a. Presentation. The soldier learns the subject by completing a study
assignment, listening to an explanation, participating in a conference, or watching a
demonstration. For most military and medical subjects, an effective presentation will
include a combination of these.
b. Application. In this instructional stage, the soldier can apply the new ideas
he has learned. This state is the most important because for learning to have taken
place, the person taught must make a conscious, successful response to something-a
situation, a problem, etc. When the soldier applies information the instructor taught, a
determination as to whether or not learning took place can be made. In planning and
conducting instruction, an instructor should remember that it is not so much what he
does or says that teaches, but what the soldier learner does that indicates whether or
not learning occurred.
c. Evaluation. The instructor checks soldiers' responses to keep them informed
of their progress and from practicing incorrect responses. Evaluation includes formal
testing at the end of a period or phase of instruction. The most important type of
evaluation is informal and concurrent with the presentation and application stages of the
instructional process. Such evaluation is accomplished by oral questions, close
observation of soldiers during practical work, and checking soldier understanding of
previous instruction.
2-8.
PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTION
The following principles are appropriate to all kinds of instruction: basic or
advanced, skill or knowledge, field or classroom. Not all of these principles will apply to
each specific lesson of instruction. It is up to the instructor to select and use those that
are applicable.
a. Desire to Learn (Motivation). The soldier must have a desire to learn before
the offered instruction will have a lasting effect. If you want your instruction to have this
effect, you will need to develop this desire in your students. Some of the methods you
can use are:
(1) Need. Show your students that they need the skill or knowledge. You
cannot assume that the students will recognize the importance of learning the medical
lessons in a training program. Many important points will seem unrelated to the work of
the soldier when he first hears them. Your instruction must include valid reasons for
learning and an explanation of how the information they are learning will be used in their
job.
(2) Intent to learn. Before instruction is presented, the soldier must be
made to realize that he has a responsibility to learn. It is not enough that the soldier is
physically present for training. He must be mentally prepared to learn. The instructor
must frequently check class progress and insist that each person apply himself to the
task at hand.
MD0560
2-13