# data[].attributes.body
Please watch this introduction video to blended learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How and Why to Implement Blended Learning in Your Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Read for more information about the Why, How, and What of Blended Learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Why, How, and What of Blended Learning - Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Blended learning is the combination of active, engaged learning online combined with active, engaged learning offline to provide students with more control over the time, place, pace, and path of their learning.

# data[].attributes.body
Station Rotation Video #1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How and Why to Integrate Station Rotation into Your Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Station Rotation Video #2 (Please watch Station Rotation Video #1 before watching this video.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Catlin Tucker Talks About Blended Learning with  and Station Rotation

# data[].attributes.body
Blended learning is active, engaged learning online combined with active, engaged learning offline to give students more control over the time, place, pace, and path of their learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blended Learning: What It Is and What It Is Not – Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The pandemic has elevated the phrase “blended learning.” When schools closed or shifted to hybrid schedules, many institutions turned to blended learning to navigate the new demands placed on teachers and educational institutions. As an outspoken advocate for blended learning over the last 10 years,…

# data[].attributes.body
Engage, Enhance, and Extend Learning: Find our what these terms really mean when you integrate technology into your lessons.

# data[].attributes.body
Take a look at the examples the Station Rotation blended learning model. Think of ways in which you can plan for teacher led, online, and offline stations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Need Inspiration Designing Station Rotation Lessons for your Math, English, History, or Science Class? - Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The station rotation model is a series of stations that students rotate through with at least one online, offline, and teacher-led station.

# data[].attributes.body
The station rotation model is a great way to introduce your class expectations to a new group of students while simultaneously building relationships and developing your class community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teacher Tips: Starting the Year with Station Rotation - Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guest post written by Amy Tobener-Talley. The station rotation model is a great way to introduce your class expectations to a new group of students while simultaneously building relationships and developing your class community. In this post, I'll share some strategies and resources I found useful when preparing to use the station rotation model at [...]

# data[].attributes.body
View the Triple E Framework Playlist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

# data[].attributes.body
What are the benefits of using a Station Rotation Model in an era of social distancing?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Station Rotation in an Era of Social Distancing & Online Learning - Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers are preparing for an uncertain future. Many are unsure if they will be returning to school on a traditional schedule, a blended learning schedule, or completely online. Teachers are questioning how the instructional strategies they have used in the past will work if students are coming to school on a modified schedule or if [...]

# data[].attributes.body
What is the Triple E?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is the Triple E?
The Triple E is a practical framework that measures the degree to which the technology in a lesson is helping students meet the learning goals. Unlike other technology frameworks, the Triple E Framework focus is on the learning goals, and not specific technology tools. The framework draws on educational research concerning effective and ineffective practices with technology tools from the past two decades. The Triple E measurement tool was developed specially for K-12 teachers and administrators to use in lesson plan development, evaluation of the potential effectiveness of educational apps in learning, and evaluation of the potential effectiveness of tech tools in lesson plans. The framework is based on three components: Engagement in learning goals, Enhancement of learning goals, and Extension of learning goals. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they are distinct and different. The Triple E Framework defines each component shares what makes each piece unique. While not a perfect science, the Triple E measurement tool provides a benchmark for what educators should be thinking about when considering a technology tool for learning.

The Triple E Framework draws on a considerable amount of research about what works and does not work when it comes to technology in learning. In particular it emphasizes the following as its theoretical foundation...

Pragmatism: Active, social, creative, and authentic learning (Dewey, 1897)

Focus on the learning goals (Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2003)

Meaningful use of technology in the classroom requires teachers to integrate technological affordances with pedagogical approaches for the specific subject matter to be taught (Mishra & Khoeler, 2006).

The significance of instructional strategies in cooperation with using technology tools (Pane et al., 2017; Montrieux et al., 2015; Okojie et al., 2006)

The importance of time-on-task active engagement (Wartella, 2015)

Co-use and Joint-Media Engagement with technology devices and software (The American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013; Darling-Hammond et al., 2014; Zack & Barr, 2016)

Social aspect of learning through technology tools (Vaala et al., 2015; Guernsey, 2012)

Value-added strategies such as promoting student self-reflection, self-assessment, and self-explanation (Means et al. 2009)

The type of use--avoiding "drill and practice" which can have negative effects on learning outcomes and integrating more real world problem-solving and creating (Vaala et al., 2015)

The quality of technology use rather than quantity (Wenglinsky, 2006; Wenglinsky, 2008)

Technology itself does not lead to positive effects in student learning but can be an 'intellectual and social amplifier' which can help make good schools better but also can increase problems at less successful schools when not implemented strategically. (Warschauer, 2006)

Helping students connect existing knowledge with new knowledge (Wartella, 2015)

Knowledge needs to be situated in authentic contexts (Brown, Collins, and Duguid, 1989; Lave & Wenger, 1990)

Read more about the research and links here

The Development of the Triple E
The Triple E Framework, developed in 2011 by Professor Liz Kolb at the University of Michigan, School of Education, was created to address the desire for K-12 educators to bridge research on education technologies and teaching practice in the classroom. There are decades of reliable and useful research that provides guidelines on effective practices when using technology tools for eliciting learning growth. The research clearly points out that effective technology integration begins with good instructional strategies and not fancy tools. The Triple E Framework was designed for educators to easily evaluate how to select tools to meet their learning goals, and ultimate design learning experiences so the tools have a positive impact on student achievement and learning outcomes. The Triple E Framework is meant to be used as a coaching tool to support teachers in their instructional choices around and with technology tools.

is the Triple E Valid and Reliable?
​Yes! A recent independent mix-methods study conducted in 2018, published in 2019 by Dr. Shelia Schatzke at the University of North Texas. found the Triple E to be both valid and reliable.
​
WHY Triple E?
The research on technology and learning over the past decade is fairly clear, technology should be integrated based on what we already know about good teaching and pedagogical practices. Dating back to the late 19th century, the foundation of current teaching practices is based on the work of pragmatism. Pragmatists like John Dewey (1897) pushed for learning to be embedded in the student's authentic everyday lives, socially constructed knowledge, active/hands-on learning and full of choice. Since the early 1990s Research has found that educational technology with a "drill and practice" approach often has no effects on learning or cognition. Yet, most technology tools created for education are still drill and practice and in the lower-order of Blooms Taxonomy.

Despite media often claiming a new piece of technology will "revolutionize" learning, that is almost never the case. The Triple E framework takes this fallacy of technology as the magic bullet learning into account, and allows teachers to become critical consumers of making mindful choices around technology tools in their teaching. It is a simple framework, based on research around teaching and learning practices with technology tools. The framework is intended to help educators create lessons that allow students to use technology to meet and add value to learning goals as active, social, creative learners, in authentic ways. The framework also helps K-12 administrators evaluate the connection between potential learning outcomes and the technology they are seeing in their teacher's classrooms.

How Triple E is Different than other Tech Integration Models
Some educators tend to be haphazard with technology tools, often trying new hardware or software because it's shiny or new, dismissing older technologies with an assumption that older=poor technology use. Today, few educators would argue that technology is a TOOL to help students reach learning goals. How do educators measure a tools ability to help students reach learning goals? There are a number of frameworks that teachers use for integrating technology (SAMR, ADDIE, TIM, TPACK, RAT), while all of them have benefits, none directly focus on how technology helps students achieve learning goals. While TPACK, developed by Mishra & Khoeler (2006)--technology knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge is the heart of integration, it is a conceptual framework and just needs a practical tool to help teachers envision what it may look like in practice. The Triple E is that practical tool that brings together instructional strategies, learning goals and purposeful tool selection. Most frameworks focus on how technology substitutes for traditional tools or if the technology use is creative, but not if the tools were able to actually leverage the learning goals. As the U.S. has become focused on standardizing learning and outcomes, making sure that students are using their time to meet learning goals is even more vital when integrating technology. This is where the Triple E Framework can help to extend the current models.

Significance of Instructional Strategies
No digital tool is a magic bullet for learning. While some tools have effective learning strategies built into them (eg...collaboration, differentiated instruction...etc), many do not. Even when a tool includes good pedagogical practices, teachers supports and instructional strategies around the tool are still a vital component to the lesson plan (Okojie et al., 2006). The type of tool selected is not nearly as significant as the instructional strategies a teacher creates when using the tools. Instead of tossing out effective teaching strategies when using technology tools, teachers who use technology effectively are able to integrate instructional moves to leverage better learning with the digital tools. The Triple E Framework makes certain to consider that while a tool may be "drill and practice", the teacher can create structures around the tool to help meet the three different components of the framework. For example, a teacher could pair students up while working on a piece of software (co-use), or students could participate in reflective thinking practices such as making predictions while they are using the technology tools, so they can reflect upon their learning. This is one reason why the framework is not built around using a certain type of tool for learning, rather it is built around making sure students are on-task and meeting their learning goals through the technology tools. ​
See examples of instructional strategies here

# data[].attributes.body
Smaller learning communities allow teachers to spend more time working individually or in small groups with their students to customize and personalize instruction.

# data[].attributes.body
Review the Triple E Framework for more effective technology integration.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Susan Gaer, World Education Partner, OTAN Subject Matter Expert, and Kristi Reyes, ESL Faculty at MiraCosta College, OTAN Trainer
Have you ever wondered how well you were integrating technology into your lessons? The Triple E Framework , developed by Dr. Liz Kolb in 2011, is a framework designed to help educators measure how well they integrate technology tools into instruction and provide ways to help increase its use. The Triple E Framework is a useful extension of previous technology integration frameworks like SAMR ( Puentedura, 2012), TPACK (Thompson & Mishra, 2007), and (University of Florida 2005), which focus guidance on how teachers should design learning. In contrast, the Triple E Framework focuses more on what students do with technology. The goal of the framework is to ensure that technology use supports student engagement, and then, while engaged, their learning is enhanced and extended by technology. Figure 1 illustrates the model of the Triple E framework: Engage, Enhance, Extend.

How does it work?

The Triple E Framework is a four-step process.

1. Define learning goals

2. Select an appropriate technology tool

3. Engage students with the tool by having them be active and social learners

4. Connect what students are learning with real world tasks and contexts. Technology tools are used in class as a way to connect what students are learning with real-world tasks and contexts.

Each aspect of the framework is described in Kolb's (2017) book, Learning First, Technology Second: An Educator's Guide to Designing Authentic Lessons. (1)

Initially created to support technology adoption in K12 settings, we are adapting this framework for use with adult education teachers. Kolb introduces four components to the framework. The letters A, B, C, etc in Figure 1 represent the different layers of technology integration.

"A". There is technology, but there is no integration occuring. For example, students are working on a fill-in-the-blank activity which the teacher printed out from the computer.

"B". The students are engaged. This is where the first "E", engagement, is present. Students spend more time on task, and there is co-use, which Kolb defines as the person-to-person social use of a digital tool (16). This means the tool shifts the behavior of the students from passive learners to more active social learners, and students are focused on their learning goals while on a device.

"Co-use" is the key to successful engagement, yet not all use of technology in teaching reaches this standard. For example, a teacher takes students to a computer lab once a week for independent work on a software program. This is engagement if students are spending time on task, if they are focused on the program the whole time, and the program is focused on the learning objectives of the class. However, because the students are working independently on the computer and not actively socially engaged, this would not be co-use. Kolb (2017) writes that more successful technology integration happens when we create lessons that have students "focus on creating content and learning materials around technology tools rather than using apps and websites with a 'drill and practice' approach to learning" (p. 14). The latter type of technology integration used in isolation has little to no measurable effects on student achievement (Kolb, 2017). Some examples of engagement are students playing a Quizlet Live game or a game. Many adult education teachers these days are integrating these games into their classes, but that is where they stop. Engagement is not enough.

"C". Technology integration should enhance learning. Kolb (2017) writes, "In life, we don't select a tool and create a problem just so that we can use the tool; rather, we select a tool to meet the needs of the problem," (p. 3). Use of a tool also must enhance students' learning. Enhancement means the student creates content to demonstrate learning. For example, playing a Kahoot game is engagement, but creating a Kahoot game is enhancement. To support enhancement, which requires pushing students' critical thinking, analysis, and evaluation skills, Kahoot has developed a printable game planning template for students to create their own games. Similarly, playing Quizlet Live is also engagement, but having students create and maintain their own Quizlet flashcard stacks is enhancement, C.

To support enhancement the teacher must develop scaffolds to make it easier for students to understand ideas and concepts. That is, teachers need to support differentiating learning. All classrooms have students at different levels. A key question is whether a technology tool allows students to achieve their learning goals at different learning levels. For example, students collaborate on a or Word document online, giving each other feedback before submitting it to the teacher. This activity would allow students at a higher level to help those at a lower level. In another example, students write questions on class content and create a quiz that students practice as homework. Then they play a live Quizizz game in class. Students who still need more practice can return to the quiz to study.

Finally, to achieve perfect enhancement, students should be able to demonstrate their understanding better through technology than they could with a more traditional tool. Does the activity show you that the students have learned a concept? Student learning could be measured by having students respond to prompts on an audio discussion board or a text-based discussion forum on a learning management system such as , , or Google Classroom , or by submitting a video on , or by posting on a wall. Teachers can even implement project-based learning and give students choices of tools to use to demonstrate their learning. Technology options for this work might include a traditional PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation; a poster, flyer, or brochure with ; a newsletter with ; an infographic with Piktochart ; a podcast with the app; or a narrated digital story with Adobe Spark .

"D. Technology integration should extend learning. Extension is a result of students learning outside the class. Teachers typically think of extension as homework, but the authors believe that homework that does not extend into the students' every day lives is not useful. Technology tools are available to students 24/7, and if you find an activity that the students think is important and related to their technology learning needs, they will spend time outside the classroom learning. For example, instead of giving the students a vocabulary list to remember, have them open a Quizlet stack on their phones, such as these on and interior parts of a car for beginning ESL students. Having students use their phones for activities such as this builds students' comfort with using apps. They can then study the vocabulary at home, at work, on the bus, or during lunch. The Quizlet sets now become a bridge between school and their everyday lives when they need to speak to a mechanic about car problems or if they are involved in a car accident. Students can create digital artefacts with photos they take of their own vehicles. If students create their own Quizlet set, they are then using the tool to help them learn in their everyday lives. Once students see the impact on their learning, Quizlet stacks will become a part of their own personal learning network.

Evaluating Activities

Needless to say, if you achieve B, C, and D you will hit the "sweet spot" - the perfect lesson. However, this is not necessary in order to have a well-integrated lesson. Kolb (2017) has developed a simple rubric to assess how well the technology is integrated into each lesson. The uses a traffic light system shown in Figure 2.

Red is the lowest level of integration. Many activities that use technology fall in this category, for example, when the activity just requires students to play an online game in their classroom. Activities that rank in the red zone do not use authentic engagement. According to Kolb "...part of measuring engagement must consider whether or not the students are dynamically involved in the learning process." (p 40) . We must strive to do more with our technology use to increase authentic engagement.

The yellow zone usually indicates that the lesson has either engagement and enhancement or engagement and extension. While it is great that instructors are using technology more purposefully, there is still room to develop a more student-focused learning with technology tools.

Scoring in the green zone is the sweet spot. These are lessons that help students connect their learning to their worlds outside of the classroom, keep them engaged in the classroom, and keep them focused on their learning goals.This is the type of lesson for which teachers should ultimately strive.

Start Somewhere!

While hitting the sweet spot is ideal, it is more important that we as teachers get out of the red zone. Using the Triple E Framework rubric to analyze your lessons will help you see where you can improve over time. Reflecting on our own use of the framework, we might have started by providing a teacher-made Padlet board on an idea or concept covered in class. Students would be assigned to work on similar Padlet boards in groups in the classroom but would go home and add to that Padlet board with photos or concepts from their everyday lives of their communities, work, family, and friends. Students might then see how a Padlet board could be used to digitally tell a story, organize a family outing, or even present a concept to team members at work. This is what we want happening in our classrooms with technology integration: students engaged, learning enhanced, and learning extended outside the classroom.

1 Kolb, L. 2017. Learning first, technology second: An educator's guide to designing authentic lessons. Portland, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Triple E Framework for More Effective Technology Integration in Adult Education - EdTech Center @ World Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Susan Gaer, World Education Partner, OTAN Subject Matter Expert, and Kristi Reyes, ESL Faculty at MiraCosta College, OTAN Trainer Have you ever wondered how well you were integrating technology into your lessons? The Triple E Framework, developed by Dr. Liz Kolb in 2011, is a framework designed to help educators measure how well they...

# data[].attributes.body
If designing a blended lesson feels daunting, it may help to start with the whole group rotation model. Read more here!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blended Learning: The Whole Group Rotation - Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In whole group rotation, students work in small groups online and offline, and the teacher can work directly with small groups of students.

# data[].attributes.body
A teacher’s work designing learning experiences is like the work of an architect. Read more here!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I like to compare the teacher's work designing learning experiences to the work of an architect. In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning, I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. Over a series of three meetings, my architect asked me countless questions about what I wanted in a home and how I used the space. He wanted to understand me to ensure that the home he sketched would fit my needs, preference, and lifestyle. In much the same way, teachers must get to know their students. How do they enjoy engaging with information? Do they work better on their own, with a partner, or in a group? What are they interested in or passionate about? Do they work best in particular environments? What avenues might work best for them to share their learning?

Below are three aspects of our design work that I encourage teachers to consider as they architect learning experiences for their students.
#1 Get To Know Your Students
The first step in our design work must be an effort to get to know our diverse learners. Without this crucial step, teachers fall into the practice of designing a single experience for all students. However, a one-size-fits-all approach to design does not provide equitable learning experiences. In an educational context, equity understands that different learners will need different inputs to reach a particular output. Some students will need more time, resources, and support to reach a particular learning objective successfully. Providing the varied inputs that learners need to thrive in a classroom demands that teachers have more than a single model for designing their learning experiences.

Engage Learners in Conversation

How will you get to know your individual students at the beginning of the school year?

How can you make time for conversations with individual learners?

How might you lean on digital tools (e.g., surveys, video recordings) to aid your understanding of your students?

#2 Establish Clear Objectives and Firm Goals & Select the Best Instructional Model
Teachers must believe all students are capable of meeting high expectations. However, different students will need different inputs and learning paths to get to a particular outcome or goal. It is that flexibility that demands our teachers have an arsenal of instructional models and strategies to choose from when designing learning experiences. Too often, teachers rely exclusively on the teacher-led, whole group model because that is what they were taught in teacher training programs. It's still common to walk into classrooms with an agenda written on the board and the teacher positioned at the front of the room. In a teacher-led, teacher-paced lesson, students have little control and few opportunities to make key decisions about their learning experience.

I want teachers to explore the range of blended learning models available to them to select the best model for a particular outcome. The beauty of blended learning models is they shift control over the learning experience from teacher to student. This is a critical shift if we want to cultivate expert learners who are resourceful, strategic, and motivated. The qualities of an expert learner are impossible to cultivate when students are not asked to share the responsibility for learning in meaningful ways. If the focus is on compliance and following directions, learners do not have opportunities to become resourceful or strategic. Over time, the lack of autonomy and agency also negatively impacts a learner's motivation.

As teachers use the range of blended learning models to combine active, engaged learning online and offline, they are freed from feeling pressure to spend large chunks of a lesson at the front of the room controlling the experience. Instead, these models create the time and space for teachers to work directly with individual or small groups of students. It is in these one-on-one and small group settings when we can be most effective at understanding where learners are and meeting their specific needs.

Create Flexible Pathways

Do you consistently anchor your design in grade level standards and articulate clear learning objectives?

How much control do students in your class typically have in your lessons? Do they get to make meaningful choices?

Which instructional models have you used with your learners? How much experience have you had experimenting with blended learning models?

What concerns do you have about designing learning experiences that shift students to the center of learning? What explicit skill building might need to happen to help learners be more successful as we shift the responsibility for learning to them?

#3 Identify and Remove Barriers
When I lead training sessions on blended learning models, I sometimes experience pushback from teachers concerned with the time it will take to make a video or design a station rotation. Yet, when we think about many of the instructional strategies we have used for years (e.g., lecture, discussion, written responses), there are myriad barriers that may make it hard for students to access information and share their learning effectively.

Last week at the end of a flipped classroom workshop, a teacher said, "Why would I spend time to make a video when I can present this information to the class?" I turned the question to the group and asked them to work with a partner to brainstorm all the barriers that might make it hard for all students to access information presented that way. Teachers identified the following factors that might create barriers: audio processing disorders, poor vision, attention deficit, distractions and day dreams, headache or illness, language proficiency, etc. So, if all those factors could be at play in a classroom, it makes sense to question whether a live lecture or whole group mini-lesson would be the best strategy for ensuring that all students can access the information we are presenting.

Taking time to identify barriers in our design work is critical.

Identify and Remove Barriers

What might make it hard for a student to process information presented verbally in a lecture or mini-lesson?

How might a whole group, real-time discussion make it challenging for some students to participate?

How might asking students to demonstrate their understanding in a written response distort our understanding of what they actually know or understand?

Once we have identified potential barriers, we can focus on providing meaningful choices and providing scaffolds in the lesson to remove those barriers.

The architect I worked with to rebuild my home created a blueprint. He designed a detailed plan customized to my needs, but he did not build my home. Instead, it was a team of contractors and subcontractors who did the laborious work of building the structure. Similarly, I want teachers to design learning experiences that invite the students to do the hard work of making meaning and constructing knowledge. Too often, the teacher does the heavy cognitive lifting in the lesson when it should the students doing it. The more intentional our design work, the more likely we are to create learning experiences that allow all students to be successful and encourage them to think, do, make, discuss, and reflect, which are critical to deep and meaningful learning.
Summer Learning Opportunities
If you want to do a deep dive into universally designing blended learning to remove barriers and create flexible pathways, you can order your copy of UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes from Amazon or request a bulk order for a team of teachers (10+) who want to do a book study! Each chapter ends with reflection and discussion questions to guide those book study conversations.

Want to explore blended learning in an online course? I have two courses-1) beginning and 2) advancing- so you can choose the self-paced course that is the best fit for you! Both courses include video tutorials, templates, resources, and action items to help teachers explore blended learning models and design student-centered learning experiences that combine active, engaged learning online and offline. Teachers who purchase a license for either course will have unlimited and ongoing access to it, so you can continue learning all year long! Leaders looking to purchase bulk licenses to support teachers can complete this form!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UDL and Blended Learning: Removing Barriers with Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I like to compare the teacher's work designing learning experiences to the work of an architect. In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning , I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Maximizing the LMS - Empower the Assessment and Feedback Loop

# data[].attributes.body
Choice Boards: Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

# data[].attributes.body
Want some tips for setting up blended learning at the beginning of the school year? Review this presentation from the BSD Learning Summit!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Classroom Management for Blended Learning

# data[].attributes.body
UDL and Blended Learning: Removing Barriers with Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I like to compare the teacher's work designing learning experiences to the work of an architect. In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning, I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. Over a series of three meetings, my architect asked me countless questions about what I wanted in a home and how I used the space. He wanted to understand me to ensure that the home he sketched would fit my needs, preference, and lifestyle. In much the same way, teachers must get to know their students. How do they enjoy engaging with information? Do they work better on their own, with a partner, or in a group? What are they interested in or passionate about? Do they work best in particular environments? What avenues might work best for them to share their learning?

Below are three aspects of our design work that I encourage teachers to consider as they architect learning experiences for their students.
#1 Get To Know Your Students
The first step in our design work must be an effort to get to know our diverse learners. Without this crucial step, teachers fall into the practice of designing a single experience for all students. However, a one-size-fits-all approach to design does not provide equitable learning experiences. In an educational context, equity understands that different learners will need different inputs to reach a particular output. Some students will need more time, resources, and support to reach a particular learning objective successfully. Providing the varied inputs that learners need to thrive in a classroom demands that teachers have more than a single model for designing their learning experiences.

Engage Learners in Conversation

How will you get to know your individual students at the beginning of the school year?

How can you make time for conversations with individual learners?

How might you lean on digital tools (e.g., surveys, video recordings) to aid your understanding of your students?

#2 Establish Clear Objectives and Firm Goals & Select the Best Instructional Model
Teachers must believe all students are capable of meeting high expectations. However, different students will need different inputs and learning paths to get to a particular outcome or goal. It is that flexibility that demands our teachers have an arsenal of instructional models and strategies to choose from when designing learning experiences. Too often, teachers rely exclusively on the teacher-led, whole group model because that is what they were taught in teacher training programs. It's still common to walk into classrooms with an agenda written on the board and the teacher positioned at the front of the room. In a teacher-led, teacher-paced lesson, students have little control and few opportunities to make key decisions about their learning experience.

I want teachers to explore the range of blended learning models available to them to select the best model for a particular outcome. The beauty of blended learning models is they shift control over the learning experience from teacher to student. This is a critical shift if we want to cultivate expert learners who are resourceful, strategic, and motivated. The qualities of an expert learner are impossible to cultivate when students are not asked to share the responsibility for learning in meaningful ways. If the focus is on compliance and following directions, learners do not have opportunities to become resourceful or strategic. Over time, the lack of autonomy and agency also negatively impacts a learner's motivation.

As teachers use the range of blended learning models to combine active, engaged learning online and offline, they are freed from feeling pressure to spend large chunks of a lesson at the front of the room controlling the experience. Instead, these models create the time and space for teachers to work directly with individual or small groups of students. It is in these one-on-one and small group settings when we can be most effective at understanding where learners are and meeting their specific needs.

Create Flexible Pathways

Do you consistently anchor your design in grade level standards and articulate clear learning objectives?

How much control do students in your class typically have in your lessons? Do they get to make meaningful choices?

Which instructional models have you used with your learners? How much experience have you had experimenting with blended learning models?

What concerns do you have about designing learning experiences that shift students to the center of learning? What explicit skill building might need to happen to help learners be more successful as we shift the responsibility for learning to them?

#3 Identify and Remove Barriers
When I lead training sessions on blended learning models, I sometimes experience pushback from teachers concerned with the time it will take to make a video or design a station rotation. Yet, when we think about many of the instructional strategies we have used for years (e.g., lecture, discussion, written responses), there are myriad barriers that may make it hard for students to access information and share their learning effectively.

Last week at the end of a flipped classroom workshop, a teacher said, "Why would I spend time to make a video when I can present this information to the class?" I turned the question to the group and asked them to work with a partner to brainstorm all the barriers that might make it hard for all students to access information presented that way. Teachers identified the following factors that might create barriers: audio processing disorders, poor vision, attention deficit, distractions and day dreams, headache or illness, language proficiency, etc. So, if all those factors could be at play in a classroom, it makes sense to question whether a live lecture or whole group mini-lesson would be the best strategy for ensuring that all students can access the information we are presenting.

Taking time to identify barriers in our design work is critical.

Identify and Remove Barriers

What might make it hard for a student to process information presented verbally in a lecture or mini-lesson?

How might a whole group, real-time discussion make it challenging for some students to participate?

How might asking students to demonstrate their understanding in a written response distort our understanding of what they actually know or understand?

Once we have identified potential barriers, we can focus on providing meaningful choices and providing scaffolds in the lesson to remove those barriers.

The architect I worked with to rebuild my home created a blueprint. He designed a detailed plan customized to my needs, but he did not build my home. Instead, it was a team of contractors and subcontractors who did the laborious work of building the structure. Similarly, I want teachers to design learning experiences that invite the students to do the hard work of making meaning and constructing knowledge. Too often, the teacher does the heavy cognitive lifting in the lesson when it should the students doing it. The more intentional our design work, the more likely we are to create learning experiences that allow all students to be successful and encourage them to think, do, make, discuss, and reflect, which are critical to deep and meaningful learning.
Summer Learning Opportunities
If you want to do a deep dive into universally designing blended learning to remove barriers and create flexible pathways, you can order your copy of UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes from Amazon or request a bulk order for a team of teachers (10+) who want to do a book study! Each chapter ends with reflection and discussion questions to guide those book study conversations.

Want to explore blended learning in an online course? I have two courses-1) beginning and 2) advancing- so you can choose the self-paced course that is the best fit for you! Both courses include video tutorials, templates, resources, and action items to help teachers explore blended learning models and design student-centered learning experiences that combine active, engaged learning online and offline. Teachers who purchase a license for either course will have unlimited and ongoing access to it, so you can continue learning all year long! Leaders looking to purchase bulk licenses to support teachers can complete this form!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UDL and Blended Learning: Removing Barriers with Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I like to compare the teacher's work designing learning experiences to the work of an architect. In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning , I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017.

# data[].attributes.body
Review BSD's Acceptable Use of Technology Policy. How do you establish norms with using devices in your classroom?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BSD Policies - Acceptable Use of Technology.pdf