Teaching Online: The ALOTA Method of Instructional Design
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Attention

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Gagne's model informs the Lesson Plan Design and the ALOTA Method

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify the key elements of the ALOTA Method of Instructional Design

Teaching

The ALOTA Method

This method or approach to Instructional Design is actually original work of mine. It is simply an acronym for the basic structure of the Lesson Plan, any Lesson Plan, that can be put together for a classroom.

Attention---Learning Outcomes---Teaching---Assessment

This provides for an easy-to-remember reference when you are designing a Lesson Plan.

Each of these components corresponds to each of Gagne's Nine Events.

Attention-----Gain Attention/Stimulate Recall of Previous Material

Learning Outcomes-----Inform Learners of Objectives

Teaching-----Present the Content/Provide Learning Guidance/Elicit Performance/Practice/Feedback

Assessment-----Elicit Performance/Practice/Feedback/Assess Performance

You will notice that there is some repetition of some of the Gagne Events in each of the ALOTA parts...this is because sometimes we engage students in "practice" (for example) both as a process of the teaching and as a process of evaluation (which may be graded). What actually gets included into the Teaching and Assessment parts are largely determined by the identified Learning Outcomes.

Each part of the ALOTA Method is worthy of an independent discussion, so the following 4 Lessons will each focus on one part. Remember that although each part of the ALOTA Method is presented here in the order they appear in an actual Lesson Plan, when it comes to designing Lesson Plans you will design them in the following order:

Learning Outcomes---Assessment---Teaching---Attention

LOATA just doesn't roll of the tongues as well!