A ‘pedagogy-first’ approach to teaching Learning Design

This paper recounts a critical classroom experience that occurred when teaching technologybased learning design to trainee teachers, and discusses the implications of the incident for teaching and learning. Observations are drawn from the subject “EDUC261 – Information and Communication Technologies and Education”, which is an optional second year course available to trainee primary and secondary teachers at Macquarie University. On the basis of the observations it is conjectured that adopting a ‘pedagogy-first’ approach to learning design allows teachers to more easily select appropriate technologies from a suite of learning tools (such as LAMS) and sequence them more sensibly than when a ‘technology first’ approach is adopted. As well, it is contended that by considering the nexus between pedagogy and technologies under the pedagogy-first approach students are better able to appreciate relationship between educational principles and their implementation. Other implications of the approach are discussed and possible extensions are proposed.