Part 9: Planning Instruction

ABSTRACT Effective design of instruction involves choosing the best alternatives to have students achieve learning goals. Good instructional design builds backwards from clearly stated objectives, motivates students, and pays attention to cognitive load. Worked examples and problem-based learning can be very effective if accompanied with appropriate support. Students should be given opportunities to try and fail so long as failures lead to progress toward learning goals. Librarians can be very valuable sources of support for individual learners. Although librarians rarely establish learning goals, we can provide the scaffolding students need to achieve learning objectives.