A new interesting publication describes a good example of the application of the Ten Steps approach to 4C/ID. The paper describes how a design team from University of Twente and Maastricht University in the Netherlands used the Ten Steps design approach to design a professional development program for primary school teachers. This program helped teachers develop their classroom differentiation skills and learn how to deal with varying learner needs. Because good differentiation practices were relatively unknown, experts were involved in the design process and a cognitive task analysis was conducted. The authors combined the results of this analysis with literature-based instructional design principles to arrive at a training blueprint for workplace-based learning. They demonstrate the decision-making processes involved in the systematic design of each of the four components: learning tasks, supportive information, procedural information, and part-task practice. The paper includes the resulting 4C/ID blueprint of the five-month professional development program.

Read “Ten steps to 4C/ID: training differentiation skills in a professional development program for teachers”

Instructional Science

Jimmy Frerejean, Marieke van Geel, Trynke Keuning, Diana Dolmans, Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer & Adrie J. Visscher