Instructional Design and some of my random thoughts.....

 Instructional design should be all about helping students to learn better.  That puts a pretty "broad" concept out there.  Broad is the key word here - obviously what works for some, does not work for others.  Today’s classroom is a broad chasm of disarray...where some grab the rope to climb out and enter the "light". Some don't know how to use the rope to climb out, and others can never even find the rope.  (You knew that I would use some "physical anomaly" to convey my thoughts...)

The purpose of instructional design should be to engage all learners (the educational buzz word of today)

The purpose is to know and understand the reason for learning, the goal, it's relevance; to take their learning and apply it to something beyond their classroom walls.

It should give students an opportunity to use, to practice, what they are learning with the appropriate tools.

When I think of Instructional Design - I think of analyzing data, learning styles, students needs and goals.  I think of creating educational materials that give meaning and purpose to the process.  I associate the need to understand how people think, learn and solve problems.

It should "speak their language" - so they are motivated, engaged and invested...otherwise why bother?

So obviously there is a lot of trial and error involved. It will need to be evaluated, revised, and in a constant state of flux.  It should be as individual as every learner is.  Perhaps every learner needs an IEP –RTI -  that will be evaluated yearly (hhhmmm - I want more thought here), and changes as the individual grows.

There will be commonalities - state mandates, limitation of resources and tools, budget constraints, and I could go on and on.  When the design is for the masses - many considerations are left behind - gender, class size, environment, individual beliefs just to name a few. 

The purpose of instructional design should be to engage all learners (the educational buzz word of today)

The purpose is to know and understand the reason for learning, the goal, it's relevance; to take their learning and apply it to something beyond their classroom walls.

It should give students an opportunity to use, to practice, what they are learning with the appropriate tools.