Gagne’s Nine Events of

Instruction: Teaching the Research Process

Amy Carter

EDET 709 – Applications of Learning Principles

University of South Carolina

PRE-PLANNING AND SETUP1. Gain attention.

2. Inform learners of objectives.

3. Stimulate recall of prior learning.

1. Gain attention.

The Event:

• Capture students’ attention in the subject.

The Reasons:

• Stimulates curiosity about the topic

• Provokes thought

• Engages students to be ACTIVE participants in the learning process

1. Gain attention.The Practice – The Research Process:

• Invite students to respond to the following quotes:

• “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston

• “In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not know or understand.” – Neil Armstrong

• Discuss:• Why do people research?

• Why do we refer to it as the research PROCESS?

2. Inform learners of

objectives.The Event:

• Clearly state and share objectives with the students.

The Reasons:

• Provides for purposeful learning

• Sets concrete expectations

2. Inform learners of

objectives.The Practice – The Research Process:

• GOALS:

• Properly research a topic.

• Synthesize and present a quality final product.

• OBJECTIVES – Students will be able to:

• Explore and choose a topic.

• Search for quality information.

• Read and synthesize information from search.

• Organize information to form a thesis and outline.

• Create a product that effectively presents research.

3. Stimulate recall of prior

learning.The Event:

• Scaffold new learning on previous knowledge.

The Reasons:

• Makes new learning easier to conceptualize if it is linked or connected to previous experiences

• Encourages new learning to be stored in long-term memory, rather than being forgotten quickly

3. Stimulate recall of prior

learning.The Practice – The Research Process:

• Ask students:

• When have you had to research a topic before?

• What did you do?

• What worked?

• What didn’t?

LESSON OPENING & BODY4. Present the content.

5. Provide “learning guidance.”

6. Elicit performance practice.

7. Provide feedback.

4. Present the content.The Event:

• “New content is presented to the learner. Content should be chunked and organized meaningfully, and typically is explained then demonstrated” (Kruse). Instructors should use a variety of instruction, modalities, and best practices.

The Reasons:

• Chunked content makes the process less overwhelming for learner.

• Explanations and demonstrations make abstract concepts more concrete.

• Variety appeals to a wide audience with varying abilities and preferences.

4. Present the content.

The Practice – The Research Process:

• Provide students with a chunked model of the tasks

involved in the process with clear steps and due dates.

Share task analysis with the learners.

• Show example final products of research that use

different media. For example,

• a Glog based on research (www.glogster.com)

• a traditional research paper

• a group product such as a “news magazine” that synthesizes

individual subtopics of research into one main topic (i.e.

music from a decade, art of a particular period, etc.)

5. Provide “learning

guidance.”The Event:

• Additional guidance of each step in the process is

provided to the learner. Strategies are used to

address different learning abilities and needs.

The Reasons:

• New content is encoded into long-term memory.

• Variety in teaching strategies appeals to a wide

audience with varying abilities and preferences.

5. Provide “learning

guidance.”The Practice – The Research Process:

• Show example final products of research that use

different media. For example,

• a Glog based on research (www.glogster.com)

• a traditional research paper

• a group product such as a “news magazine” that

synthesizes individual subtopics of research into one main

topic (i.e. music from a decade, art of a particular

period, etc.)

6. Elicit performance

practice.The Event:

• The learner practices the new skill or behavior.

The Reasons:

• Performance means that learners demonstrate their

understanding of the instruction.

• Performance increases retention.

6. Elicit performance

practice.The Practice – The Research Process:

• Consider using the following strategies to guide students

through steps 1 and 2 of the research process: Prepare and

Begin Search

• KWL Charts: What do you KNOW? What do you WANT TO

KNOW? What did you LEARN?

• Idea Webbing: What is your topic? Where might this take you?

• Ask Questions: What do you want to learn?

• Graphic Organizers for brainstorming ideas

6. Elicit performance

practice.The Practice – The Research Process:

• Consider using the following strategies to guide students

through steps 3 and 4 of the research process: Take Notes and

Organize

• Source cards and note cards: show examples and non-examples

• Organize and outline information : Conference to check progress

and clarify misconceptions. Use graphic organizers to chunk

information.

• Create a working thesis: Conference to make sure that research

matches the topic. Help students refine and revise.

6. Elicit performance

practice.The Practice – The Research Process:

• Consider using the following strategies to guide students

through steps 5 and 6 of the research process: Draft Product

and Present Research

• Offer writing workshop if product is traditional research paper.

• Show examples and non-examples of visual creative products.

• Offer time in class for students to draft product and seek help.

• Allow time to present in front of peers

7. Provide feedback.

The Event:

• Provide specific and immediate feedback as learners practice new behaviors.

The Reasons:

• Formative assessment allows instructors to reinforce and reteach instruction during the process.

• Learners master steps systematically, rather than failing to meet one step that impacts the rest of the process.

7. Provide feedback.

The Practice – The Research Process:

• Because the research process is so complex,

formative assessments can be provided through:

• One-on-one research and writing conferences

• Class discussions of examples and non-examples of

each step of the process

• Research and writing workshops that allow students

time to practice under watchful eye of instructor

• Revisions of final product

LESSON CLOSING &

EVALUATION8. Assess performance.

9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job.

8. Assess performance.

The Event:

• Students should demonstrate understanding in a

summative, or final, assessment that is completed

without coaching or guidance from instructor.

The Reasons:

• Students demonstrate mastery of a concept.

8. Assess performance.

The Practice – The Research Process:

• Students present final research project to peers or a

panel.

• Students defend final product by describing the

quality research involved in making the product

effective.

• Students evaluate and reflect on their own

performance.

9. Enhance retention &

transfer to the job.The Event:

• Apply learned skills to future content or tasks.

The Reasons:

• Enhances retention of a learned skill

9. Enhance retention &

transfer to the job.The Practice – The Research Process:

• Require research in future assignments to produce

different final products.

• Remind students of steps of process by referring to

graphic organizer of the overall task analysis of the

research process.

ReferencesBrown, Abbie, and Timothy D. Green. The Essentials of Instructional

Design: Connecting Fundamental Principles with Process

and Practice. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2006. Print.

"Images - Clip Art, Photos, Sounds, & Animations - Microsoft Office."

Office - Microsoft Office. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.

<http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/?CTT=97>.

Kruse, Kevin. "Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction: An Introduction."

E-Learning (elearning) Guru: 100's of Articles & White

Papers & Tools. Web. 7 Oct. 2010. <http://www.e-

learningguru.com/articles/art3_3.htm>.