Amardeep Gupta’s Post

One of the questions you might be asked before/after/during an observation might be: How does this lesson fit in the unit? What prior skills/knowledge do students need to be successful? How does this lesson connect to later content? If you're being observed with Danielson, these questions are meant to match Domain 1e: Designing Coherent Instruction. That's different than how well your individual lesson is planned, which is covered in Domain 3.

This one shift has changed my students ability to retain and master content. They are clear on learning objectives and I am able measure mastery in a tangible way each day.

I've been doing instructional design for years. I just didn't know that's what it was called. Last week I was reading about backward design. This is ID framework where you start with the learning outcome and work backwards to build the lesson. I stopped mid-sentence. That's... what I do. That's literally what I do every time I sit down to plan a course. I just called it "thinking from the learner's side." Then I hit formative assessment embedded in learning flow is checking understanding not at the end, but as part of the process itself and I had a small crisis. I called it "let's pause and see if this landed." For seven years. There's something strange and a little funny about discovering that what you've been doing intuitively already has a name, a theory, and a community of people who wrote whole textbooks about it. Also validating. Mostly validating. Now I'm getting the vocabulary to go with the practice and honestly, it's like getting a map for a city you already live in. Have you ever happened to learn the name for something you already knew? #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #ProfessionalGrowth #ID

Instructional design isn’t about building courses—it’s about changing behavior. Here’s what I prioritize every time I design: 🔹 Learner-first thinking If it doesn’t connect to real challenges, it won’t stick. 🔹 Clarity over complexity Clear objectives. Clear outcomes. No fluff. 🔹 Engagement with purpose Not interaction for the sake of it—everything drives understanding. 🔹 Real-world application If learners can’t use it immediately, it misses the mark. 🔹 Iteration over perfection The best learning experiences evolve with feedback and data. Why I love this work? Because I get to turn complexity into clarity—and help people actually do something better after learning. That’s the standard I design for. #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperience #LXD #Enablement #LearningThatWorks

Instructional Design is not about making slides. Let me clarify what it actually is. This misconception costs organizations significantly in learner time, engagement, and outcomes. Instructional Design is a systematic process for creating effective learning experiences grounded in cognitive science, learning theory, and performance analysis. A rigorous ID process includes: → Needs Analysis: Identifying the actual performance gap not just the symptom → Learner Analysis: Understanding who the learner is, what they already know, and what motivates them → Learning Objective Design: Writing precise, measurable outcomes aligned to performance expectations → Instructional Strategy: Selecting the right modalities, sequencing, and scaffolding for the content → Assessment Design: Building evaluations that genuinely measure what was learned not just recall → Iterative Review: Piloting, gathering data, and refining before full deployment This is design thinking applied to human learning. It is equal parts science and craft. When done well, instruction doesn't feel like instruction. It feels like insight arriving at exactly the right moment. That is not an accident. That is design. 👇 What do people in your field frequently misunderstand about your work? #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #LXD #LandD #LearningAndDevelopment #EdTech

One of the biggest mistakes I made early on in instructional design was this: I focused too much on what learners needed to know and not enough on what they needed to do. I would open a project and immediately think: “What content needs to be included?” So I built courses that were clear, organized, and thorough. But they didn’t always translate to better performance. The shift for me was simple, but it changed everything. I started asking: “What decisions will this person need to make differently after this?” That question forced me to design differently. Now: • I replace long explanations with short, realistic scenarios • I build practice around common mistakes, not just correct steps • I focus on the moments where learners are most likely to hesitate or get it wrong Looking back, I wasn’t designing incorrectly. I was just designing for the wrong outcome. To me good instructional design is not about coverage. It is about clarity and performance. — Curious if anyone else has had a similar shift: What’s one mistake you made that changed how you design learning? #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Elearning #AdultLearning #PerformanceImprovement

What is the real difference between instructional design and lesson planning? As an educator and instructional designer, I’ve learned that while these two are deeply connected, they serve very different purposes in transforming student learning. Instructional Design is the blueprint. It’s where we analyze learner needs, design aligned objectives, and build intentional, research-based learning experiences. This is where frameworks like UDL and backward design come into play to ensure accessibility, rigor, and clarity. Lesson Planning is the execution. It’s the day-to-day implementation—how we bring those designs to life through engaging activities, meaningful discussions, and responsive teaching. In my work supporting educators and developing courses, I’ve seen this truth repeatedly: ➡️ Strong lesson plans without intentional design lead to engagement without direction. ➡️ Strong instructional design without thoughtful lesson delivery leads to structure without impact. The goal is alignment. When instructional design and lesson planning work together, we move from simply teaching content to truly transforming learning experiences. This is the work I’m passionate about through ByFaith—supporting educators, schools, and leaders in building systems that are intentional, equitable, and impactful. How do you balance design and delivery in your practice? #InstructionalDesign #LessonPlanning #CurriculumDevelopment #EducationalLeadership #UDL #LiteracyLeadership

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 | 𝗢𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 Seven years of designing learning experiences has taught me one truth: You can have the most beautifully crafted curriculum in the world and still have a room full of people who are physically present and mentally elsewhere. Here's a note I keep coming back to for anyone starting out in instructional design or LXD: ♡ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. When I was designing a Critical Skills curriculum for 136 residential schools, I kept asking: whose voice does this content assume? Whose reference points? Whose idea of "normal"? ♡ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. It looks like: → Offering multiple entry points into a concept not just one "correct" way to understand it. → Designing tasks where lived experience is the source material, not a distraction from it. → Letting the learner see themselves in the problem before they engage with the solution 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳: 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦? 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳: 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗱? That question will do more for your design than any framework will. First in a series of three notes from the field on instructional and learning experience design, facilitation, and what learning actually feels like. Do look out for the series of posts that will follow. #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #InclusiveDesign #LXD #FacilitationNotes #CurriculumDevelopment #SEL #EducationDesign #NotesToNewlearner #LearningAndDevelopment

Post 3/7 — Cognitive Constructivism in Instructional Design Cognitive Constructivism reminds me that learning is not just exposure to new information. Learners actively construct meaning. They interpret new concepts through what they already know: prior knowledge, assumptions, experiences, and existing schemas. Sometimes new information fits into those schemas. Sometimes it creates a mismatch that requires learners to adjust how they understand the concept. That mismatch matters in instructional design. When learners can repeat an explanation but struggle to apply it, I do not treat it only as a content issue. I look at whether the design has helped them connect, test, and reshape their existing understanding. This is where my role as an Instructional Designer becomes more diagnostic. In review or redesign work, I may look at questions such as: * What prior knowledge are we assuming? * What misconception might be shaping the learner’s interpretation? * Where could a safe cognitive conflict help learners notice that their current understanding is incomplete? * How can we scaffold the path from a familiar example to a more complex application? The design response depends on the diagnosis. * A Mentimeter poll or open-ended prompt can surface assumptions before a new concept is introduced. * A concept map can help learners see relationships between ideas. * A comparison activity can help them distinguish similar concepts. * A diagnostic concept check in Brightspace, Moodle, or Canvas can show how learners are interpreting the idea, not just whether they selected the right answer. * An H5P scenario or reflection prompt can help learners test their understanding in context before moving into independent application. The tool follows the learning need, not the other way around. For me, the value of Cognitive Constructivism is that it pushes the design beyond “add more explanation.” It helps me ask a sharper design question: What connection is missing and how should the design help learners rebuild it? Next: Social Constructivism Update: Post 4/7 — Social Constructivism in Instructional Design is now available here: https://lnkd.in/gRw_k2hM When learners struggle to apply a concept, what do you check first: their prior knowledge, the sequence, the examples, or the way the concept is being practised? #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #LearningTheories #CognitiveConstructivism #Scaffolding #ElearningDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #Brightspace H5P | D2L | Mentimeter

Most people use lesson plans and instructional design interchangeably. They shouldn’t. Here’s why the difference matters 👇 A lesson plan is about delivery. What will you teach today? Activities, timing, materials, flow. It answers: ➡️ What am I doing in this session? An instructional design is about outcomes. What should learners be able to do after the learning experience? It answers: ➡️ What will change because of this? In L&D, this distinction is where impact is either created… or lost. You can have: ✔️ A well-structured lesson plan ❌ But zero behavior change Because without instructional design: There’s no alignment to business goals No performance outcomes No measurement beyond “participants liked it” Here’s the shift high-impact L&D professionals make: 🔹 From content → to capability 🔹 From sessions → to systems 🔹 From teaching → to transformation Think of it this way: Lesson Plan = Event Instructional Design = Journey Lesson Plan = Activity Instructional Design = Impact If you’re designing training in 2026, especially in fast-moving sectors like healthcare, banking, and corporate environments in the GCC… You don’t just need better sessions. You need better design thinking behind learning. Before your next program, ask yourself: 👉 What behavior am I trying to change? 👉 How will I measure it on the job? 👉 What happens after the training ends? If your design doesn’t answer these… It’s a lesson plan, not instructional design. #LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign #LeadershipDevelopment #CorporateTraining #FutureOfWork