An approach for structuring instructional developer-client consulting experiences

Abstract

The need for a dependable population of "clients" for instructional design seminar students led to the idea of engaging student teachers in this role. Graduate students in instructional supervision who were taking an ID course were paired with middle school student teachers. The under-graduates were taught how to identify and articulate instructional problems and the ID students were trained in instructional design and consulting skills as regular components of their respective seminars. Structured interaction between the two groups was on an individual basis via personal contact, telephone, audio tapes and written reports. Instructional problems encountered ranged from motivation to knowledge of resource materials and teaching strategies. Alternatives presented by the developers included flexible grouping, contracting for interest and motivation, and action plans for the student teachers’ perceived self-inadequacies. This approach was highly successful both in terms of the ID course objectives for an early consulting experience and in that it became something of an entry vehicle for establishing the credibility and demand for instructional developers within public school systems.