First Principles of Instruction

For the past several years the author has been reviewing instructional design theories in an attempt to identify prescriptive principles that are common to the various theories. This paper is a preliminary report of the principles that have been identified by this search. Five first principles are elaborated: (a) Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems. (b) Learning is promoted when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge. (c) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner. (d) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is applied by the learner. (e) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world. Representative instructional design theories are briefly examined to illustrate how they include these principles. These include: Star Legacy by the Vanderbilt Learning Technology Center, 4-Mat by McCarthy, instructional episodes by Andre, multiple approaches to understanding by Gardner, collaborative problem solving by Nelson, constructivist learning environments by Jonassen, and learning by doing by Schank. It is concluded that, although they use a wide variety of terms, these theories and models do include fundamentally similar principles. Recent years have seen a proliferation of instructional design theories and models. Tennyson, Schott, See, and Dijkstra (1997) and Reigeluth (1999) summarize a number of these different positions. Instructional design theory, as represented in Reigeluth, varies from basic descriptive laws about learning to broad curriculum programs that concentrate on what is taught rather than on how to teach. Are all of these design theories and models merely alternative ways to approach design? Do all of these design theories and models have equal value? Do these design theories and models have fundamental underlying principles in common? If so what are these underlying first principles? The purpose of this paper is to identify and articulate the prescriptive design principles on which these various design theories and models are in essential agreement.