The purpose of this course is to inspire you to explore the possibilities of teaching in innovative, educationally sound ways. It is a foundational course which can provide an impetus for a more detailed exploration of various aspects of innovative teaching and learning, both in terms of your own practice (as a stand-alone), but also specifically as a basis for the other courses. You will critically evaluate some current innovative approaches which are broadly constructivist in approach. By becoming familiar with some key concepts and some principles of instructional design, you will understand the need to adopt and foster a constructivist approach. You will be introduced to the habit of reflecting on your own practice, and also to discussion and collaboration within the group studying the module, thereby setting up those skills for future modules.

What is instructional design?

In this video, Dr Mark Bullen from the Commonwealth of Learning, provides an overview of the field of Instructional Design.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/97171390]
Video: What is Instructional Design? (5 min)

Learning Objectives

Once you have successfully completed this course you will be able to:

1. understand and apply some basic theoretical concepts and instructional design principles.
2. justify adopting a constructivist approach where you feel it is appropriate in your teaching.
3. approach your teaching in an innovative manner.
4. recognise the importance of being a reflective practitioner and have a personal blog to journal these reflections.
5. work in a collaborative manner with fellow-teachers.
6. analyse examples of good practice and draw out applicable principles and practical ideas for your own practice.
7. be familiar with and be able to use a set of useful online tools for thinking and for sharing ideas.

Your Blog

During this course, you will keep a blog. This blog will function as a portfolio for the course, and will, when taken as a whole, be the basis on which this course is assessed.

But it is also much more than a mere e-portfolio. It is intended that this blog will initiate an ongoing willingness to share ideas and resources, to reflect on success and failure, to contribute to the educational world beyond the walls of your own classroom and school.