Effective Writing Strategies

1. Define: Never assume that people know about the instructional strategy that you are discussing. When you mention an instructional strategy for the first time, briefly summarize it in your own words. Do not directly quote a definition!
2. Connect to Theory: Establish the strategy’s connection to its guiding theory and explain how the theory influences the way the instruction is designed and executed. If you’re not sure what the theory is, use the Theory Tracker to identify an instructional strategy’s underlying theory.
3. Discuss Effectiveness: Explain how well the study’s chosen strategy worked for achieving the desired results with its target audience.
4. Discuss Challenges: In the study, what challenges did this strategy pose for learners? For educators/trainers? Were there challenges with equipment, time, costs, environment?
5. Eliminate This Word: Remember that in educational and psychological research, we never “prove” anything. Study findings “suggest” or “indicate,” but they don’t prove.
6. Connect to the Challenge: Connect an instructional strategy to your audience and/or instructional challenge.
7. Discuss Combinations: If you are discussing multiple instructional strategies, explain why the combination is appropriate? Discuss their similarities, how they differ, and how they might have a complementary effect. 
8. Don’t Capitalize. Do not capitalize instructional strategies.