: the school, the teacher, the students, the objectives, the media, the materials, and assessment tools and procedures. Such an approach integrates the older, more familiar methods and tools of instruction with the new ones such as the computer.


                      The system's approach to instruction is simple in theory but far from being simplistic in practice. It is not just a matter of teacher formulating his/her lesson objective and then directly teaching the student. There are a lot of elements or factors that the teacher has to take into consideration- students' needs, interests, home background, prior experiences, developmental stage, nature and the like. The teacher, in the choice of the most appropriate teaching method, learning activities, and learning resources, considers the nature of her subject matter, availability of resources, her/his capability, the developmental stage of his students, and of course his/her lesson objective. Her/his choice of assessment method for learning is likewise dependent on the lesson objective. The action the teacher takes after getting assessment results based on the assessment results, acceptability of remedial measure to parents and students, like a tutorial class after class hours. Will an extra hour after class devoted to tutorial be acceptable to the students and parent concerned?

                  
                      The phases or elements are connected to one another. If one element or one phase of the instructional process fails, the outcome which is learning is adversely affected. The attainment of the learning objective is dependent on the synergy of all elements and of all actors involved in the process.


                       The purpose of a system instructional design is "to ensure orderly relationships and interaction of human, technical, and environmental resources to fulfill the goals which have been established for instruction." (Brown, 1969)

           POSTSCRIPT - the phase of  a systematic Approach to Instruction. If we reduce the phases of a systematic approach to instruction, the phases may boil down to three. The first of the three is formulation of instructional objectives. The second is the process of instruction itself. The third phase is assessment of learning which will once more lead to the formulation of instructional objectives.