Merrill’s principles are closely associated with the learners’ experiencing and engaging with the learning subjects. It emphasizes on giving meanings to the learning contents and learning process, making the learners more active in the learning process by showing them why they need to learn. In the words, learners need to be motivated and curious before they could actively conduct the learning process.
With Merrill’s principles, I would design a lesson that is real-life problem based, and shows the students why the learning objects can be related to their life or would be interesting to them. Science subjects are usually very good topics to choose in this circumstance because many scientific phenomenons can be observed in life and raise the learners interests. Observations can be easily made and learners curiosity from the observations could make the learning more engaging and fun.
The multimedia I would choose in designing the lesson would be animated videos and experiment videos in reality. As is mentioned in this week’s reading, animations could demonstrate complex concepts that cannot be observed by human eyes, so they would do great in demonstrating some scientific concepts or ideas that could not be observed or recorded. Using animations rather than presenting texts or audios would also make the learning more engaging and fun. As for the experiment videos, the real-world examples could help the learners relate the learning objects with real-life problems, providing them with more incentives to learn. With Merrill’s principles, engaging the learners with real-world problems, giving them proper guidance and enough demonstrations, letting them apply the knowledge and create would be a proper and effective design for the learners.
Here’s a draft of my idea of planning a lesson that introduces the learners to the concepts of acid and base in chemistry. The process goes:
| Big Idea | Learning Outcome(s) | Evidence of Learning | Assessments | Learning Activities |
| By successfully completing the lesson, learners would understand the concept of acid and base in chemistry. | Learners will be able to understand and tell what particles in a solution make the solution an acid or base. They will also be able to identify whether a solution is acid, base or mutual after knowing what’s in the solution. | The learning would involve the students watching animated videos about the particles in a solution so as to understand what makes the solution acid or base. Then they would see demonstrations of testing a solution and do the testing themselves. They would also be explained why these solutions are acid or base, or mutual. | Learners will be provided with a test to check whether they understand the concepts of acid and base. Then they would be asked to record an experiment to test 5 common solutions in their daily life and see whether those are acid or base, or mutual and explain what particles make the solutions acid/base/mutual. | The activities include conducting experiments, watching animated videos, listening to other learners experiment reports, and reading relevant materials. |
5 Responses to “Blog Post #5: Instructional Design and Lesson Planning”
Hi Qiaoyang,
Thanks for your informative post ! Your explanation of Merrill’s principles helped me to understand the concept; you raise a good point that learners need to be motivated and curious of the subject to effectively learn. I think you chose a good example of chemistry, watching multimedia helps me to understand these concepts too. Finally, I think the way you describe of assessing students based on trying experiments in their everyday life is a good way to practically reinforce the subject for students.
Hi Qiaoyang，
I love that you’re designing a course on real-world problems. When I study, I finish my homework like a machine. In other words, when I practice new knowledge, I have no motivation. However, if I am completing a problem close to life, I will understand why to learn knowledge and how to apply this knowledge in the future. Finally, I will gain a self-learning motivation instead of memorizing knowledge mechanically.
I find the chemistry course you designed very interesting. But in chemistry courses, students are likely to be in danger of improper operation. So my question is, when you design your course, do students spend a lot of time receiving lectures and watching videos?
Hi Qiaoyang,
I like the design of your chemistry course. It reminded me of my old chemistry classes when I used to memorize the chemical properties of the corresponding compounds. After learning the text alone, it was easy to forget it after a few days. But the memory will be relatively stronger with the help of pictures or videos.
Especially during the epidemic, the lack of lab classes at school and the lack of hands-on practice made the learning effect very bad. Do you have any impressions of the decline in the quality of learning during the epidemic?
Hi Qiaoyang，
I like your subject, the lessons about real life problems, make full use of modern technology like animated video and audio, in some difficult lessons I often can’t understand the real meaning, I believe these videos and audio can help I understand.
I have a question video and audio are very helpful for students, but will it take a lot of time for professors?
Hi Qiaoyang,
Thank you for sharing your post! I like your understanding of Merrill’s principles and it helped me to understand the concept. You have mentioned a good point of explaining Merrill’s principles in your blog, which is learners need to be motivated and curious before they could actively conduct the learning process.
I think your chemistry course design is very interesting. Learning chemistry through watching animated videos is a really good way to learning and the use of videos or photos can be effective in helping students to enhance their memory.