Monthly Archives: October 2014
An Exercise for Story-based Learning
Posted on October 31, 2014 Leave a Comment
I created this exercise as part of my Story-based Instructional Design session for the ASTD-Cascadia conference. It’s a tool you can use with another person or by yourself to practice adapting training content into a story structure. Pick a training topic, answer a few questions, and then begin shaping your topic into a story.
Speak & Spell: An Interactive Learning Muse
Posted on October 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
The year was 1980 and I was in the first-grade. Mrs. Taylor, a terrifying presence, was in her final year of teaching before retirement–a second career, as she had previously served as a commander in the army. (She is scowling and wearing big boots and bright red lipstick in our class picture.) During the first week of […]
Too Much Set-up = Brain Shut-down
Posted on October 3, 2014 Leave a Comment
When designing how a training course begins for your learners, flavor your approach with less Do Re Mi and more In Medias Res. No matter how linear the content, no matter how compliant-heavy the material, you don’t need to bore your learners with a lot of set-up. Throw them right in–most adult learners will thrive on the immediate […]
Nimble Narrative 
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