As an Instructional Technology Specialist, I work with classroom teachers and students regularly.  Functional use of the available technology resources requires a lot of hands-on learning. Minimalist instruction allows the users to take a hands-on approach to learning (Farkas & Williams, 1990).  Minimalist instruction is a good choice for instructional delivery when the learners will benefit from guided practice. This instructional delivery model works well when providing learners with a basic tutorial of use (Farkas & Williams, 1990).  Minimalist instruction, however, would not work well when the objective of the instruction is to provide background knowledge for any content area. Generally, lecture material does not require learner practice of any related skill.

Farkas, D. K. & Williams T. R. (1990). John Carroll’s the Nurnberg funnel and minimalist documentation. IEE Transactions on Professional Communications, 33(4), 182-187.