The Aha Moment

Blog, , , , , , ,

aha-moment

You are just going through the day keeping your brain busy trying to reconcile ideas that come in many forms and then ‘aha!’ one word connects it all together. Maybe is one image that makes it all make sense. That object that was right in front of your face seems to talk to you and make you go ‘Eureka!’. Of course you don’t  need to run home naked like Archimedes did when she figured out how to measure the volume of an object. His method might not worked but I bet it was a good moment for him according to the myth. The aha moment is that lightbulb that goes on in your head that allows you to see it all clear.

I had that moment yesterday. I was working on writing a few things for the blog, organizing a few painting and sculpting parties, and doing the graphic design thing for marketing, and then it happened. The concept behind the new collection I’m working on made complete sense with just one word. That word connected events and its consequences to provide substance to the concept from which a lot can be said and discussed. I don’t want to reveal the details at this point and spoil the surprise but I want to share some advice to make the aha moment happen and what to do when it happens.

The aha moment generally comes as the result of a problem that requires a solution that has been bothering and interrupting your thoughts and probably your daily routine. It is not the same as having an idea that is taking shape and growing like a baby inside the womb. The idea is already born and other ideas are born with it. You see these elements floating around but you need a way to interconnect and make sense of all of them as one. Finding that connection is not necessarily pure luck because you are thinking about it. You might be taking time to read about it and talk about it. That is my first point of advice: take time to observe, read, talk, and play with the elements of the problem. Whatever works for you to feed the idea and make it stronger.

The idea starts growing and feeling more comfortable to see the elements together. When you get to that level of comfort my advice is to move away, step away, let it go for a while, turn around and do something else. Find something that makes you relax. You know the idea is still there. Subconsciously you are still working on it. Doing something else will allow you to loosen your muscles and your neurons. Play a game, watch tv, listen to music, take a walk, take a nap, and come back refreshed. Your senses will be ready to receive revelation. When you get it, and you will, write it down. You can also take a picture, record a voice memo. Do not let the revelation fly away. Preserve that bridge that is now connecting all the elements together.

What is Instructional Design?

3 CommentsBlog, , , , , , ,

Instructional design or instructional system design is the systematic decision-making process and design of how instruction is going to be delivered. Instructional design draws knowledge from different sciences like psychology and neurology to develop an understanding of how to effectively use teaching strategies and methods. It is the formal process to design training.

instructional designWhile most people know me as an artist, I am also an instructional designer. In my research I contend that in order to provide effective learning solutions it is necessary to perform a learners analysis beyond the knowledge pre-assessment alone. Yes, understanding what people know before entering a specific learning endeavor is very important, but most important is to know the aptitudes and attitudes towards the new experience.

In many of my posts I talk about self-efficacy beliefs or the self-perceptions of skills to achieve a specific goal. This is a learning psychology concept in social cognitive theory developed by psychologist Albert Bandura. People conceive the likelihood of success based on perception of  their skills and past experiences. These perceptions then determine their motivation to pursue a goal. This information facilitates the instructional design process and helps develop strategies not only for learning but for improvement of self-efficacy.

Instructional design also takes in consideration the objective of the instruction and the conditions in which the learning content is intended for delivery to ensure it is effective. This includes instructional time, delivery methods, teaching tools, materials, et cetera. The instructional designer takes all this elements to design a learning solution for a specific learning need. Instructional design is much more than just providing training or teaching a class.