Photo by: Tanawat Pontchour via Canva
It can be very frustrating for an instructor when learners don’t follow directions during an activity. When learners don’t follow directions, it can lead to an incomplete and/or incorrect end result and also be a significant waste of everyone’s time.
So, what’s an instructor to do? Here are five best practices to help ensure learners follow directions:
1. Give clear and concise directions, ask learners to repeat them back, and ask if there are any questions before they start the activity. That’s three tips in one!
2. If there are multiple components to an activity, give directions in chunks (i.e. part 1, part 2, etc.) and have learners complete each component before moving to the next one.
3. In addition to verbal directions, post the steps on a flip chart or PowerPoint slide so learners have a visual reminder.
4. Set tight time limits for the activity and remind learners of the time at specific intervals (e.g. half way through the activity, 2-minute warning, etc.).
5. Monitor learners during the activity and provide guidance when needed. If the learners are going off topic, politely redirect them to the task.
Following best practices can make the content more enjoyable for both the learner and the instructor and will help achieve the objective of the activity.
What tips and best practices do you use to help ensure learners are following directions?
To learn more about this topic and to see these best practices in action, check out our Instructional Techniques for New Instructors workshop.
