Subject of Lesson or Module:
Principle of Instruction
Your Instructional Plan
Problem-centered
What real-world, relevant problem or task will the learner be able to
perform when they finish this lesson or unit?
Activation
How will you activate the learner’s prior knowledge about this
subject and prepare them to learn?
How will your students preview what they will learn?
Demonstration
How will you show the learner how to perform the real-world
problem or task?
What various examples of the problem or task will you give your
students?
Application
How will your learner practice solving the problem or task?
How will you give them feedback on their performance?
Integration
How will you encourage your learner to integrate this new
knowledge and skill into their life?
How will they reflect on, discuss or debate this new knowledge?
References:
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59.
Merrill, M. D. (2009). First Principles of Instruction. In C. M. Reigeluth & A. Carr (Eds.), Instructional Design Theories and Models:
Building a Common Knowledge Base (Vol. III). New York: Routledge Publishers.
Gardner, J. (2010). Applying Merrill's first principles of instruction: Practical methods based on a review of the literature. Educational
Technology Magazine, 50(2), pp. 20-25.
Gardner, J., (2011). How award-winning professors in higher education use Merrill’s first principles of instruction. International
Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 8(5), p. 3-16
Joel Gardner, PhD | joel.gardner@franklin.edu | Page: 1
Detailed First Principles of Instruction with Sub-principles
Activation
Learning is promoted when learners activate relevant cognitive structures by being
directed to recall, describe or demonstrate relevant prior knowledge or experience.

Demonstration
Learners are directed to recall, relate, describe, or apply knowledge from relevant
past experience that can be used as a foundation for the new knowledge.
 Learners are provided relevant experience that can be used as a foundation for
the new knowledge.
 Learners are given the opportunity to demonstrate their previously acquired
knowledge or skill.
Learning is promoted when learners observe a demonstration of the skills to be
learned that is consistent with the type of content being taught.

Application
Learning is facilitated when the demonstration is consistent with the learning goal:
(a) examples and non-examples for concepts, (b) demonstrations for procedures,
(c) visualizations for processes, and (e) modeling for behavior.
 Learning is facilitated when learners are provided appropriate learner guidance
including some of the following: (a) learners are directed to relevant information,
(b) multiple representations are used for the demonstrations, or (c) multiple
demonstrations are explicitly compared.
 Learning is facilitated when media plays a relevant instructional role.
Learning is promoted when learners engage in application of their newly acquired
knowledge or skill that is consistent with the type of content being taught.

Integration
Task-centered
Learning is facilitated when the application (practice) and the posttest are
consistent with the stated or implied objectives: (a) information-about practice -recall or recognize information, (b) parts-of practice -- locate, name, and/or
describe each part, (c) kinds-of practice -- identify new examples of each kind, (d)
how-to practice -- do the procedure and (e) what-happens practice -- predict a
consequence of a process given conditions, or find faulted conditions given an
unexpected consequence.
 Learning is facilitated when learners are guided in their problem solving by
appropriate feedback and coaching, including error detection and correction, and
when this coaching is gradually withdrawn.
 Learning is facilitated when learners are required to solve a sequence of varied
problems.
Learning is promoted when learners integrate their new knowledge into their
everyday life by being directed to reflect-on, discuss, or defend their new knowledge
or skill.
 Learning is facilitated when learners are given an opportunity to publicly
demonstrate their new knowledge or skill.
 Learning is facilitated when learners can reflect-on, discuss, and defend their new
knowledge or skill.
 Learning is facilitated when learners can create, invent, and explore new and
personal ways to use their new knowledge or skills.
Learning is promoted when instruction is in the context of whole real-world tasks.



Learning is facilitated when learners are shown the task that they will be able to
do or the problem they will be able to solve as a result of completing a module or
course.
Learning is facilitated when learners are engaged at the problem or task level not
just the operation or action level.
Learning is facilitated when learners solve a progression of problems that are
explicitly compared to one another.
Joel Gardner, PhD | joel.gardner@franklin.edu | Page: 2