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Distance Learning | Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning

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Distance Learning - Web-Based courses - Independent Study Option - Teacher Mediated Option

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MB Remote Learning Framework Video Series

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MB Remote Learning Framework Video Series

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Manitoba Remote Learning Framework Video Series - YouTube

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Remote Learning

Grades 9 to 12 Web-based Courses

The following courses are available, free of charge, to any school division or adult learning centre wishing to implement web-based courses.

Web-Based Courses are based on Manitoba curriculum that are available for all teachers to use as a resource or to use for online teaching. WBC do not include assessments. Teachers can modify content and add assessments to meet the needs of their students.

Web-Based Courses - PDF are based on Manitoba Distance Learning Independent Study Option courses that are available for all teachers to use as a resource. Like all Web-Based Courses, these PDF versions do not include assessments (Quizzes or Tests). There are instructions for submitting assignments that are specific to the Independent Study Option. Teachers will need to modify content to instruct students on how to submit work.

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

ELA 10F

Math 10F

Physical/Health Education 10F

Science 10F

Social Studies 10F

ELA 20F

Essential Math 20S

Intro Applied & Pre-Calculus Math 20S

Physical/Health Education 20F

Science 20F

Applied Math 30S

Éducation physique et Éducation à la santé 30F

ELA: Comprehensive Focus 30S

ELA: Literary Focus 30S

ELA: Transactional Focus 30S

Essential Math 30S

History of Canada 30S

Physical/Health Education 30F

Pre-Calculus Math 30S

Applied Math 40S

Éducation physique et Éducation à la santé 40F

ELA: Comprehensive Focus 40S

ELA: Literary Focus 40S

ELA: Technical Communications 40S

ELA: Transactional Focus 40S

Essential Math 40S

Physical/Health Education 40F

Pre-Calculus Math 40S

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Éducation physique et Éducation à la santé 10F PDF

Mathématiques 10F PDF

Éducation physique et Éducation à la santé 20F PDF

Introduction aux Mathématiques appliquée et pré-calcul 20S PDF

Mathématiques au quotidien 20S PDF

Mathématiques au quotidien 30S PDF

Mathématiques pré-calcul 30S PDF

Mathématiques au quotidien 40S PDF

Mathématiques pré-Calcul 40S PDF

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Computer Science 20S

Digital Pictures 25S

Drafting 20G

Social Studies 20F

2D Animation 35S

Accounting 30S

Agriculture 30S

Biology 30S

Chemistry 30S

Physics 30S

Physique 30S

Web Design 35S

Biology 40S

Chemistry 40S

Current Topics in First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies 40S

Global Issues, Citizenship & Sustainability 40S

Law 40S

Physics 40S

Physique 40S

Psychology 40S

Online Classroom / Course Template in the LMS

Manitoba teachers may wish to use the tools found in Brightspace to create their own online classroom environment. Brightspace can be used to facilitate communication with students and to easily create customized content for the classroom. Some of the tools include email, discussions, online assignments and tests (Quizzes) and a class calendar. To create this type of environment for your classroom, please use the Brightspace Teacher Registration Form to request access to the LMS. You will then be able to request a Blank Shell course.

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MB Ed: Brightspace Teacher Registration - English

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MB Ed: Brightspace Teacher Registration - English

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Use the teacher registration form to sign-up for a Brightspace teacher account.

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MB Ed: Brightspace Teacher Registration - French

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MB Ed: Brightspace Teacher Registration - French

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Province du Manitoba - Éducation Manitoba

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Province du Manitoba | Éducation Manitoba

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Distance Learning - Brightspace FAQs | Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning

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accessibility

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Remote Learning

WBC Training/Workshops

Live workshops and webinars are available for the LMS. School divisions can request local training on-site with a group of at least 10 teachers. Webinars can be requested for small groups or one to one training.

All webinars will be conducted online. Participants will need a microphone/headset. To schedule a webinar, please contact Shannon Magee at 431-373-9097.

Phone and email support/training is available 12 months of the year by contacting Shannon Magee at 431-373-9097.

Web-based courses can be accessed on the Learning Management System.

Please contact1-800-465-9915 if you have any questions.

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Remote Learning

Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Staff Contacts

General Inquiries:
Connie Storey, Program Support
Telephone: 204-325-1701
Toll-Free: 1-800-465-9915
Email: Remote.Learning@gov.mb.ca

Remote Learning Unit
Chris Fredrickson, Coordinator
Email: Chris.Fredrickson@gov.mb.ca
Telephone: 204-891-0506

Remote Learning Implementation
Shannon Magee, Consultant
Email: Shannon.Magee@gov.mb.ca
Telephone: 431-373-9097

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Remote Learning - Web-Based courses - Blended Learning - Remote Learning Program in Manitoba

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Check the contrast of your color design for accessibility base on Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG)

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Welcome to Brightspace for K-12 Training (D2L)

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Welcome to Brightspace for K-12 Training (D2L)

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Access step-by-step training resources below, or check out self-serve webinars to create and customize your own Brightspace training sessions.
Self-Serve Webinars
Step 1

Getting Started

In this first step, we'll run through some basics, where you'll learn to navigate Brightspace and become familiar with key terminology. Getting Started will provide an overview of navigating the Brightspace Learning Environment and finding and activating your courses as well as learning ways to personalize your course home page and create a message for your students.
As a teacher, you'll be able to navigate the Brightspace Learning Environment to become familiar with the following:

Finding your courses

Activating your courses

Navigating your district and course home pages

Customizing your course banner

Creating a post using Activity Feed

Creating a post using Announcements

Step 2

Delivering Content

Creating content is a key part of the Brightspace Learning Environment. This session will explore the different workflows you can use to build effective course content, including importing courses, creating from scratch, uploading files, dragging and dropping, and adding existing activities.
As a beginner-level teacher, you'll be able to:

Create a new unit and lesson

Add materials

Preview from the student perspective

Post items to the course home page

Step 3

Communication and Engagement

Congratulations on making it to Step 3!

In this step, we'll be looking at some ways you can communicate and engage with your students by using some of the tools found in Brightspace.

We'll cover how to use multimedia tools like Video Note, Activity Feed, Announcements, and Awards to reach every learner.
As a teacher, you'll be able to:

Explore the Brightspace Editor for multimedia opportunities to communicate with students

Use Activity Feed to connect with students

Remind, connect, and communicate with students about engaging activities by using Announcements

Use the Awards tool to recognize student achievements

Step 4

Assessment and Feedback

You've arrived at Step 4-welcome! In this step, we'll discuss how you can use Brightspace as your assessment hub to have all your assessment information and feedback in one space.

We'll cover how to create assignments with different submission types, add assessment instructions and rubrics, and share assessment information with your students. We'll also look at how you can easily provide detailed and personalized feedback using our powerful feedback features.
As a teacher, you'll be able to:

Create an assignment in Activity Feed and the Assignments tool

Create and attach a rubric to an assignment

Assess and provide feedback on an assignment using the Annotation tool, rubrics, and the Feedback comment area

New assignment-creation experience

Old assignment-creation experience (for districts that haven't turned on the new experience):

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Welcome to Brightspace for K-12 Training

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All the steps and guides you need to get started with Brightspace in your K-12 classroom.

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The Rule of Thirds: Know your layout sweet spots. 

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The Rule of Thirds: Know your layout sweet spots. 

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Now that we've started covering the topic of proportion in design (beginning with the Golden Ratio article), let's look at another vital subject. Getting a firm grasp of the Rule of Thirds will empower you to fine-tune your eye to bring out the best of the elements in your design by placing them where they belong best.

What Is the Rule of Thirds?

The Rule of Thirds is another way to look at the layout of a design (be it a web page, a painting or a photograph). The idea is straightforward; you place a simple grid overlay (divided equally into thirds, both horizontally and vertically) on the space to be used for the design. This makes a grid of nine equal-shaped boxes. To do this, we make two sets of parallel lines at even places over a background. So, going from the top left, measure the width of your background. If you've got a width of 36 cm, mark out points at 12 cm and 24 cm. Then, look at the height. So, again going from the top left, measuring down, we get a reading of 24 cm. Therefore, mark out points at 8-cm intervals (8 cm and 16 cm down). Now that we have our grid points set, we can make the grid!

From this page ( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photo_3x3....) you can download both the landscape and portrait templates.

If you're near a piece of paper or want to switch to a drawing application, try this experiment. Using your ruler, measure the width and height (or length and width, if you have paper, turning it so it's in landscape aspect), and then mark out the points to get the intervals for your grid lines. If you're doing this on paper, be sure to measure and mark both top and bottom points, as well as the left and right ones to ensure that the lines will be parallel. Once you've got the points marked, draw the lines to make your grid. Notice how those two sets of lines make nine equal-sized boxes. Notice, too, how the lines meet at four points towards the center.

For aesthetic appeal, breaking the design up (horizontally and vertically) so that each third has a similar theme is a valuable way to make a design more interesting. The engraver, John Thomas Smith coined the term "Rule of Thirds" in 1797 in his work "Remarks on Rural Scenery", wherein he acknowledged the power of dividing paintings up using this grid technique to maximize the effect on the beholder's eye.

Look at the work of famous photographers - the subject of a photo is rarely centered, because photographers will incorporate the rule of thirds when framing their shots (and indeed, many cameras will offer the grid overlay in the view finder or on live view so that photographers can compose their shots with this rule in mind).

The most important part of the grid is where the lines cross. These are focal points (or "sweet spots", as those in the industry call them). In a photograph, you might want a person's eyes or smile on such a point to help tell the story of the image. You have four sweet spots to use. With a little thought, and depending on what's going on in the image (is there a mountain in the background, etc.?), you can show what's happening with the most impact. Does your subject look confident that he or she is about to climb that mountain? Remember, a picture can tell a thousand words.

This is why the grid is so valuable, and it applies to what we do as designers, too. In web and app design, we can place the call to action or a key element on a sweet spot, since we know that the eye will automatically fall towards the four intersection points. It's important to note that these four sweet spots differ in their appeal to the eye, underlining the fact that going for symmetry in your design is not always the best option. We'll look at how these sweet spots differ in more detail a little later.

The Rule of Thirds is your main ally when you're aiming for the best visual results. By training your eye to make your design's key elements fall in line with the appropriate sweet spots, you'll be making the best use of your other big ally here: your user's eye. It doesn't matter if you're overlaying your grid over a landscape or a portrait image or background on which to design. As long as you have nine boxes with four intersecting sweet spots, you're perfectly equipped.

Like the Golden Ratio, the Rule of Thirds is ever-present, and the results of its application surround us. Speaking of the Golden Ratio, let's see how it relates to the Rule of Thirds in our quest to make the best layout designs.

The Golden Ratio and the Phi Grid

When we examined the Golden Ratio, we saw how to make an ideal rectangle (by taking a side of length 1, multiplying it by a "golden" number (1.618), and making our width 1.618). The resulting shape is one that we recognize as the most pleasing rectangle because its proportions conform to the Golden Ratio.

We shall return to our grid and the Rule of Thirds in a moment. First, let's quickly see another kind of grid, called the Phi Grid. In looking at it, we'll understand how the Golden Ratio was once applied to grid design.

Before the Rule of Thirds grid (that we drew above) came to be, early designers used something else. This involved the Golden Ratio in that, in the nine boxes formed when such a grid was drawn, instead of being equal in size, there were four rectangles (all four corner boxes) of 1:1.618 proportions. So, if we had a background with a width of 1.54 cm and a height of 1.02 cm, we would put our horizontal markers at 0.59 cm and 0.96 cm, respectively. For the vertical markers, we insert interval points at 0.39 cm and 0.63 cm.

Needless to say, the Phi Grid takes more work to create than the Rule of Thirds grid. However, it's believed to foster thoughts of better visual harmony in users and can provide good balance by dividing space mathematically. Also, using the Phi Grid is great for ensuring alignment, especially in landscape images where a horizon line adds strength to the picture. Because the points where the grid lines meet are much more central in a Phi Grid, the user's eye falls naturally on these four "sweet spots". See the images below, noting how these spots "target" the subject.

For all its benefits, the Phi Grid has its difficulties. While there are still four sweet spots in it, focused in the center (a feature it has in common with the Rule of Thirds grid), it can distract designers, making some of them lose sight of their elements. Worse, the more complicated process of working with the grid can become long and involved. Rather than paying off, the hard work of using the Phi Grid advantageously can fluster designers.

The Phi Grid and the Rule of Thirds grid compared:

How to Apply the Rule of Thirds in Your Design

Happily, the Rule of Thirds allows us to make a far simpler grid, as we've seen. It's the more widely used of the two varieties, mostly due to its simplicity. While it incorporates aspects of the Phi Grid (in that there are four intersecting sweet spots and nine boxes), a Rule of Thirds grid means we can apply the principles of divine proportion while sparing ourselves having to work with a calculator.

As web designers, we can also use the Rule of Thirds by aiming to put the most important content on any given page in the top third. You might think this odd, because surely that's above the intersections or sweet spots. However, in web design, we're dealing with pages that scroll. On many modern devices, the whole web page may not fit on the screen. Therefore, by placing content "above the fold", we are applying the Rule of Thirds. The user's eye will still fall on all the right places.

It also fits with the visual hierarchy in the way that we consume information (in nearly all languages, we read from the top to bottom of the page). Research has shown that the eye tends to scan images in such a way that, with our four sweet spots, over two-fifths of the user's attention will be drawn to the top-left sweet spot. The eye will then drop to the bottom-left sweet spot, where it generally gives a quarter of its attention. From there, it travels up to the top-right sweet spot, which draws a fifth of its attention, before falling to the final sweet spot in the bottom right.

From this, we notice that users tend to read in a style that's comparable to a capital "F" (giving priority to the top left, then down, then up and across to the top right, and, lastly, with not so much emphasis on the bottom right). Consequently, the top-left sweet spot is your prime chance to "grab" your user!

The Take Away

The Rule of Thirds has been helping artists and designers for at least over 200 years. It is a universal concept that artists and designers use by creating a grid of nine boxes in order to draw the user's eye to specific areas on the design. Made by measuring, marking and drawing two sets of vertical and horizontal parallel lines that intersect at four points, this grid gives you the ability to consider your designs in a different way. These intersecting focal points are called "sweet spots".

The Rule of Thirds is related to the Golden Ratio and the appealing proportions the latter creates. An earlier grid, the Phi Grid, is perhaps a finer representation of divine proportion, but it's not as straightforward. Featuring four of its nine boxes shaped as rectangles with the proportions of the golden ratio (1:1.618), it may be considered to offer more pleasing views, but it can be unwieldy to use in designing.

As users and designers, we generally scan an image visually in an F-shape. By starting with most of our focus given to the top-left sweet spot, we look down to the bottom-left sweet spot before going up to the top-right one, and then, and with the least attention, we scan the bottom-right sweet spot.

Therefore, as a designer, you have a prime opportunity to take advantage of this innate tendency, maximizing the impact of your design by appealing to your user in this way.

Whether you're designing manually or with the aid of software, you'll find the Rule of Thirds an invaluable aid in targeting the key points of your design and communicating these to your users. It is important to remember that you can use the rule for both landscape and portrait designs.

Where to Learn More

Resources
Hero Image: © John R. Daily, Fair Use

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The Rule of Thirds: Know your layout sweet spots

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The Rule of Thirds has been helping artists and designers for at least over 200 years. It is a universal concept that artists and designers use by creating a grid of nine boxes in order to draw the us

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Rule of Thirds: The Definitive Guide & Examples.

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Rule of Thirds: The Definitive Guide & Examples.

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Picture this: You want to design a stunning graphic or capture a momentous photograph. You want to ensure that your visuals resonate deeply with your viewers, leaving a lasting impression.

Many design techniques and photography rules can help you achieve the results you desire. One such principle that has stood the test of time is the renowned 'Rule of Thirds'. Strategically placing key components at intersecting points or lines can create a dynamic balance within your designs. This adds a fresh sense of harmony and symmetry to your compositions.

From a captivating portrait to the perfectly balanced design elements in a graphic or even the harmonious layout of a website-the Rule of Thirds empowers you to create visuals that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also emotionally compelling.

In this article, you will learn the importance of the rule of thirds in photography and design. Right from the definition to rule of thirds examples to the correct tools-this guide covers everything you need to know!

What Is the Rule of Thirds?

The rule of thirds is a composition technique that guides you to place your subject on the left or right, leaving more room for the other objects. Although there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds helps get the most well-composed shots.

Imagine dividing your image into nine equal parts with the help of two vertical and two horizontal lines. That's precisely what makes the rule of thirds. Using this grid, you must place your objects along the lines or at the points where they intersect.

The best part? This setting is readily available on most cameras and mobile phones.

The rule of thirds is one of the most helpful tools that empower you to balance your main subject and the white space within your image. If you're starting to embark on your journey to become a photographer, this technique can take your pictures from mediocre to mesmerizing.

However, there is only one way to master this technique: practice. With dedicated and consistent application, the rule of thirds transcends a mere skill and becomes a spontaneous habit.

"If you are tuned in to the imagery we see around us, I feel like you sort of absorb [the rule of thirds] even if you can't put your finger on it."

- Khara Plicanic, Photographer, Author, and Instructor.

What Is the Rule of Thirds In Graphic Design?

The rule of thirds in graphic design is like dividing a page into tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses) board. Imagine that your canvas is divided into nine equal parts with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Take the below image as an example; these lines help align and position graphic elements like the apple, and arrange your design so that it is easier for people to perceive.

When you use the rule of thirds, the lines cross at four points in the middle of the page. These are the "sweet spots" in your design, where people naturally tend to look first. Putting your main subjects (such as elements, text, images, or icons) here can make your work more interesting and dynamic.

The rule of thirds is a handy design tool that creates balance and adds interest to your work. It helps you highlight important parts of your layout and guides viewers' attention. By using this rule, you can make designs that are more visually striking.

What Is the Rule of Thirds in UI Design?

Like in graphic design, the rule of thirds in UI ( User Interface) design is a fundamental principle that helps structure and organize elements on a screen. It involves dividing the screen into a 3x3 grid, which results in nine equal parts.

Usually, the four intersections are ideal for placing crucial elements. For example, look at the website template from Wix given below. This Wix website template places important elements like the hero Image, titles or CTAs (calls to action) along the horizontal grid lines. A note of caution, though. Due to the responsive nature of UIs, such placement will work best on only some screen sizes.

In UI design, the main purpose of this rule is to make designs look interesting and effective.

How to Use the Rule of Thirds in Photography

Using the rule of thirds is easier once you understand it correctly. Also, practicing it will help you capture better outcomes. To use it properly, you must keep four essential guidelines in mind.

Follow these tactics to improve the aesthetic of your photos.

1. Align the Subject With Lines or Intersections

When you're about to take a photograph, you can enable a 3x3 grid on your digital camera screen and add it as an overlay. Focus on the four intersections the grid lines form and align your subject with one of these. You can also align it with the vertical or horizontal lines. Take the image below as an example. The human figure is the subject or the focal point, placed along the right line. This way, the focus remains on the subject, but the other visual elements complement it and set the scene.

2. Align the Linear Elements With Grid Lines

You can also align your elements with either the vertical or horizontal axis. Another common program that includes a mobile application is Lightroom. The orientation of your objects and the scene will decide which line you can use here. For instance, objects in a landscape (e.g., horizons, trees/forests, beaches, and cityscapes) work best aligned with horizontal grid lines.

Conversely, elements like doors, pillars, waterfalls, and people in standing positions look better when you align them with the vertical grid lines. This makes your photo more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. At the same time, you can emphasize the scene's interesting elements more.

Instead of placing the horizon line at the center, align it with one of the grid lines. Aligning it with the lower grid line, such as in this image brings more focus to the sky.

3. Align Objects Diagonally

Another advanced tactic is to align elements diagonally. This tactic is effective when you want to capture objects with irregular shapes; for example, paths, roads, and rivers. Instead of placing the central element in a left-to-right direction, you can position it diagonally. To ensure they're aligned right, check for the diagonal intersection points. This helps the viewer's eyes wander around the image.

Consider aligning subjects diagonally, instead of horizontally or vertically. For example, this winding river makes for a more dynamic composition when it diagonally splits the image.

4. Break the Rule of Thirds

Although it is rare, you can completely disregard the rule in a few cases. For instance, if you see a balance in the scene, there is no need for the rule of thirds. Like in the picture below, you may find symmetry in landscapes with lake and river reflections, seas, and wet roads.

In this image, the buildings, along with their reflection, form one unit, thus making the rule of thirds tricky to implement. That said, even with the image split neatly into two, where does your eye focus on? Chances are, along one of the intersection points.

There are various other scenarios in photography where using the rule of thirds may be challenging. Let's take a look at those:

1. Small Subject

If you want to click a picture where the subject is too small, the rule of thirds breaks here. If you want to highlight the subject, keep the rule of thirds aside and place it at the center of the image.

2. Frame-Filling Portraits

When you want to click a picture where all parts of an image aren't entirely in the frame or when the subject is in the foreground, applying the rule of thirds gets complicated. How? If the subject occupies most of the frame, there's only one thing to focus on. Hence, there is no need to apply the rule of thirds.

Rule of Thirds Examples

Now that you know how to use the rule correctly, let's look at a few rule of thirds photography examples. These will help you better understand how the composition in a photograph works.

Example 1

A tree aligned along the left vertical grid line with the horizon aligned along the lower horizontal grid line.

This photo is a perfect example of using the rule of thirds for good composition. Here's what you can take away from this picture:

1. The tree, which is the main subject, is perfectly aligned with the left vertical line and well positioned with the help of the intersections. This leaves negative space on the right to set the scene.

2. The photo is cleanly divided into two parts. With the ground aligned to the horizontal grid line, ⅓ of the picture is the foreground. ⅔ of the photograph makes the background, adding depth.

3. Since no object or element is on the right, there are no distractions, and the focus remains on the subject.

Example 2

This example looks similar to the previous one, but only partially. Here's the key takeaway from this example:

1. The horizon in this image is not complete, or you can say that there isn't one.

2. The rule of thirds is loosely followed in this picture, positioning only the subject (the windmill) on the left with the aid of intersections.

3. The photographer has tried to align the limited horizon with the bottom horizontal gridline to maintain balance and proportions.

Example 3

Here, the photographer has used the rule of thirds loosely, almost breaking it. But there sure is a lot to learn from this type of composition.

1. The photographer has divided the image into two almost equal halves horizontally by positioning the coastline at the center.

2. The photo's main subject is the boat nearly at the center. Since it is smaller, it leaves room for the essential details.

3. The image is divided into three parts: the river (the foreground), the horizon, the subject (the central element of the picture), the trees and the sun (the background).

Example 4

This example is not something you usually come across. It is rare to find such symmetry in objects or landscapes. Here's what you can learn from this example:

1. Clearly, the subject (the facade of the mosque) covers most of the frame. But what's great about this picture is its nearly perfect alignment with the grid. If you look closely, the positioning is so balanced that the spacing around the subject is almost equal on both sides.

2. The center alignment of the subject leaves room for additional details, like the sky and design on the floor.

3. This photograph is also divided into three parts: the designer floor (the foreground), the subject (the facade of the mosque), and the sky (the background).

Example 5

This image's alignment and compositional elements teach more than just the rule of thirds.

1. The photograph is divided into three unequal parts: the waterfall (the main subject), the pool (foreground), and the sky (background).

2. The waterfall is well aligned with the vertical grid line on the left and flows into the frame towards the bottom right. This helps draw the viewer's attention to one part at a time. You can also consider there to be a leading line that enables you to pan your eyes from left to right.

3. The alignment of the waterfall on the left also emphasizes the wall and additional details, making it look more aesthetic.

Example 6

Using the rule of thirds in portrait photography is comparatively more accessible than in landscape photography. Take the above image as an example:

1. If you want to keep your subject in the center and focus, placing the eyes on the upper horizontal grid line is the best way to get the right alignment.

2. The additional parts, like shoulders, must stay within the lower grid line.

3. Ensure the face is at the center.

Learn more about grid systems in How To Use Grid Systems

Best Tools for Editing Using the Rule of Thirds

If you can't use the rule of thirds correctly while clicking pictures, you can improve the composition while editing your photos. Every piece of editing software has the option to use grids, and here's how you can use it in different software:

1. Adobe Photoshop

There are two ways to apply the rule of thirds in Adobe Photoshop:

Way 1

Open Photoshop and place the photo you want to edit.

Next, on the top toolbar, click on the icon next to the home and select any one of the crop options.

Look for the little grid icon in the top bar and select the first option, Rule of Thirds.

Next, check the box for Always Show Overlay in the same menu.

Way 2

Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grids & Slices, then navigate to the submenu.

Set Gridline Every to 100 > Click on the navigation next to it, select Percent > Set the subdivisions as 3 and click OK.

If you still can't see the gridlines, go to view and enable the extras.

Screenshot of Adobe Photoshop's Guides, Grid & Slices section of Preferences.

2. Lightroom

Another popular software that also has a mobile app is Lightroom. It is one of the most preferred pieces of photo editing software. To use the rule of thirds grid in Lightroom, follow these steps:

Import your photo into Lightroom.

Go to the Develop module > click on Crop Overlay option.

Go to Tool > Crop Guide Overlay > Thirds to enable the three-by-three grid in Lightroom.

3. GIMP

To use the rule of thirds while editing in GIMP, follow these steps:

To enable the grid in GIMP, choose View, then Show Grid.

The default grid appears on the screen as a series of solid lines, each set 10 pixels apart.

You can change the appearance and spacing of the grid lines. To do that, choose Image < Configure Grid. You can divide the width and height of the image by 3 to obtain the correct values to enter in the dialog box.

Next, choose a line style of your liking, color, and spacing to customize.

4. Canva

Although Canva is a popular cloud software for graphic designing, many people also use it for photo editing. Therefore, using the rule of thirds grid in Canva is simple. But this feature is only available in a pro account. If you have a Canva Pro account, here's how you can enable it in Canva:

Create a custom-sized art board according to the image you want to edit.

Add your photo to the uploads and place it on the artboard.

Next, select 'Files' in the top-left corner and select 'View Settings.'

In 'View Settings,' select 'Add guides.'

Once selected, you can customize the number of rows and columns you want on your artboard.

Go to 'Custom,' add the number of rows and columns (3X3), and you'll have the rule of thirds grid on your artboard.

Take Your Graphics to the Next Level!

Now that you've seen the rule of thirds photo examples, we're optimistic that you have a fair idea of how the rule of thirds works in photography. It's also fine to break the rule but to do that, you must 'know' it. All you need to do is practice, and you'll soon know when to follow or go against the rule!

Additionally, you can take on visual perception by the IxDF to understand the anatomy of the eye, theories of human color vision, and other essential principles. This will add to your skills and help you capture better photographs.

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Rule of Thirds: The Definitive Guide & Examples

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Discover the power of the rule of thirds in photography, graphic design, and UI design and how it can enhance your visuals. Learn the tips and tricks to master this technique. Read more.

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

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Appendix A: Glossary

This section is normative.

abbreviation

shortened form of a word, phrase, or name where the abbreviation has not become part of the language

Note 1: This includes initialisms and acronyms where:

1. initialisms are shortened forms of a name or phrase made from the initial letters of words or syllables contained in that name or phrase

Note 1: Not defined in all languages.

Example 1: SNCF is a French initialism that contains the initial letters of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer, the French national railroad.

Example 2: ESP is an initialism for extrasensory perception.

2. acronyms are abbreviated forms made from the initial letters or parts of other words (in a name or phrase) which may be pronounced as a word

Example: NOAA is an acronym made from the initial letters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States.

Note 2: Some companies have adopted what used to be an initialism as their company name. In these cases, the new name of the company is the letters (for example, Ecma) and the word is no longer considered an abbreviation.

accessibility supported

supported by users' assistive technologies as well as the accessibility features in browsers and other user agents

To qualify as an accessibility-supported use of a Web content technology (or feature of a technology), both 1 and 2 must be satisfied for a Web content technology (or feature):

1. The way that the Web content technology is used must be supported by users' assistive technology (AT). This means that the way that the technology is used has been tested for interoperability with users' assistive technology in the human language(s) of the content,

AND

2. The Web content technology must have accessibility-supported user agents that are available to users. This means that at least one of the following four statements is true:

1. The technology is supported natively in widely-distributed user agents that are also accessibility supported (such as HTML and CSS);

OR

2. The technology is supported in a widely-distributed plug-in that is also accessibility supported;

OR

3. The content is available in a closed environment, such as a university or corporate network, where the user agent required by the technology and used by the organization is also accessibility supported;

OR

4. The user agent(s) that support the technology are accessibility supported and are available for download or purchase in a way that:

Note 1: The WCAG Working group and the W3C do not specify which or how much support by assistive technologies there must be for a particular use of a Web technology in order for it to be classified as accessibility supported. (See Level of Assistive Technology Support Needed for "Accessibility Support".)

Note 2: Web technologies can be used in ways that are not accessibility supported as long as they are not relied upon and the page as a whole meets the conformance requirements, including Conformance Requirement 4: Only Accessibility-Supported Ways of Using Technologies and Conformance Requirement 5: Non-Interference, are met.

Note 3: When a Web Technology is used in a way that is "accessibility supported," it does not imply that the entire technology or all uses of the technology are supported. Most technologies, including HTML, lack support for at least one feature or use. Pages conform to WCAG only if the uses of the technology that are accessibility supported can be relied upon to meet WCAG requirements.

Note 4: When citing Web content technologies that have multiple versions, the version(s) supported should be specified.

Note 5: One way for authors to locate uses of a technology that are accessibility supported would be to consult compilations of uses that are documented to be accessibility supported. (See Understanding Accessibility-Supported Web Technology Uses.) Authors, companies, technology vendors, or others may document accessibility-supported ways of using Web content technologies. However, all ways of using technologies in the documentation would need to meet the definition of accessibility-supported Web content technologies above.

alternative for time-based media

ambiguous to users in general

ASCII art

picture created by a spatial arrangement of characters or glyphs (typically from the 95 printable characters defined by ASCII).

assistive technology (as used in this document)

hardware and/or software that acts as a user agent, or along with a mainstream user agent, to provide functionality to meet the requirements of users with disabilities that go beyond those offered by mainstream user agents

Note 1: functionality provided by assistive technology includes alternative presentations (e.g., as synthesized speech or magnified content), alternative input methods (e.g., voice), additional navigation or orientation mechanisms, and content transformations (e.g., to make tables more accessible).

Note 2: Assistive technologies often communicate data and messages with mainstream user agents by using and monitoring APIs.

Note 3: The distinction between mainstream user agents and assistive technologies is not absolute. Many mainstream user agents provide some features to assist individuals with disabilities. The basic difference is that mainstream user agents target broad and diverse audiences that usually include people with and without disabilities. Assistive technologies target narrowly defined populations of users with specific disabilities. The assistance provided by an assistive technology is more specific and appropriate to the needs of its target users. The mainstream user agent may provide important functionality to assistive technologies like retrieving Web content from program objects or parsing markup into identifiable bundles.

Example: Assistive technologies that are important in the context of this document include the following:

screen magnifiers, and other visual reading assistants, which are used by people with visual, perceptual and physical print disabilities to change text font, size, spacing, color, synchronization with speech, etc. in order to improve the visual readability of rendered text and images;

screen readers, which are used by people who are blind to read textual information through synthesized speech or braille;

text-to-speech software, which is used by some people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities to convert text into synthetic speech;

speech recognition software, which may be used by people who have some physical disabilities;

alternative keyboards, which are used by people with certain physical disabilities to simulate the keyboard (including alternate keyboards that use head pointers, single switches, sip/puff and other special input devices.);

alternative pointing devices, which are used by people with certain physical disabilities to simulate mouse pointing and button activations.

audio

audio description

narration added to the soundtrack to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone

Note 1: Audio description of video provides information about actions, characters, scene changes, on-screen text, and other visual content.

Note 2: In standard audio description, narration is added during existing pauses in dialogue. (See also extended audio description.)

Note 3: Where all of the video information is already provided in existing audio, no additional audio description is necessary.

Note 4: Also called "video description" and "descriptive narration."

audio-only

a time-based presentation that contains only audio (no video and no interaction)

blinking

blocks of text

more than one sentence of text

CAPTCHA

initialism for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart"

Note 1: CAPTCHA tests often involve asking the user to type in text that is displayed in an obscured image or audio file.

Note 2: A Turing test is any system of tests designed to differentiate a human from a computer. It is named after famed computer scientist Alan Turing. The term was coined by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. [CAPTCHA]

captions

synchronized visual and/or text alternative for both speech and non-speech audio information needed to understand the media content

Note 1: Captions are similar to dialogue-only subtitles except captions convey not only the content of spoken dialogue, but also equivalents for non-dialogue audio information needed to understand the program content, including sound effects, music, laughter, speaker identification and location.

Note 2: Closed Captions are equivalents that can be turned on and off with some players.

Note 3: Open Captions are any captions that cannot be turned off. For example, if the captions are visual equivalent images of text embedded in video.

Note 4: Captions should not obscure or obstruct relevant information in the video.

Note 5: In some countries, captions are called subtitles.

Note 6: Audio descriptions can be, but do not need to be, captioned since they are descriptions of information that is already presented visually.

changes of context

major changes in the content of the Web page that, if made without user awareness, can disorient users who are not able to view the entire page simultaneously

Changes in context include changes of:

Note: A change of content is not always a change of context. Changes in content, such as an expanding outline, dynamic menu, or a tab control do not necessarily change the context, unless they also change one of the above (e.g., focus).

Example: Opening a new window, moving focus to a different component, going to a new page (including anything that would look to a user as if they had moved to a new page) or significantly re-arranging the content of a page are examples of changes of context.

conformance

satisfying all the requirements of a given standard, guideline or specification

conforming alternate version

version that

1. conforms at the designated level, and

2. provides all of the same information and functionality in the same human language, and

3. is as up to date as the non-conforming content, and

4. for which at least one of the following is true:

1. the conforming version can be reached from the non-conforming page via an accessibility-supported mechanism, or

2. the non-conforming version can only be reached from the conforming version, or

3. the non-conforming version can only be reached from a conforming page that also provides a mechanism to reach the conforming version

Note 1: In this definition, "can only be reached" means that there is some mechanism, such as a conditional redirect, that prevents a user from "reaching" (loading) the non-conforming page unless the user had just come from the conforming version.

Note 2: The alternate version does not need to be matched page for page with the original (e.g., the conforming alternate version may consist of multiple pages).

Note 3: If multiple language versions are available, then conforming alternate versions are required for each language offered.

Note 4: Alternate versions may be provided to accommodate different technology environments or user groups. Each version should be as conformant as possible. One version would need to be fully conformant in order to meet conformance requirement 1.

Note 5: The conforming alternative version does not need to reside within the scope of conformance, or even on the same Web site, as long as it is as freely available as the non-conforming version.

Note 6: Alternate versions should not be confused with supplementary content, which support the original page and enhance comprehension.

Note 7: Setting user preferences within the content to produce a conforming version is an acceptable mechanism for reaching another version as long as the method used to set the preferences is accessibility supported.

See Understanding Conforming Alternate Versions

content (Web content)

information and sensory experience to be communicated to the user by means of a user agent, including code or markup that defines the content's structure, presentation, and interactions

context-sensitive help

contrast ratio

(L1 + 0.05) / (L2 + 0.05), where

Note 1: Contrast ratios can range from 1 to 21 (commonly written 1:1 to 21:1).

Note 2: Because authors do not have control over user settings as to how text is rendered (for example font smoothing or anti-aliasing), the contrast ratio for text can be evaluated with anti-aliasing turned off.

Note 3: For the purpose of Success Criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6, contrast is measured with respect to the specified background over which the text is rendered in normal usage. If no background color is specified, then white is assumed.

Note 4: Background color is the specified color of content over which the text is to be rendered in normal usage. It is a failure if no background color is specified when the text color is specified, because the user's default background color is unknown and cannot be evaluated for sufficient contrast. For the same reason, it is a failure if no text color is specified when a background color is specified.

Note 5: When there is a border around the letter, the border can add contrast and would be used in calculating the contrast between the letter and its background. A narrow border around the letter would be used as the letter. A wide border around the letter that fills in the inner details of the letters acts as a halo and would be considered background.

Note 6: WCAG conformance should be evaluated for color pairs specified in the content that an author would expect to appear adjacent in typical presentation. Authors need not consider unusual presentations, such as color changes made by the user agent, except where caused by authors' code.

correct reading sequence

any sequence where words and paragraphs are presented in an order that does not change the meaning of the content

emergency

a sudden, unexpected situation or occurrence that requires immediate action to preserve health, safety, or property

essential

if removed, would fundamentally change the information or functionality of the content, and information and functionality cannot be achieved in another way that would conform

extended audio description

audio description that is added to an audiovisual presentation by pausing the video so that there is time to add additional description

Note: This technique is only used when the sense of the video would be lost without the additional audio description and the pauses between dialogue/narration are too short.

flash

a pair of opposing changes in relative luminance that can cause seizures in some people if it is large enough and in the right frequency range

functionality

processes and outcomes achievable through user action

general flash and red flash thresholds

a flash or rapidly changing image sequence is below the threshold (i.e., content passes) if any of the following are true:

1. there are no more than three general flashes and / or no more than three red flashes within any one-second period; or

2. the combined area of flashes occurring concurrently occupies no more than a total of .006 steradians within any 10 degree visual field on the screen (25% of any 10 degree visual field on the screen) at typical viewing distance

where:

A general flash is defined as a pair of opposing changes in relative luminance of 10% or more of the maximum relative luminance where the relative luminance of the darker image is below 0.80; and where "a pair of opposing changes" is an increase followed by a decrease, or a decrease followed by an increase, and

A red flash is defined as any pair of opposing transitions involving a saturated red.

Exception: Flashing that is a fine, balanced, pattern such as white noise or an alternating checkerboard pattern with "squares" smaller than 0.1 degree (of visual field at typical viewing distance) on a side does not violate the thresholds.

Note 1: For general software or Web content, using a 341 x 256 pixel rectangle anywhere on the displayed screen area when the content is viewed at 1024 x 768 pixels will provide a good estimate of a 10 degree visual field for standard screen sizes and viewing distances (e.g., 15-17 inch screen at 22-26 inches). (Higher resolutions displays showing the same rendering of the content yield smaller and safer images so it is lower resolutions that are used to define the thresholds.)

Note 2: A transition is the change in relative luminance (or relative luminance/color for red flashing) between adjacent peaks and valleys in a plot of relative luminance (or relative luminance/color for red flashing) measurement against time. A flash consists of two opposing transitions.

Note 3: The current working definition in the field for "pair of opposing transitions involving a saturated red" is where, for either or both states involved in each transition, R/(R+ G + B) >= 0.8, and the change in the value of (R-G-B)x320 is > 20 (negative values of (R-G-B)x320 are set to zero) for both transitions. R, G, B values range from 0-1 as specified in "relative luminance" definition. [HARDING-BINNIE]

Note 4: Tools are available that will carry out analysis from video screen capture. However, no tool is necessary to evaluate for this condition if flashing is less than or equal to 3 flashes in any one second. Content automatically passes (see #1 and #2 above).

human language

idiom

phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meaning of the individual words and the specific words cannot be changed without losing the meaning

Note: idioms cannot be translated directly, word for word, without losing their (cultural or language-dependent) meaning.

Example 1: In English, "spilling the beans" means "revealing a secret." However, "knocking over the beans" or "spilling the vegetables" does not mean the same thing.

Example 2: In Japanese, the phrase "さじを投げる" literally translates into "he throws a spoon," but it means that there is nothing he can do and finally he gives up.

Example 3: In Dutch, "Hij ging met de kippen op stok" literally translates into "He went to roost with the chickens," but it means that he went to bed early.

image of text

text that has been rendered in a non-text form (e.g., an image) in order to achieve a particular visual effect

Example: A person's name on a nametag in a photograph.

informative

for information purposes and not required for conformance

input error

information provided by the user that is not accepted

Note: This includes:

1. Information that is required by the Web page but omitted by the user

2. Information that is provided by the user but that falls outside the required data format or values

jargon

keyboard interface

interface used by software to obtain keystroke input

Note 1: A keyboard interface allows users to provide keystroke input to programs even if the native technology does not contain a keyboard.

Example: A touchscreen PDA has a keyboard interface built into its operating system as well as a connector for external keyboards. Applications on the PDA can use the interface to obtain keyboard input either from an external keyboard or from other applications that provide simulated keyboard output, such as handwriting interpreters or speech-to-text applications with "keyboard emulation" functionality.

Note 2: Operation of the application (or parts of the application) through a keyboard-operated mouse emulator, such as MouseKeys, does not qualify as operation through a keyboard interface because operation of the program is through its pointing device interface, not through its keyboard interface.

label

text or other component with a text alternative that is presented to a user to identify a component within Web content

Note 1: A label is presented to all users whereas the name may be hidden and only exposed by assistive technology. In many (but not all) cases the name and the label are the same.

Note 2: The term label is not limited to the label element in HTML.

large scale (text)

with at least 18 point or 14 point bold or font size that would yield equivalent size for Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) fonts

Note 1: Fonts with extraordinarily thin strokes or unusual features and characteristics that reduce the familiarity of their letter forms are harder to read, especially at lower contrast levels.

Note 2: Font size is the size when the content is delivered. It does not include resizing that may be done by a user.

Note 3: The actual size of the character that a user sees is dependent both on the author-defined size and the user's display or user-agent settings. For many mainstream body text fonts, 14 and 18 point is roughly equivalent to 1.2 and 1.5 em or to 120% or 150% of the default size for body text (assuming that the body font is 100%), but authors would need to check this for the particular fonts in use. When fonts are defined in relative units, the actual point size is calculated by the user agent for display. The point size should be obtained from the user agent, or calculated based on font metrics as the user agent does, when evaluating this success criterion. Users who have low vision would be responsible for choosing appropriate settings.

Note 4: When using text without specifying the font size, the smallest font size used on major browsers for unspecified text would be a reasonable size to assume for the font. If a level 1 heading is rendered in 14pt bold or higher on major browsers, then it would be reasonable to assume it is large text. Relative scaling can be calculated from the default sizes in a similar fashion.

Note 5: The 18 and 14 point sizes for roman texts are taken from the minimum size for large print (14pt) and the larger standard font size (18pt). For other fonts such as CJK languages, the "equivalent" sizes would be the minimum large print size used for those languages and the next larger standard large print size.

legal commitments

link purpose

nature of the result obtained by activating a hyperlink

live

information captured from a real-world event and transmitted to the receiver with no more than a broadcast delay

lower secondary education level

the two or three year period of education that begins after completion of six years of school and ends nine years after the beginning of primary education

mechanism

process or technique for achieving a result

Note 1: The mechanism may be explicitly provided in the content, or may be relied upon to be provided by either the platform or by user agents, including assistive technologies.

Note 2: The mechanism needs to meet all success criteria for the conformance level claimed.

media alternative for text

name

text by which software can identify a component within Web content to the user

Note 1: The name may be hidden and only exposed by assistive technology, whereas a label is presented to all users. In many (but not all) cases, the label and the name are the same.

Note 2: This is unrelated to the name attribute in HTML.

navigated sequentially

navigated in the order defined for advancing focus (from one element to the next) using a keyboard interface

non-text content

any content that is not a sequence of characters that can be programmatically determined or where the sequence is not expressing something in human language

normative

required for conformance

Note 1: One may conform in a variety of well-defined ways to this document.

Note 2: Content identified as " informative" or "non-normative" is never required for conformance.

on a full-screen window

paused

stopped by user request and not resumed until requested by user

prerecorded

information that is not live

presentation

rendering of the content in a form to be perceived by users

primary education level

process

series of user actions where each action is required in order to complete an activity

programmatically determined (programmatically determinable)

determined by software from author-supplied data provided in a way that different user agents, including assistive technologies, can extract and present this information to users in different modalities

Example 1: Determined in a markup language from elements and attributes that are accessed directly by commonly available assistive technology.

Example 2: Determined from technology-specific data structures in a non-markup language and exposed to assistive technology via an accessibility API that is supported by commonly available assistive technology.

programmatically determined link context

additional information that can be programmatically determined from relationships with a link, combined with the link text, and presented to users in different modalities

Example: In HTML, information that is programmatically determinable from a link in English includes text that is in the same paragraph, list, or table cell as the link or in a table header cell that is associated with the table cell that contains the link.

Note: Since screen readers interpret punctuation, they can also provide the context from the current sentence, when the focus is on a link in that sentence.

programmatically set

set by software using methods that are supported by user agents, including assistive technologies

pure decoration

serving only an aesthetic purpose, providing no information, and having no functionality

Note: Text is only purely decorative if the words can be rearranged or substituted without changing their purpose.

Example: The cover page of a dictionary has random words in very light text in the background.

real-time event

event that a) occurs at the same time as the viewing and b) is not completely generated by the content

Example 1: A Webcast of a live performance (occurs at the same time as the viewing and is not prerecorded).

Example 2: An on-line auction with people bidding (occurs at the same time as the viewing).

Example 3: Live humans interacting in a virtual world using avatars (is not completely generated by the content and occurs at the same time as the viewing).

relationships

meaningful associations between distinct pieces of content

relative luminance

the relative brightness of any point in a colorspace, normalized to 0 for darkest black and 1 for lightest white

Note 1: For the sRGB colorspace, the relative luminance of a color is defined as L = 0.2126 * R + 0.7152 * G + 0.0722 * B where R, G and B are defined as:

The "^" character is the exponentiation operator. (Formula taken from [sRGB] and [IEC-4WD]).

Note 2: Almost all systems used today to view Web content assume sRGB encoding. Unless it is known that another color space will be used to process and display the content, authors should evaluate using sRGB colorspace. If using other color spaces, see Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3.

Note 3: If dithering occurs after delivery, then the source color value is used. For colors that are dithered at the source, the average values of the colors that are dithered should be used (average R, average G, and average B).

Note 4: Tools are available that automatically do the calculations when testing contrast and flash.

Note 5: A MathML version of the relative luminance definition is available.

relied upon (technologies that are)

the content would not conform if that technology is turned off or is not supported

role

same functionality

same relative order

satisfies a success criterion

the success criterion does not evaluate to 'false' when applied to the page

section

set of Web pages

collection of Web pages that share a common purpose and that are created by the same author, group or organization

Note: Different language versions would be considered different sets of Web pages.

sign language

a language using combinations of movements of the hands and arms, facial expressions, or body positions to convey meaning

sign language interpretation

translation of one language, generally a spoken language, into a sign language

Note: True sign languages are independent languages that are unrelated to the spoken language(s) of the same country or region.

specific sensory experience

structure

1. The way the parts of a Web page are organized in relation to each other; and

2. The way a collection of Web pages is organized

supplemental content

additional content that illustrates or clarifies the primary content

Example 1: An audio version of a Web page.

Example 2: An illustration of a complex process.

Example 3: A paragraph summarizing the major outcomes and recommendations made in a research study.

synchronized media

audio or video synchronized with another format for presenting information and/or with time-based interactive components, unless the media is a media alternative for text that is clearly labeled as such

technology (Web content)

mechanism for encoding instructions to be rendered, played or executed by user agents

Example: Some common examples of Web content technologies include HTML, CSS, SVG, PNG, PDF, Flash, and JavaScript.

text

sequence of characters that can be programmatically determined, where the sequence is expressing something in human language

text alternative

Text that is programmatically associated with non-text content or referred to from text that is programmatically associated with non-text content. Programmatically associated text is text whose location can be programmatically determined from the non-text content.

Example: An image of a chart is described in text in the paragraph after the chart. The short text alternative for the chart indicates that a description follows.

used in an unusual or restricted way

user agent

user-controllable

data that is intended to be accessed by users

Note: This does not refer to such things as Internet logs and search engine monitoring data.

Example: Name and address fields for a user's account.

user interface component

a part of the content that is perceived by users as a single control for a distinct function

Example: An applet has a "control" that can be used to move through content by line or page or random access. Since each of these would need to have a name and be settable independently, they would each be a "user interface component."

video

video-only

a time-based presentation that contains only video (no audio and no interaction)

viewport

object in which the user agent presents content

Note 1: The user agent presents content through one or more viewports. Viewports include windows, frames, loudspeakers, and virtual magnifying glasses. A viewport may contain another viewport (e.g., nested frames). Interface components created by the user agent such as prompts, menus, and alerts are not viewports.

Note 2: This definition is based on User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 Glossary.

visually customized

the font, size, color, and background can be set

Web page

a non-embedded resource obtained from a single URI using HTTP plus any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent

Example 1: A Web resource including all embedded images and media.

Example 2: A Web mail program built using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX). The program lives entirely at http://example.com/mail, but includes an inbox, a contacts area and a calendar. Links or buttons are provided that cause the inbox, contacts, or calendar to display, but do not change the URI of the page as a whole.

Example 3: A customizable portal site, where users can choose content to display from a set of different content modules.

Example 4: When you enter "http://shopping.example.com/" in your browser, you enter a movie-like interactive shopping environment where you visually move around in a store dragging products off of the shelves around you and into a visual shopping cart in front of you. Clicking on a product causes it to be demonstrated with a specification sheet floating alongside. This might be a single-page Web site or just one page within a Web site.

Appendix B: Acknowledgments

This section is informative.

This publication has been funded in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) under contract number ED05CO0039. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Additional information about participation in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG) can be found on the Working Group home page.

Participants active in the WCAG WG at the time of publication

Bruce Bailey (U.S. Access Board)

Frederick Boland (NIST)

Ben Caldwell (Trace R&D Center, University of Wisconsin)

Sofia Celic (W3C Invited Expert)

Michael Cooper (W3C)

Roberto Ellero (International Webmasters Association / HTML Writers Guild)

Bengt Farre (Rigab)

Loretta Guarino Reid (Google)

Katie Haritos-Shea

Andrew Kirkpatrick (Adobe)

Drew LaHart (IBM)

Alex Li (SAP AG)

David MacDonald (E-Ramp Inc.)

Roberto Scano (International Webmasters Association / HTML Writers Guild)

Cynthia Shelly (Microsoft)

Andi Snow-Weaver (IBM)

Christophe Strobbe (DocArch, K.U.Leuven)

Gregg Vanderheiden (Trace R&D Center, University of Wisconsin)

Other previously active WCAG WG participants and other contributors to WCAG 2.0

Shadi Abou-Zahra, Jim Allan, Jenae Andershonis, Avi Arditti, Aries Arditi, Mike Barta, Sandy Bartell, Kynn Bartlett, Marco Bertoni, Harvey Bingham, Chris Blouch, Paul Bohman, Patrice Bourlon, Judy Brewer, Andy Brown, Dick Brown, Doyle Burnett, Raven Calais, Tomas Caspers, Roberto Castaldo, Sambhavi Chandrashekar, Mike Cherim, Jonathan Chetwynd, Wendy Chisholm, Alan Chuter, David M Clark, Joe Clark, James Coltham, James Craig, Tom Croucher, Nir Dagan, Daniel Dardailler, Geoff Deering, Pete DeVasto, Don Evans, Neal Ewers, Steve Faulkner, Lainey Feingold, Alan J. Flavell, Nikolaos Floratos, Kentarou Fukuda, Miguel Garcia, P.J. Gardner, Greg Gay, Becky Gibson, Al Gilman, Kerstin Goldsmith, Michael Grade, Jon Gunderson, Emmanuelle Gutiérrez y Restrepo, Brian Hardy, Eric Hansen, Sean Hayes, Shawn Henry, Hans Hillen, Donovan Hipke, Bjoern Hoehrmann, Chris Hofstader, Yvette Hoitink, Carlos Iglesias, Ian Jacobs, Phill Jenkins, Jyotsna Kaki, Leonard R. Kasday, Kazuhito Kidachi, Ken Kipness, Marja-Riitta Koivunen, Preety Kumar, Gez Lemon, Chuck Letourneau, Scott Luebking, Tim Lacy, Jim Ley, William Loughborough, Greg Lowney, Luca Mascaro, Liam McGee, Jens Meiert, Niqui Merret, Alessandro Miele, Mathew J Mirabella, Charles McCathieNevile , Matt May, Marti McCuller, Sorcha Moore, Charles F. Munat, Robert Neff, Bruno von Niman, Tim Noonan, Sebastiano Nutarelli, Graham Oliver, Sean B. Palmer, Sailesh Panchang, Nigel Peck, Anne Pemberton, David Poehlman, Adam Victor Reed, Chris Ridpath, Lee Roberts, Gregory J. Rosmaita, Matthew Ross, Sharron Rush, Gian Sampson-Wild, Joel Sanda, Gordon Schantz, Lisa Seeman, John Slatin, Becky Smith, Jared Smith, Neil Soiffer, Jeanne Spellman, Mike Squillace, Michael Stenitzer, Jim Thatcher, Terry Thompson, Justin Thorp, Makoto Ueki, Eric Velleman, Dena Wainwright, Paul Walsch, Takayuki Watanabe, Jason White.

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

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This section is normative. abbreviation shortened form of a word, phrase, or name where the abbreviation has not become part of the language Note 1: This includes initialisms and acronyms where: initialisms are shortened forms of a name or phrase made from the initial letters of words or syllables contained in that name or phrase Note 1: Not defined in all languages.

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d2l "d2l tutorial" "e learning" e-learning "learning management system" lms "distance learning" "blended learning" "software training" "software tutorials" "d2l help" "d2l videos" "d2l how to" brightspace "brightspace videos" "brightspace help" "brightspace how to" "brightspace tutorial" desire2learn

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Brightspace Tutorials are videos resources for learning how to use the D2L products that power Brightspace solutions. Videos are created and maintained by th...

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Using the Rule of Thirds in Graphic Design.

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Using the Rule of Thirds in Graphic Design.

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The success of any design or photograph hinges on the use of balance, color, and other foundational elements of composition. When tasked with combining multiple disparate elements like text, photos, and abstract shapes into a single design, the challenge is to bring a sense of harmony and cohesion to the layout. Many designers, artists, and photographers use the rule of thirds in design as a simple way to bring a greater sense of visual balance into the frame, while consciously directing the viewer's attention to key elements.

What is the Rule of Thirds?

The rule of thirds is a popular method of dividing up a design or photo into thirds by creating a grid that is three columns wide and three rows tall. Designers and photographers will frequently use grid layouts as guidelines for their work; in graphic design, breaking a canvas up into evenly-spaced rows and columns can help with common issues like aligning text, positioning photos, and generally arranging all the elements in a way that helps guide the viewer's eye to ingest the information more easily (like reading a book). In photography, visualizing a grid overlaying the picture similarly helps direct attention and focus so the viewer doesn't feel lost.

When the rule of thirds is used in design, the lines meet at four "intersections" at the center of the page, which fall upon the primary focus points of the scene. The human eye naturally lands on these points more readily than other spots in the composition, and the resulting asymmetry (of using the odd number 3, rather than 4 rows and columns) creates just enough tension to bring a dynamic sense of flow to the work.

It should be noted that this "rule" is meant to be treated more as a guideline. When designing, your intuition should always guide you more than any hard-and-fast rule about what works or doesn't work. But many have found that maintaining at least a mental picture of this 3 x 3 grid is a handy, simple way to ensure that you're directing focus for the highest visual impact.

How is the Rule of Thirds Used in Design?

It's important to note that in composition, "asymmetry" and "balance" are not opposing concepts. When you think about a perfectly symmetrical photograph, the sense of balance is clearly strong - but it sacrifices a sense of movement and flow. Symmetry suggests stasis, rigidity, and even confrontation, as the symmetrical figure (or scene) appears to "stare you down" and stand firmly in place. Putting your subject more towards one side or the other invites a sweeping flow of motion, while giving you the chance to experiment by adding elements on the other side of the page that may provide a pleasing counterbalance.

The rule of thirds helps take the guesswork out of composition, as you can use the central intersections as guideposts for your content. So long as the main element of focus aligns closely with at least one of the 4 central intersections (or guiding lines), viewers will naturally land on the subject without having to visually scan around.

For example, you can deploy the rule of thirds in web design by placing a call-to-action button or other key element in one of these sweet pots, since you know the eye will naturally fall upon the four intersection points. If you want to call out key information in an event flyer, make sure the most important bits fall on (or close to) those intersections.

Using The Rule of Thirds in Photography

The rule of thirds can help photographers more easily zero in on striking compositions that provide the proper balance between subject and background. Many cameras have a built-in rule of thirds grid that automatically overlays your viewfinder with the three rows and columns (on iPhone, navigate to Settings > Camera > Composition > Grid to turn it on). Even without digital assistance, approaching your subject with a mental picture of how to divide it into three can help compose the frame more compellingly.

Landscapes

In landscape photography, it's typically best to ensure that the horizon line falls along the upper or lower dividing line. Whether the ground or the sky (especially in a sunset pic) is the primary focus, giving each either ⅓ or ⅔ of the overall frame is the best way to achieve balance and help the viewer feel grounded rather than lost.

For landscape shots with large amounts of detail, think about where you want people's eyes to land - and then move through the remainder of the composition.

Portraits

In portraiture, remember to be wary of the "confrontational" or "static" effect of perfectly centered, head-on shots. Leaving a person's face just to the side, on the contrary, will help add visual interest while softening the overall effect to bring a more natural, even conversational flow to the scene.

The eyes, of course, are always the primary focus of the shot that the viewer's gaze will land on immediately. As such, try to align the subject's eyes along the top horizontal guiding line - or better yet, at an intersection. Notice that while a viewer will always land on the subject's eyes (typically within milliseconds), a subject that is too far from center may add a discomforting sense of tension to the scene.

Architecture

If you're photographing architecture, you can similarly experiment with the difference between a symmetrical head-on shot, or one that aligns a building's most prominent features along the rule of thirds guiding lines. The latter will help the viewer ultimately feel that they are more immersed in the space, moving physically through it, as opposed to head-on shots that can feel like staring at a TV screen.

Of course, architecture can come in any number of wildly varied forms, and as you move throughout the exterior or interior of a building, you'll want to be conscious of how you deploy the rule of thirds to capture:

Symmetry: stately, classical buildings are meant to be impressive monuments - so a symmetrical layout typically calls for a symmetrical, head-on shot. You should nonetheless aim to keep the building's most prominent features - and horizon lines - within your central rectangle.

Abstract patterns: even the most wild and whimsical of contemporary architecture will begin to look more comprehensible when we recognize its repeating patterns. Capturing enough of a building's repeating forms can add a pleasing, balanced structure to a shot, or provide a stable backdrop upon which to center a focal shape in the foreground.

Negative space: a solid, blank background can be your greatest ally in emphasizing the features and even the shape or silhouette of a building in the foreground. Just be sure to achieve balance based on your own intuition - too little negative space makes a photograph feel busy and cramped; too much can make the overall effect of the photo underwhelming and flat.

Action Sequences

Action photography is one of the best possible uses for the rule of thirds as it naturally lends a sense of motion to your composition. Framing a subject along one vertical guideline and leaving negative space along the other is an easy way to convey movement, and emphasize the direction of the subject. Bear in mind that if a subject appears to be moving too closely towards the edge of the frame, it will create a more dramatic sense of imbalance and tension.

Start Your Next Design with Noun Project

Noun Project is your one-stop shop to jumpstart your graphic design projects - search through millions of icons and diverse, inclusive stock photos to bring your creative vision to life. Looking for the quickest way to start experimenting with composition, layouts, and finding balance using the rule of thirds? Use the Noun Project Add-On for Adobe to instantly add, color, and arrange icons within Photoshop or Illustrator.

Looking for more graphic design tips? Explore more Creative Inspiration.

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Using Rule of Thirds in Design | Noun Project

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Using the rule of thirds will help you create more visually interesting, balanced compositions and more. Learn how to incorporate the rule of thirds in your next project.

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K-12 Teaching and Learning Webinars (D2L)

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K-12 Teaching and Learning Webinars (D2L)

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These webinars offer effective practice workflows and use case examples for you to optimize your Brightspace classroom.

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CANeLearn - The Canadian eLearning Network

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by promoting effective practice in e-learning, fostering community and facilitating interaction among online and blended learning educators, and connecting educators to e-learning organizations.

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Getting Started

Adding Import/Export/Copy to Your Navbar

Using Course Banners to Welcome Students

Editing the Navigation Bar

Delivering Content

Portfolio Tool

Communication and Engagement

Documenting Student Learning

Providing Feedback

Assessment and Evaluation

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Quick video tutorials that showcase best practice workflows, examples, tips and tricks, and help optimize your Brightspace classroom. Looking for something a little more in-depth?

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It’s Time to Give Classroom Jobs Another Try

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It’s Time to Give Classroom Jobs Another Try

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Cult of Pedagogy Blog Post/Podcast

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Sponsored by Kialo Edu and Kiddom

This might be the perfect time for this topic. At first I just thought it was a neat idea, something teachers could implement pretty easily, something that would be a nice change of pace from what we usually talk about here.

But now I'm thinking this might actually be the thing that helps wake up a lot of our remote and hybrid classrooms from the white-knuckle, just-get-through-it mentality many of us have settled into as the '20-21 school year grinds through its second half. Just maybe.

I'm talking about classroom jobs, the tasks we assign to students to help keep our classrooms running. This is typically something we associate with face-to-face classrooms during normal times, but I was absolutely delighted -and I don't use the word 'delighted' every day-to learn that not only is it totally possible to assign jobs to students in remote classes, the jobs can make those remote classes really, really enjoyable. On top of that, they'll help students discover and develop passions and talents they can take with them well beyond your class.

When I was a middle school teacher, I didn't do much with classroom jobs. I was too much of a control freak, for one. The other reason was because it wasn't really a part of middle school culture. Elementary teachers are fantastic about assigning jobs to students, but as kids get older, teachers use these kinds of systems less and less. As a result, secondary teachers often work themselves to the bone, doing everything themselves as their students, ironically, grow more capable of taking on responsibilities every year.

Now that I have talked with Thom Gibson about this topic, I wish I could go back to the classroom so I could put some serious effort into establishing a robust system of classroom jobs. Gibson is a middle school STEM teacher from Austin, Texas. He has basically mastered the art of managing a whole program of classroom jobs, and he's made that process work for remote learning, too.

Thom Gibson

In our conversation on the podcast, we talked about why setting up students jobs is such a good thing to do, how to troubleshoot common problems with a jobs system, and what some of Gibson's favorite classroom jobs are-once you hear some of these ideas, I know you're going to want to try them.

Why Setting Up Classroom Jobs is Worth the Effort

It builds positive classroom community and culture. "Students feel like they are actually contributing in a meaningful way that is helping you as the teacher or helping their fellow classmates with something," Gibson says.

It gives students opportunities to explore interests and develop talents. Gibson started to see more value in classroom jobs when he had students create things that could be shared with a wider audience, like podcasts, newsletters, and art. "I started seeing an opportunity to tap into the students' interests with these class jobs as opposed to just getting something done for me."

It lets students learn job application skills. In Gibson's class, students aren't just given the jobs; they have to apply for them. So they gain experience with the job application process.

A Few Cool Job Ideas

Classroom jobs have really evolved past board cleaner and line leader. Gibson has compiled a list of over 25 unique student job titles. Here are ten to get you started:

1. Podcaster: Produces a regular brief podcast on a topic of interest to students, using tools like Soundtrap or GarageBand to make it happen. To keep it manageable, Gibson recommends only having students do one podcast per month, and keeping each episode under 3 minutes.

2. Athletic Trainer: Sets a timer for the middle of a class meeting to lead students in a movement activity, whether students are in the room or in a video meeting.

3. DJ: Plays music for 5 minutes before class. This can be done through the videoconferencing platform if you are remote.

4. Motivational Speaker: Records a one-minute Loom video each week reflecting on a motivational idea or quote to share with the class.

5. Visual Display Artist: Creates posters for in-person class or graphics to be used online for remote learning.

6. Zoologist: Cares for the class pet (or their own pet in remote learning) and lets the rest of the class check in once a week to see how the pet is doing.

7. Tech Guru: Sets up the teacher's classroom tech and helps other students with tech in-person, or troubleshoots and provides help to other students through screen sharing during virtual learning.

8. KonMari Organizing Specialist: Keeps classroom supplies organized. This one works best in an in-person setting, but many teachers probably also have online spaces that could use help with decluttering.

9. Assistant Grader: Helps the teacher with grading. In person, this student would highlight mistakes on assessments for the teacher to look at later. Virtually, this student could assist with some online grading and notify other students when assignments are missing from online platforms like Khan Academy.

10. Tutorial Creator: Makes YouTube tutorials for all kinds of tasks that other students need in the classroom.

Making it Work: The Logistics

A system like this doesn't just spring up out of nowhere; it requires organization and maintenance. Gibson shared a few key components of how his jobs program works:

Job descriptions are provided ahead of time. Students first get a chance to look at all job listings, which include a description of each job along with notes on what personality types would be a good fit.

Students apply for jobs. Gibson has found that this maximizes student buy-in. In the application, students choose their top three jobs and explain why they'd be a good fit.

Job holders get checklists. After students are "hired," (and multiple students may be hired for the same job), they are given job-specific checklists of responsibilities, including when their job is performed, how often, and how to do it.

A teacher's assistant keeps it all together. Although it was not mentioned in the above list, it is essential to have a teacher's assistant whose job it is to remind everyone else to do their job. Gibson recommends looking for "super type-A" students to fill this role.

Teach the jobs like any other curriculum. Students will need practice and feedback to do the jobs right. If a student isn't doing their job correctly, "Make them do it again," Gibson says, "not as a punishment but just as a way of, okay, so now let's try it again."

At a time when we are all hungry for human connection, when classrooms feel more fragmented than ever before, when we sometimes go days or weeks without talking to each other, adding classroom jobs to the mix could be the breath of fresh air we need for our schools. They will give students a new reason to show up, to participate, and to stick around, because in a meaningful way, the classroom will become theirs again.

Learn More from Thom Gibson

Gibson's free course, Essential Student Jobs for the Middle School Classroom of Tomorrow, can be accessed here. His paid course, How to Teach Kids About Money Plus, is here.

Follow him on Twitter, on Instagram, or on YouTube.

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It's Time to Give Classroom Jobs Another Try

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These fresh ideas for student jobs will invigorate your classroom and get you and your students excited about school again-even if you teach remotely.

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Fire Up Your Students with a Campaign Project

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Fire Up Your Students with a Campaign Project

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Blog post on Cult of Pedagogy

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Art by Matthew Clark

Sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education

I opened the envelope, unfolded the letter inside and began to read to my class: "Dear Residents of Alchemy Island, I am writing to inform you that a decision has been made to sell the east of our island to a large development company. They plan to use the land to build a vast new resort for people to come on holiday here. It will provide a lot of jobs for people living on the island as well as countless other economic benefits. Part of the Enchanted Forest will be cut down to provide adequate space for this state-of-the-art complex..."

This was a unit of work I initiated early on in the academic year with my new class of 9- and 10-year-olds. To be honest, it felt risky at the time because I was still getting to know them and was in a new teaching role in a new city. I wanted to try it in order to test out a pedagogy that would allow for collaboration and choice.

We had been learning about the fictional "Alchemy Island" for three weeks. We'd used geographical skills to navigate our way around it and science skills to analyze the properties of materials found on the island. The class had already completed some creative writing assignments, responding to fictitious themes relating to the island. Next, I wanted to include a writing unit that would enable us to break out of sitting in rows and work in genre-focused groups.

Alchemy Island had an area of forest. I decided this would be our focus and that they would write persuasively to stop the deforestation of the island. This would enable us to incorporate some critical thinking around the issue of the environment and learn how to write persuasively through lots of different formats.

A few days into the unit, I looked around the classroom and found myself in a rare moment of harmony where everyone was working collaboratively and appeared to be on task. My students were sitting in groups of different sizes from two's to five's, some with TA support, as they got to work on their writing drafts. My role had shifted; no longer 'sage on the stage,' I could be the 'guide on the side' and I began to go from group to group checking in on what they were doing, giving encouragement, asking questions to redirect learning, and supporting with writing models where necessary.

I paused by one pair of students who were writing a speech. They were using an anchor chart to prompt ideas and had already integrated some good speech writing techniques into their writing. "What's the rule of 3's?" I asked. They explained that you repeat a phrase three times at the start of three sentences in a row to add emphasis. They showed me their example; I was so impressed.

Anchor charts help students apply genre-specific strategies to their writing.

Putting students to work on a campaign -whether it be fictional or real-is a powerful way to get students writing persuasively. If designed carefully, campaign projects can be highly engaging, collaborative, authentic experiences, and they can work with a lot of different subject areas. They also create some great rapport as a class through the shared experience.

Let's look at how they work.

Why Campaign Units Work So Well

Campaigns are a great way to get students engaged in social justice issues and powerful writing because:

They relate to real-life situations and problems, which students are always drawn to and find easy to engage with.

You can integrate critical pedagogy, posing questions such as Is this fair?, Is there equality?, or Who has the power in this situation? in order to both inform and prompt critical consciousness.

Students can learn about the idea of using their voice and how we can do that in society when we want to see change. It gives them a practice run in a safe environment and prepares them for any social action they may want to get involved in outside of school.

They provide an opportunity for collaborative learning. Whilst working on their own piece of writing, each student can deepen their learning by discussing and sharing ideas in a group. As they practice model sentences they can listen to each other, give feedback, and inspire one another.

You can differentiate easily. Mixed-ability groups mean that students who lack some content knowledge or communication skills can learn from the talk of the more advanced students. Scaffolding or adult support can also be provided where needed.

They enable students to practice a range of writing styles and genres, then showcase them to each other, thereby giving all students more exposure to different ways of persuading.

Posters are just one of the many writing options students can choose to do for a campaign.

Doing Your Own Campaigns Unit

The following steps are a guide for how to go about planning and implementing a campaign for a class of your own:
Step 1: Look at the topics or themes coming up for the term with a critical lens.
Where is there a natural fit for a social justice campaign? For example, can you see an issue related to climate, gender, ability, poverty, or race that students could get behind for a campaign? Draw up a list and connect it to writing activities that could be taught through it.

Step 2: Clarify the campaign focus or put a short list to the class, discuss it, and then vote on an issue to campaign on.

Providing choice makes learning very meaningful for students because they have been part of the decision process; they can follow their own curiosity and focus on something they are passionate about. Although this time I had decided on the theme-which worked well for me in my first implementation of a campaign unit-providing choice about the cause to campaign on could be even more motivating. On evaluating the impact on their writing once my unit was complete, I felt that allowing students to choose their own writing genre and pairing it with a topical theme had been powerful.
Step 3: Pin down the resources you will need to inspire and support your students in their learning, especially to ensure that they grasp what a campaign is.
Once the theme was introduced by reading out my fictitious letter, we discussed our initial reactions to the news and began to work on our pre-writing. For this we watched clips about deforestation in the Amazon jungle and discussed the impact of it. We analyzed a poster about the many positive uses of trees and created a word bank around the environmental issue of deforestation. I showed the class clips of recent climate change campaigns and demonstrations in our locality to introduce the concept of campaigning. We began to grasp what a campaign is and that any age group can take part.

Early in the unit, it's important to help students understand the different types of writing that can support a campaign.

Step 4: Identify the types of writing your students will be developing and practicing during the campaign and prepare resources for these.
We came up with our list as a class: What kinds of writing could we use to persuade people not to cut the trees down? Or to inform others who might also want to join the campaign? Or to raise awareness of the issue to the Islanders themselves? Ideas included songs, letters, placards, posters, interviews, speeches, and information leaflets.

To support students in their writing, checklists and anchor charts were provided to focus them on what to include in the genre of writing they were working on. We also looked at models of persuasive writing texts and word mats and practiced using persuasive language in draft writing. With each group of students, there is also the opportunity to model the type of writing required by demonstrating model sentences and having them practice their own versions. For example, if they were writing a speech, then modelling the introduction to them helped them get the tone of a speech and get them started.

Provide students with materials to help them understand the kinds of writing they can do for the campaign.

Step 5: Decide what size groups you want and how to manage the logistics of working in groups.
Once the cause is clear to students, options for writing have been provided, and resources to support are in place, students need to choose which type of writing they want to work on. Would they like to communicate their message on a placard to use at a demonstration? Would they like to interview the developers and see if they could persuade them to change their minds? Would they like to write a speech, create posters to raise awareness, or write letters to the Alchemy Island leaders to ask them to stop what was happening?

Each student made a choice and they then moved to sit in a group with those that had made the same choice. I limited groups to 5 and once a group was full it was capped. Those that were still deciding had to take that into consideration. For the students who struggled to decide what to work on, I added them to the smallest groups, where I felt the genre would work well for them or where mixed-ability groups would be enhanced.

Step 6: Plan the progression of lessons over your specific time frame so that you have an aim for each lesson. Out of these you can also pin down your learning objectives for your students.

For example, a progression might be that in the first lesson, you aim to discuss and vote on 3 issues in order to identify a focus for a campaign. In the second you might create a word bank of keywords around the issue from a range of sources. The next day, you introduce new vocabulary for persuasive writing and practice it. In my progression, we worked through a writing process of pre-writing, drafting, editing (with teacher and peer feedback), revising and then publishing. This provided a framework for the writing process and a structure for the progression of lessons.

Step 7: Identify and plan for any specific differentiation or support you will need to have in place for some students.

I found it helpful to have strategically placed Teaching Assistants where some group dynamics were difficult or where students would need support. I planned my sessions when I knew I could have the most adult helpers available. This enabled everyone to be productive.
Step 8: Implement your plan, adapting as you go and providing opportunities for groups and individuals to share their process and learning with the rest of the class at regular intervals.
At several points in each lesson, students read out extracts from their drafted work so that we could listen to and learn from each other. This enabled students to "catch" vocabulary from one another and for those struggling to use persuasive language to hear it and perhaps then be able to implement it themselves. They really enjoy sharing their work and it provided an extra moment in which to give feedback.

Step 9: Present and celebrate the completion of the unit and all that you have learned.

Each group presented their work to the rest of the class. We had a class photo with placards held high and then their work was presented on a display in a corridor for others to see. Some sort of conclusion like this creates a very positive class dynamic and they always relish the opportunity to share their work with each other.

A Priceless Experience

I learned so much from teaching a campaign unit. Afterwards, I was really pleased that my students could, with some support, manage more freedom and choice in their learning and I knew, therefore, that I could integrate pedagogy which promotes collaboration into more of my lessons.

When I run a campaign writing unit again, I would see if I could link our campaign to some authentic social action; for example, posting letters to a similar situation where development would create deforestation, or joining in with a real demonstration in which children were involved. I would also look for a wider audience by doing a class assembly on it or organizing a march around the school for other classes to hear about it.

Seeing my students so highly engaged over several lessons during this unit confirmed to me that choice-as research shows-really does motivate. Furthermore, sitting in groups with people they might otherwise not work with, being able to talk and discuss the task, debating the issue of deforestation and its impact on our planet, may have made their learning more meaningful as well as memorable.

I also discovered that when you provide a shared experience like this, it's a bit like going on a trip: it builds cohesion and rapport among you and creates class identity, which was just what we needed at the start of the journey of learning we were taking together at the beginning of the academic year.

I enjoyed it enormously when, five months later, I was asking an open question in a writing lesson and heard a voice pipe up: "Could we do a campaign?" ♦

You can find more of Jane Currell's writing at Passion for Pedagogy.

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Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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Fire Up Your Students with a Campaign Project

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Sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education I opened the envelope, unfolded the letter inside and began to read to my class: "Dear Residents of Alchemy Island, I am writing to inform you that a decision has been made to sell the east of our island to a large development company.

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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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Blog Post on Cult of Pedagogy

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase "We will discuss."
We will discuss the video. We will discuss the story. We will discuss our results.
Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: "What format will you use? What questions will you ask? How will you ensure that all students participate?" I was pretty sure that We will discuss actually meant the teacher would do most of the talking; He would throw out a couple of questions like "So what did you think about the video?" or "What was the theme of the story?" and a few students would respond, resulting in something that looked like a discussion, but was ultimately just a conversation between the teacher and a handful of extroverted students; a classic case of Fisheye Teaching.

The problem wasn't them; in most of the classrooms where they'd sat as students, that's exactly what a class discussion looked like. They didn't know any other "formats." I have only ever been familiar with a few myself. But when teachers began contacting me recently asking for a more comprehensive list, I knew it was time to do some serious research.

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you've struggled to find effective ways to develop students' speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

I've separated the strategies into three groups. The first batch contains the higher-prep strategies, formats that require teachers to do some planning or gathering of materials ahead of time. Next come the low-prep strategies, which can be used on the fly when you have a few extra minutes or just want your students to get more active. Note that these are not strict categories; it's certainly possible to simplify or add more meat to any of these structures and still make them work. The last group is the ongoing strategies. These are smaller techniques that can be integrated with other instructional strategies and don't really stand alone. For each strategy, you'll find a list of other names it sometimes goes by, a description of its basic structure, and an explanation of variations that exist, if any. To watch each strategy in action, click on its name and a new window will open with a video that demonstrates it.

Enjoy!
a.k.a. Chat Stations
Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Small groups of students travel from station to station together, performing some kind of task or responding to a prompt, either of which will result in a conversation.

Variations: Some Gallery Walks stay true to the term gallery, where groups of students create informative posters, then act as tour guides or docents, giving other students a short presentation about their poster and conducting a Q&A about it. In Starr Sackstein's high school classroom, her stations consisted of video tutorials created by the students themselves. Before I knew the term Gallery Walk, I shared a strategy similar to it called Chat Stations, where the teacher prepares discussion prompts or content-related tasks and sets them up around the room for students to visit in small groups.
a.k.a. Values Continuum, Forced Debate, Physical Barometer, This or That
Basic Structure: A statement that has two possible responses-agree or disagree-is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. From that spot, students take turns defending their positions.

Variations: Often a Philosophical Chairs debate will be based around a text or group of texts students have read ahead of time; students are required to cite textual evidence to support their claims and usually hold the texts in their hands during the discussion. Some teachers set up one hot seat to represent each side, and students must take turns in the seat. In less formal variations (which require less prep), a teacher may simply read provocative statements students are likely to disagree on, and a debate can occur spontaneously without a text to refer to (I call this variation This or That in my classroom icebreakers post). Teachers may also opt to offer a continuum of choices, ranging from "Strongly Agree" on one side of the room, all the way to "Strongly Disagree" on the other, and have students place themselves along that continuum based on the strength of their convictions.

Basic Structure: Students are divided into 4 groups. Three of these groups are assigned to represent specific points of view. Members of the fourth group are designated as "provocateurs," tasked with making sure the discussion keeps going and stays challenging. One person from each group (the "speaker") sits in a desk facing speakers from the other groups, so they form a square in the center of the room. Behind each speaker, the remaining group members are seated: two right behind the speaker, then three behind them, and so on, forming a kind of triangle. From above, this would look like a pinwheel. The four speakers introduce and discuss questions they prepared ahead of time (this preparation is done with their groups). After some time passes, new students rotate from the seats behind the speaker into the center seats and continue the conversation.

Variations: When high school English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling introduced this strategy in the featured video (click Pinwheel Discussion above), she used it as a device for talking about literature, where each group represented a different author, plus one provocateur group. But in the comments that follow the video, Wessling adds that she also uses the strategy with non-fiction, where students represent authors of different non-fiction texts or are assigned to take on different perspectives about an issue.
a.k.a. Socratic Circles
Basic Structure: Students prepare by reading a text or group of texts and writing some higher-order discussion questions about the text. On seminar day, students sit in a circle and an introductory, open-ended question is posed by the teacher or student discussion leader. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with textual evidence. There is no particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with others. Discussion is meant to happen naturally and students do not need to raise their hands to speak. This overview of Socratic Seminar from the website Facing History and Ourselves provides a list of appropriate questions, plus more information about how to prepare for a seminar.

Variations: If students are beginners, the teacher may write the discussion questions, or the question creation can be a joint effort. For larger classes, teachers may need to set up seminars in more of a fishbowl-like arrangement, dividing students into one inner circle that will participate in the discussion, and one outer circle that silently observes, takes notes, and may eventually trade places with those in the inner circle, sometimes all at once, and sometimes by "tapping in" as the urge strikes them.
a.k.a. Affinity Diagramming
Basic Structure: Give students a broad question or problem that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as "What were the impacts of the Great Depression?" or "What literary works should every person read?" Have students generate responses by writing ideas on post-it notes (one idea per note) and placing them in no particular arrangement on a wall, whiteboard, or chart paper. Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping them into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another, and so on.

Variations: Some teachers have students do much of this exercise-recording their ideas and arranging them into categories- without talking at first. In other variations, participants are asked to re-combine the ideas into new, different categories after the first round of organization occurs. Often, this activity serves as a good pre-writing exercise, after which students will write some kind of analysis or position paper.
a.k.a. Speed Dating
Basic Structure: Students form two circles, one inside circle and one outside circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their responses with each other. Then the teacher signals students to rotate: Students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person (or sitting, as they are in the video). Now the teacher poses a new question, and the process is repeated.

Variations: Instead of two circles, students could also form two straight lines facing one another. Instead of "rotating" to switch partners, one line just slides over one spot, and the leftover person on the end comes around to the beginning of the line. Some teachers use this strategy to have students teach one piece of content to their fellow students, making it less of a discussion strategy and more of a peer teaching format. In fact, many of these protocols could be used for peer teaching as well.

Basic Structure: Another great idea from Sarah Brown Wessling, this is a small-group discussion strategy that gives students exposure to more of their peers' ideas and prevents the stagnation that can happen when a group doesn't happen to have the right chemistry. Students are placed into a few groups of 4-6 students each and are given a discussion question to talk about. After sufficient time has passed for the discussion to develop, one or two students from each group rotate to a different group, while the other group members remain where they are. Once in their new group, they will discuss a different, but related question, and they may also share some of the key points from their last group's conversation. For the next rotation, students who have not rotated before may be chosen to move, resulting in groups that are continually evolving.

Basic Structure: Two students sit facing each other in the center of the room; the remaining students sit in a circle around them. The two central students have a conversation based on a pre-determined topic and often using specific skills the class is practicing (such as asking follow-up questions, paraphrasing, or elaborating on another person's point). Students on the outside observe, take notes, or perform some other discussion-related task assigned by the teacher.

Variations: One variation of this strategy allows students in the outer circle to trade places with those in the fishbowl, doing kind of a relay-style discussion, or they may periodically "coach" the fishbowl talkers from the sidelines. Teachers may also opt to have students in the outside circle grade the participants' conversation with a rubric, then give feedback on what they saw in a debriefing afterward, as mentioned in the featured video.

Basic Structure: One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept (such as a tornado, an animal, or the Titanic). Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates' questions while staying in character in that role.

Variations: Give more students the opportunity to be in the hot seat while increasing everyone's participation by having students do hot seat discussions in small groups, where one person per group acts as the "character" and three or four others ask them questions. In another variation, several students could form a panel of different characters, taking questions from the class all together and interacting with one another like guests on a TV talk show.
a.k.a. Pyramid Discussion
Basic Structure: Students begin in pairs, responding to a discussion question only with a single partner. After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, the pair joins another pair, creating a group of four. Pairs share their ideas with the pair they just joined. Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion.

Variations: This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group.

Whereas the other formats in this list have a distinct shape-specific activities you do with students-the strategies in this section are more like plug-ins, working discussion into other instructional activities and improving the quality and reach of existing conversations.

One of the limitations of discussion is that rich, face-to-face conversations can only happen when all parties are available, so we're limited to the time we have in class. With a tool like Voxer, those limitations disappear. Like a private voice mailbox that you set up with just one person or a group (but SOOOO much easier), Voxer allows users to have conversations at whatever time is most convenient for each participant. So a group of four students can "discuss" a topic from 3pm until bedtime-asynchronously-each member contributing whenever they have a moment, and if the teacher makes herself part of the group, she can listen in, offer feedback, or contribute her own discussion points. Voxer is also invaluable for collaborating on projects and for having one-on-one discussions with students, parents, and your own colleagues. Like many other educators, Peter DeWitt took a while to really understand the potential of Voxer, but in this EdWeek piece, he explains what turned him around.

A backchannel is a conversation that happens right alongside another activity. The first time I saw a backchannel in action was at my first unconference: While those of us in the audience listened to presenters and watched a few short video clips, a separate screen was up beside the main screen, projecting something called TodaysMeet (update: TodaysMeet has shut down. Use YoTeach! instead.) It looked a lot like those chat rooms from back in the day, basically a blank screen where people would contribute a few lines of text, the lines stacking up one after the other, no other bells or whistles. Anyone in the room could participate in this conversation on their phone, laptop, or tablet, asking questions, offering commentary, and sharing links to related resources without ever interrupting the flow of the presentations. This kind of tool allows for a completely silent discussion, one that doesn't have to move at a super-fast pace, and it gives students who may be reluctant to speak up or who process their thoughts more slowly a chance to fully contribute. For a deeper discussion of how this kind of tool can be used, read this thoughtful overview of using backchannel discussions in the classroom by Edutopia's Beth Holland.
a.k.a. Accountable Talk
Talk moves are sentence frames we supply to our students that help them express ideas and interact with one another in respectful, academically appropriate ways. From kindergarten all the way through college, students can benefit from explicit instruction in the skills of summarizing another person's argument before presenting an alternate view, asking clarifying questions, and expressing agreement or partial agreement with the stance of another participant. Talk moves can be incorporated into any of the other discussion formats listed here.

Whole Brain Teaching is a set of teaching and classroom management methods that has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. One of WBT's foundational techniques is Teach-OK, a peer teaching strategy that begins with the teacher spending a few minutes introducing a concept to the class. Next, the teacher says Teach!, the class responds with Okay!, and pairs of students take turns re-teaching the concept to each other. It's a bit like think-pair-share, but it's faster-paced, it focuses more on re-teaching than general sharing, and students are encouraged to use gestures to animate their discussion. Although WBT is most popular in elementary schools, this featured video shows the creator of WBT, Chris Biffle, using it quite successfully with college students. I have also used Teach-OK with college students, and most of my students said they were happy for a change from the sit-and-listen they were used to in college classrooms.

An oldie but a goodie, think-pair-share can be used any time you want to plug interactivity into a lesson: Simply have students think about their response to a question, form a pair with another person, discuss their response, then share it with the larger group. Because I feel this strategy has so many uses and can be way more powerful than we give it credit for, I devoted a whole post to think-pair-share; everything you need to know about it is right there.

TWO MORE YOU'LL LOVE

Since writing this post, I have learned about two more discussion strategies that teachers are finding to be incredibly effective and powerful for getting students to talk, especially about books and other texts:

This protocol has students come up with their own Thoughts, lingering Questions, and Epiphanies from an assigned reading. Teachers who have used this method say it has generated some of the richest conversations they have ever heard from students!

This strategy places students into one-on-one conversations, getting them to learn each others' names better and create a track record of what they talked about. Excellent for classes where you want to assess for discussion and help students get more comfortable with each other.

So what else do you have? I would like to think this is a pretty complete list, but I'm sure more strategies are out there. If you use a discussion strategy that's not mentioned here, please share it below.

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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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Here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging.

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Connecting Students in a Disconnected World

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Connecting Students in a Disconnected World

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Blog Post on www.cultofpedagogy.com

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Sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education

Even before 2020, building relationships between students was an important ingredient in making school great. When students feel socially comfortable in a classroom, when they feel like they are among friends, when they feel known and seen, when they trust the people around them, they are more willing to take academic risks, ask questions, and even attend class. Creating this kind of environment in your classroom isn't really difficult, but it does require a conscious effort: While some relationships might grow organically no matter what you do, many more will develop if you take deliberate steps to make them happen.

Right now, while we're still in the middle of a pandemic, that principle is even more true. Across the world, social isolation is causing more people to experience depression and anxiety, and that's as true for students as it is for everyone else. Setting aside time for social interaction is not just a "nice to do," it really is essential. And I fear that in too many places, it's getting overlooked.

From a personal standpoint, I've seen my own kids, who are in middle and high school, beg to stay home from their twice-a-week in-person school days; they talk about the drudgery of sitting still all day, the feeling of not knowing anyone in any of their classes, and the anxiety around speaking up or getting things wrong in front of peers, all of which indicate a lack of interactivity-not enough time being spent on relationship-building between students.

This isn't a surprise: Like so many other districts, ours has done its best to adjust to constantly changing circumstances, and everyone-from the superintendent to building principals to classroom teachers-has been incredibly flexible, compassionate, and willing to do just about anything to make this school year work. But they all have a million things on their plates: Making the tech work. Getting through the curriculum. Keeping everyone, including themselves, safe. It's not a huge surprise that socializing isn't at the top of the list.

What I have to offer today is not grounded in any kind of formal research; it's just a list of ideas for generating more high-quality social interactions between students, whether they're remote or socially distanced in person. (I got most of this from your responses to this tweet and this follow-up one.) We'll talk about breakout rooms, other collaborative tools, improving participation in whole-class Zoom meetings, and some stuff that's just for fun. Whatever we do, now more than ever, it's crucial that we do something to get our students talking to each other.

In Person, but Socially Distanced

In conversations about wanting kids to get back to in-person schooling, social benefits are often high on the list of reasons. But I suspect that safety protocols, masks, and social distancing have paralyzed a lot of teachers when it comes to making those social interactions happen.

While it's obviously harder to enjoy the hands-on projects, games, and collaborative activities you did before the pandemic, I believe teachers are creative enough to figure out work-arounds. And anything is better than nothing at all.

So instead of throwing in the towel, challenge yourself, your colleagues, and your students to invent ways to do the things you used to do, but safely.

Can you play team Pictionary with whiteboards, six feet apart? Probably.

Can students interview each other through masks and report to the class about what they learned? Yes.

Is there a way to replace physical movement in certain games with digital movement, so in-person students can interact with their voices but "move" in a virtual space and stay safely spaced out? Yes. Earlier this year, I offered my own work-around for this called the Avatar Classroom. I'm sure others have come up with their own solutions, but this is one to consider or adapt.

Can you have whole-class discussions at a physical distance? Absolutely. Many of the structures in my big list of class discussion strategies can be done spaced out in masks. No, it won't be exactly the same, and not being able to see the bottom half of anyone's face limits our ability to communicate, but again, something is better than nothing.

Breakout Rooms

Most popular video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet now give you the ability to put participants into smaller meetings, or breakout rooms, for small-group discussion and collaboration. But just sending students into these rooms won't usually get you good results, and teachers all over the world have been learning what works best through trial and error. You can see all of their responses in this tweet. Here, I've put together a summary of the most common tips.

Roles

One of the most frequently mentioned tips was to assign roles to students. At the bare minimum, designate a group leader to start the discussion and keep everyone on task; this will prevent students from going into the rooms and waiting for someone to start.

Other students could be assigned to keep track of time, share their screen so everyone can look at a shared document or other online project, and report the group's findings after returning to the larger meeting room.

Several teachers mentioned that students prefer having the teacher assign the roles, rather than having students do it.

Clarify what the roles actually mean ahead of time; different students may have different ideas for what they're supposed to do.

One teacher adds an icebreaker element to role assignment by saying something like, "The student with the smallest shoe size will be the group leader today." This sets up a quick, fun conversation to start off the breakout session.

Grouping

The ideal size of a group ranges from 2 to 5 participants, with 3 to 4 being even more frequently mentioned. In general, smaller groups work better, but you also have to consider your ability as a teacher to pop in and out of groups; if you create too many small groups, you may not be able to get to them all often enough. (For a deeper discussion of the differences between ideal sizes of virtual and in-person groupings, listen to this interview with Peter Liljedahl on the Making Math Moments Matter podcast.)

Once groups are formed and seem to be working well, several teachers reported that it's best to keep grouping the same for an extended period of time, because the comfort and familiarity of working with the same people tended to get kids to engage more fully.

Consider getting student input on group formation. If it's possible to put students with people they want to work with, things tend to go more smoothly.

When groups are first forming, give them a few icebreaker questions or another fun activity to help participants get to know each other.

The Tech

Before moving into breakout rooms, have everyone turn on their cameras and unmute their microphones so there's no delay doing that inside the groups.

Try using two devices: One to move into breakout rooms, and the other to monitor the main meeting room.

Make sure students know how to use the "Ask for Help" button or other features that allow them to get your attention.

The Tasks

Breakout rooms work much better if the instructions are specific and clear, with a rubric if possible. Make sure students have access to the instructions once they are inside the breakout rooms.

Groups are also usually more successful if students are expected to return with some sort of response or product to share with the larger class.

Having some kind of collaborative project was the most frequently mentioned tip for breakout rooms: This can be a shared Google Doc (have each student type in a different color so you can see who contributed what), a Google Slide, a Padlet, a Canva design-the possibilities are endless.

Just like in the classroom, any assignment will get better engagement if the task actually matters to students, so if you're not getting the response you want, relevance may be the root of the problem.

Monitoring

When students are first getting used to breakout rooms, try to get one or more other adults or teachers to help you monitor and visit the rooms. This will allow you to cover more rooms and give students the support they need.

Let students know how you will be monitoring and communicating feedback to groups so they know where to watch.

Many teachers don't always go into the rooms to visit, but instead monitor the work as it's being done in a file. Here's a brilliant idea: One teacher creates a single Google Slides presentation and assigns a different slide to each group for recording their work. Doing this allows the teacher to just scroll through the slides to monitor work in all groups at once, rather than toggling between files. If you go to the View menu and choose Grid View you can actually see thumbnails of all slides at once, which will give you a birds' eye view of activity. Other options are apps like Classkick, Formative, or Pear Deck, which also let you see more than one screen of student work at a time.

General Tips

Model the desired behaviors and practices for breakout rooms. One group of teachers recorded their own mock Zoom session to demonstrate these protocols and made that video available for students to watch.

Most teachers have found it helps to set a time limit. Keep it short, especially at first; once students gain more experience, they can build their stamina to longer lengths of time.

It's not necessary to have every single breakout group report back when everyone comes back to the main room; it's ok to randomly pick a few groups to share, then get to other groups the next time around.

When students are doing individual work, try putting each student into their own breakout rooms so you can circulate and give one-on-one feedback.

Whole-Group Video Conferencing

Students are generally going to be more shy in a video conference; usually as the number of faces in the room goes up, the less willing most people are to speak. This is not that different from a physical classroom on the first few days of school, where students don't all know each other, the culture hasn't been well-established, and no one is quite sure what the rules are and what happens when you break them.

So if the school year is well underway but you're still getting low participation in whole-class video meetings, a few tweaks to your approach might help. I covered this topic in a post called When You Get Nothing But Crickets; it's about improving participation in face-to-face discussions, but it translates pretty well to virtual environments. Here's a summary of the most relevant tips:

Specify the type of response you want.

Sometimes students freeze up because they're not sure what you're looking for, and they don't want to be wrong. They'll be more willing to participate when they know the kind of answer you want. For example, you could say, "In a minute, I'm going to ask a question. What I want you to do first is think quietly about your answer. Then I'm going to ask for three volunteers to share their answer with the group."

In virtual settings, it's also absolutely essential that you have established clear protocols for HOW to respond. Should they just unmute themselves and start talking? Use a hand-raising protocol? Type something in the chat first? Without clear protocols, most students will default to doing nothing.

Ask for a show of hands first.

Instead of just throwing out a question and hoping someone volunteers to answer, ask something that everyone can respond to with a show of hands, then call on one person to elaborate. So rather than say, "How was everyone's weekend?" you could say, "How many people watched a sporting event this weekend?"

Ask individual students direct questions.

When you ask a general question to the whole group, most students won't have the confidence to volunteer a spontaneous answer. But when you call on individuals to share their thoughts on specific questions, you immediately lower the risk and make it safer to talk.

Give processing time.

When a question is asked and silence follows, it's hard to know whether the grid of faces on your screen are confused, thinking, or just shy. But one thing that's certain is that many people need a bit of time to think before responding to a question, so build that in: When you ask a question, tell students you're going to give them 30 seconds to think about their answer, then you'll call on someone. Even better, have them write down a response; then everyone will have something to share when the time is up.

A Note About Behavior

I'm hearing more about behavior issues in video conferencing sessions, especially in the elementary grades. I get the impression that some teachers are spending an awful lot of time correcting student behavior and punishing students for things like not looking at the camera or doing distracting things. This feels like a terrible use of whole-class time, but I don't have a lot of answers to this problem yet. If you've found good solutions to this issue, please share them in the comments below.

Collaboration and Discussion Apps

Quite a few platforms offer tools and spaces where students can conduct robust conversations, academic or otherwise.

Group Messaging: Microsoft Teams allows teachers to set up a controlled environment where students can send individual or group messages and create topic-specific subgroups for more focused conversations. Slack and the recently popular Discord offer similar spaces, but they currently don't have as many structures set up for student use. And Voxer has always been one of my all-time favorite tools for asynchronous voice communication.

Project Management: Trello, Kanbanchi, and Basecamp give users a place to assign tasks, plan timelines, discuss ideas, and keep track of important documents.

Discussion: Kialo and Parlay both offer wonderful frameworks for written discussions, including libraries of great topics for discussion.

Plain Old Fun

Laughter is one of the best ways to relieve stress and build community, and has there ever been a time when we needed both of those things more? Setting aside time for students to just have fun together is a very good use of time.

Games

Any kind of icebreaker can be played at any time to give students a chance to get to know each other better: two truths and a lie, short peer interviews, or any of my three favorite icebreakers.

Some schools are setting aside times for students to play social, interactive games like Among Us, Minecraft, and Roblox.

Games like Kahoot, Quizizz, Gimkit-which are great for academic content-can be played with non-academic topics as well. Students could even work in pairs to write questions for games to play as a class.

Virtual Lunch & Recess

Some schools are setting aside time for students to have lunch or "recess" in less structured video conferencing rooms where they can just chat. Even if only a few students take advantage of this, if they do so regularly it can provide incredibly important social opportunities where there might otherwise be none.

Performances

One teacher had her students perform a play in a video conferencing session and said they loved it.

Special Events

These are Zoom or Google Meet sessions scheduled for non-academic activities like cooking demonstrations, pet play dates, and craft hours, where participants are sort of busy with something at home, but hanging out together simultaneously.

Video Postcards

Pre-recorded video can go a long way toward helping students feel more connected to each other. Dave Stuart, Jr. shared his idea of sending students weekly video postcards, super-short videos of him at home, in his yard, with a pet, running errands, whatever-just sharing a quick thought with no academic strings attached.

An efficient way to do this with a whole class would be to offer a weekly Flipgrid prompt with a single question ("What was weirdest thing you ate this past week?") and allow students to participate if they want.

That's it for now. I hope you've found at least one idea you're going to try in the next week or so-not only will the extra socializing make your regular academic stuff go better, it's just something we all need more of right now. Your students need it, and so do you.

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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Connecting Students in a Disconnected World

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Sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education Even before 2020, building relationships between students was an important ingredient in making school great. When students feel socially comfortable in a classroom, when they feel like they are among friends, when they feel known and seen, when they trust the people around them, they are more willing to take academic risks, ask questions, and even attend class.

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Edutopia Article

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Project-Based Learning (PBL)

This period of remote teaching is a good time to start using project-based learning, which encourages authentic work and creativity.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

When teaching in challenging times like these, it's easy to get so mired in the day-to-day minutiae of making online learning work that you can lose sight of how important fun is to learning. Not only does fun build engagement in remote environments, but it alleviates some of the trauma experienced by kids this year.

Based on my experience as a seventh-grade teacher and now as a professor of education, I believe that project-based learning (PBL)-often a key strategy in physical classrooms-can be a critical component of rigorous online learning, and to turning frowns upside down.

Authentic learning does not need to stop just because students are learning from home. In fact, the current situation gives us a great opportunity to show students why what we are teaching them matters and how authentic learning connects to real-world problems. PBL is a great way to facilitate this understanding-and it takes just a few steps to facilitate active, engaging lessons in the online setting.

How the Driving Question Helps

Driving questions are core to project-based learning, and there's no reason why they can't work in a virtual environment. Think of a driving question as one that gets students engaged and active. Don't think "what," think "how." For example, if you're a science teacher discussing ocean pollution, rather than asking, "What are three main elements contributing to ocean pollution?" (yawn), you could ask, "How would you solve the problem of ocean pollution?" Chances are, then you will see the brain engines start to rev with possibilities.

Send Students on a Quest

Invite guest speakers whom they can interview during synchronous class time.

Share guiding questions through your learning management system (e.g., Google Classroom) to help focus their thinking and websites that they can use to help find the answer.

Create a virtual "escape room" where teams of students complete puzzles and solve riddles to help guide their research and​ ​increase focus.

From there, you'd send students on a quest to find answers, perhaps with the prompt "Come up with a three-step solution to one aspect of ocean pollution." The original "how" question has gotten their brains going, and the solution assignment unleashes their problem-solving skills, increasing their engagement. Once they're on that path to discovery, they will start to have fun.

There are many ways you can help students on their quest for information. A few ideas:

The quest can be done at any age. You can guide younger students with more specific focusing questions and specific websites or videos when you include the links. For older students, point them in a general direction and let them run. Freedom to innovate is one of the hallmarks of invention, after all.

Offer Students Choices

In her theory of differentiated instruction, University of Virginia professor of education Carol Ann Tomlinson asserts that because students learn at different speeds and can vary dramatically in terms of their learning styles, teachers need to create learning environments and approaches that reflect those variations. Yet so often we teach one lesson with one assessment.

Project-based learning is an ideal solution to that challenge: It's up to the students to showcase their best idea in the best format for them. So, if we return to solving the problem of ocean pollution, some students might invent a machine, others might create a documentary in which they highlight problems and solutions, and still others might write a paper explaining their ideas. They are all answering the driving question, in their own way.

The beauty of this aspect of PBL is that students are engaged and excited; they want to go on a quest to find the best answer, and they want to solve the problem. They are highly motivated to turn in their best work.

I have found that PBL, with a little practice, is highly engaging to teach, as well as a highly engaging format in which to learn. I always tell my education students, "If you're not having fun, neither are your students." In my years of using PBL, I have been astounded by the creativity of my students. The future generation is bright and imaginative. Using project-based learning to teach, including online, opens the doors of students' minds to their own strengths and interests, allowing them to soar, even in a difficult learning environment.

Tips for Success

Administrators: In the scramble to provide educators with curriculum during this crazy season, do not take away their ability to engage students. So many of the online curricula being used cover standards but do not create students who love to learn. Give your teachers permission to be creative.

Teachers: Be organized. If supplies are needed, get that information to parents at least a week ahead of time, and share with them an overview of the week you are infusing your instruction with remote project-based learning approaches. Tell them to be patient and emphasize that project-based learning will likely engage their child in online instruction. While some may balk initially at having to get supplies, in the end they will be thankful because their child actually wants to do the required assignments.

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This period of remote teaching is a good time to start using project-based learning, which encourages authentic work and creativity.

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3 Keys to Making Project-Based Learning Work During Distance Learning

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3 Keys to Making Project-Based Learning Work During Distance Learning

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Edutopia Article

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Project-Based Learning (PBL)

This challenging time provides an opportunity for students to work on real-world problems they see every day.

Amid a pandemic, educators are trying to figure out how to make sure that kids are socially in tune, emotionally intact, and cognitively engaged. Moreover, we're all attempting to figure out how to do this across a plethora of mediums, including computer screens, video cameras streaming into classrooms, and engaging students face-to-face albeit across shields, masks, and plexiglass.

Still, there is an opportunity here to give students a chance to discuss the challenges of their own environment, the barrage of news they face daily, and the core content they need for long-term success. One of the best options to meet these demands is for students to engage in rigorous problem- or project-based learning (PBL)-an approach that ensures students develop high rigor and experience high relevance by solving problems or completing tasks in a remote or face-to-face environment.
Checklist for ensuring rigor in PBL:

Provide students with a high level of reading, writing, and talking tasks. When students are reading, writing, and talking, they're having to think about core content knowledge. Try to avoid cutting, pasting, and scrolling tasks, which are not usually cognitively demanding.

Provide students with a challenging problem or question that involves multiple contexts or situations. When students are shown that the problem or question may occur in multiple situations, they have a higher probability of applying their knowledge.

Checklist for remote learning:

Have students preview a challenging question or task before class, and then have them post what they already know and specific questions they have about the question or task.

Start each lesson with a brief review of the challenging question or task, and ask students to post on the chat how the upcoming lesson will support them in answering the question.

3 Shifts to Consider When Designing Your Next Project

Students use work samples of different quality to build evaluation tools. Provide students with successful examples of meeting your expectations for learning core content, and then ask them to build a rubric that indicates what those samples possess that makes them ideal.

Students use protocols to discuss ways to give feedback using work samples and evaluation tools. Students need to be specifically taught how to give each other feedback. One suggestion is to use protocols such as critical friends and tuning protocols as a structured way to give and receive feedback. It's also critically important that students use work samples and rubrics when offering feedback, so that those receiving feedback can see concrete examples of expectations and can evaluate current gaps in performance.

Checklist for remote learning:

Post work samples on your LMS, and have students work in pairs to rank the work samples, write down their rationale for the work samples, and build a rubric.

Film a breakout room conducting a critical friend or tuning protocol, and ask all students to watch the film and then discuss as a class the purpose for protocols and the strategies the students used to give and receive feedback.

1. Focus on challenge: Students need challenging learning experiences and expectations every day. The best way to ensure challenge is to make sure that projects are underpinned with rigor. I define rigor as the equal intensity and integration of defining, relating, and applying core facts and skills in and across multiple situations. PBL is ideal for meeting these requirements because of the way projects are sequenced. Projects begin with an application-based task or question, and then students define and relate core facts and skills to answer the initial question. In this way, students learn how to define and describe, relate, and apply knowledge through a project-based question or task.

Students follow daily routines to ensure that they know the goals of learning, their current performance, and next steps, and share their results in small groups. Daily reflective exercises are critical for students to focus on their learning versus completing tasks.

Change perspectives, scenarios or contexts, and tasks on students, and then discuss those changes with the class. Students need to evaluate different perspectives of a problem and adjust to changes to real-world challenges they are working to address. These can be delivered by sending a letter stating the changes; engaging in protocols such as four corners; changing the rubric; or giving new reading, writing, and talking tasks.

Checklist for remote learning:
2. Focus on clarity: One of the most important factors to help students learn core content, give and receive accurate feedback, and own their own learning is to have a high level of clarity of core content expectations as compared with the context of the problem or task. When students are clear on their own prior knowledge relative to what is being taught, there's a higher probability that they will focus on their learning, listen to the teacher and peers, and retain new knowledge. Therefore, student clarity of learning is a high leverage strategy for teachers to focus on. Ensuring clarity is extremely hard in the classroom, but there are a few strategies that can be helpful in moving the needle for kids.

3. Develop a learning culture: Developing a student's capacity to appraise their current performance relative to core expectations and devise and implement strategies to improve is ranked as one of the most impactful strategies for improving student learning. When students own their own learning, they significantly improve. During PBL, teachers can integrate specific strategies that build a culture of student ownership over time.

Start students in breakout rooms each day to answer three questions: Where am I going in my learning? Where am I now in my learning? And what's next in my learning?

Send students updates on their problems or projects via email or group chat, and then set up times for group meetings to discuss changes and steps they will take to handle such changes.

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3 Keys to Making Project-Based Learning Work During Distance Learning

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This challenging time provides an opportunity for students to work on real-world problems they see every day.

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Adapting an Effective Math Collaboration Activity for Distance Learning

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Adapting an Effective Math Collaboration Activity for Distance Learning

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Edutopia Article

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An instructional coach and math teacher who developed a powerful model for student collaboration have tweaked it for the pandemic.

Cooperative learning has been highlighted by educational researchers John Hattie and Robert Marzano as a high-yield strategy that "adds value to whole-class instruction and to individual work" by boosting both engagement and collaboration. Last year, I leveraged Hattie and Marzano's research to partner with high school math teacher Kathleen Janysek in creating a cooperative learning strategy we called Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It.

When we implemented the strategy, we used the three components that Hattie and Marzano indicate are essential to success-structure, small groups, and explicit instruction on how to work effectively in groups-and the results were dramatic in terms of the look, sound, and feel of Kathleen's Algebra 1 classroom. Silence turned into discussion and debate, and the students' dependence on their teacher transformed into independence. Ultimately, Kathleen and I created a new approach that replaced traditional whiteboard practice and engaged all students rather than most.

When distance learning became widespread, however, we needed to revisit the Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It model to see if we could adapt it for a virtual classroom. Our approach involved anticipating the emotional and academic needs of our students and thinking through, step by step, how the activity could unfold, from presenting a problem to soliciting feedback.

Planning the Transformation

Kathleen and I started by looking at tools that could foster strong student discourse and incorporate the structure, small groups, and explicit instruction Hattie and Marzano recommend. We landed on Jamboard to create a structured space that was clear and effective and used breakout rooms for small group settings.

To guide students to work effectively in groups, given the isolation our students are facing, we turned to social and emotional learning (SEL) prompts to infuse that component with intentional building of relationship skills. We also aimed to make expectations for student participation clear.

The Process

In a virtual setting, the Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It process began with independent work time. We displayed a problem and gave students one or two minutes to try to solve it on their own. This independent Try It work time was essential to give students an opportunity to generate their own ideas and/or questions about the problem.

When time was up, we assigned students to breakout rooms with an SEL-focused prompt (e.g., "What makes you feel happiest?"). The prompts we selected, examples of " listening circles," were supported by CASEL's research on helping students develop their social awareness and relationship skills.

Many of the students in the class were in the routine of having their cameras off and microphones muted during class time; we also faced the challenge of students going into breakout rooms and not engaging with each other unless we showed them the way. Incorporating SEL prompts broke down these barriers in several ways.

First, students had an entry point for speaking right when they went into the breakout rooms, and they were more energetic in their discussions-more so than when we didn't use SEL prompts at all. Furthermore, because the prompts were tied to SEL competencies, discussing them in breakout rooms moved beyond the idea that they were just for fun, and we began seeing the conversations as purposeful student interactions, reinforcing the notion that all voices are heard and valued in this process.

Once students were comfortable sharing with each other in each breakout room, they started the mathematical problem-solving process of explaining their strategies and solutions with each other-the Talk It phase of the model. When they agreed on an answer, they were directed to use a speaker and scribe structure: the scribe dragged the problem to a specific spot on Jamboard and the speaker explained their steps for the scribe to type up. Finally, students discussed how confident they were in their solution, which the scribe then noted with a color-coded sticky note (Color It) on the Jamboard (green = "We got it and can teach others;" yellow = "We have ideas but are a bit uncertain;" pink = "Our answer is probably wrong and we need help.").

After about five minutes, students returned from breakout rooms to the main session, and Kathleen debriefed by sharing a selected group's Jamboard page and asking a member of that group to share out. The color coding helped us pinpoint areas of need for further instruction and discussion, and it was exciting to hear students share their thinking and group's process with added confidence.

After each problem, we repeated the process of Try It, Talk It, Color It, Check It, and while that was happening, Kathleen and I bounced among breakout rooms. As coaching partners, Kathleen and I listened to and supported student dialogue and would quickly confer together to identify which group we would select to explain or clear up misconceptions-the Check It phase.

Wrapping Up

In debriefing the process with students, we sought their feedback using the last page of the Jamboard to measure their engagement and confidence in their understanding of the content. Kathleen explained that this feedback would help inform our instructional practice and enable us to also follow up with any students who needed additional support. I loved how this part of the process provided a safe space for students to reflect on the activity and give honest feedback-and take ownership of their learning.

We were excited to see students become highly engaged-one student unmuted to say how much fun they had during this activity. Seeing and hearing their feedback confirmed how powerful this strategy is, even in a virtual setting, and how collaboration and rich mathematical discussion can take place anywhere if we intentionally use tools to enhance learning.

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Adapting an Effective Math Collaboration Activity for Distance Learning

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An instructional coach and math teacher who developed a powerful model for student collaboration have tweaked it for the pandemic. Cooperative learning has been highlighted by educational researchers John Hattie and Robert Marzano as a high-yield strategy that "adds value to whole-class instruction and to individual work" by boosting both engagement and collaboration.

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Education Now: What Makes a High-Quality Remote or Hybrid Learning Experience?

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Education Now: What Makes a High-Quality Remote or Hybrid Learning Experience?

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Video

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Education Now: What Makes a High-Quality Remote or Hybrid Learning Experience?

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Blog Post: How to Create a Self-Paced Classroom

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Blog Post: How to Create a Self-Paced Classroom

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Cult of Pedagogy

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Sponsored by Listenwise and Wipebook

As educators, we know our students have different needs. Some fly through our content, while others need more time for ideas to sink in. Some have help at home, while others miss class. Unfortunately, in traditional school settings, the demands of pacing guides and age-based promotion make meeting these needs difficult.

Since the days of the one-room schoolhouse, educators have dreamed of a better system, one where all students have the time they need to achieve true understanding; in other words, a self-paced learning environment. We see examples of self-paced learning in Montessori schools, alternative schools, and cyber schools, but it has yet to reach the mainstream. The one-size-fits-all model churns along, leaving far too many students behind.

Today, I'd like to show you how to infuse self-pacing into your own classroom without lowering expectations for your students or replacing yourself with mindless technology. The blended, self-paced, mastery-based instructional model we built at the Modern Classrooms Project offers a framework for self-paced learning regardless of where and what you teach. If implemented properly, the model can increase the rigor of your students' learning, enhance human connection and interaction in your classroom, and better prepare your students for success after they leave your class.

While the model I lay out here is undoubtedly at its best in the in-person setting, it has real value for those in remote and hybrid classrooms. With the growing need for productive asynchronous learning time, the timing has never been better for self-paced learning.

Why Self-Pacing?

What do we mean when we say self-pacing? A self-paced classroom is one where students can complete learning tasks at a speed that's customized to their personal levels of mastery. This means they may take longer with material they struggle with, skip topics that cover material they already know, or repeat topics as needed (Bray & McClaskey, 2010).

The logic of self-pacing is intuitive. Anyone who has raised a child will tell you kids learn how to do things at vastly different speeds. From walking, to talking, to stacking blocks, kids learn differently and we should honor and respect their differences. And research has long demonstrated that students learn at different paces, and the variations in rates of learning are considerable (Davies, 1973; Eurich, 1962).

But for some reason, the large majority of K-12 education has ignored this reality. Instead, we take the opposite stance that students should actually learn at the exact same pace as their peers, and if they can't keep up, we fail them or push them through the system with no regard for what they have missed. Many of the systems that still dominate much of K-12 education make it difficult for teachers to imagine a world of flexible pacing in their classroom. So before we explore the how, lets dig into some of the reasons self-pacing is so important:

1. It builds self-confidence. We all know students who walk into class already thinking they are "bad" at school. They might say they "can't write" or "can't do math" or simply "don't like learning." We have become accustomed to hearing students express these frustrations, but we don't spend enough time asking why. The truth is, countless students have spent their whole education career feeling rushed. Instead of giving them more time, we usually give them partial credit and completion grades to push them through the system. Over time, they grow to hate school because they have never experienced the joy of authentic mastery. Self-pacing gives students the opportunity to experience the feeling of true mastery, because they are given enough time and support to get there. For students who haven't often experienced that joy, it can have profound effects on their confidence.

2. It differentiates for students' needs. Everyone talks about differentiation, but it is extremely difficult to pull off effectively in the classroom. An educator's capacity to differentiate is fundamentally limited if you aren't able to modify the speed of learning based on the needs of individual students. There is only so much you can do if every kid has to move on to the next lesson the next day. With self-paced learning, students who understand a skill can move on while you provide appropriate time and scaffolds to students who are struggling to achieve mastery.

3. It supports students' social-emotional needs. When I first started teaching, I felt pulled in two directions. I was constantly trying to balance meeting my students' unique social-emotional needs with trying to maintain "order" in my classroom. These two priorities often worked against each other. Supporting a student who is struggling emotionally requires time, care and patience: all things that are limited when trying to manage a whole-class lecture or activity. In a self-paced classroom, you no longer have to choose between nurturing an individual student or tending to the larger group; when a student needs your attention, you can provide it without inhibiting the learning of everyone else.

4. It supports self-regulation. A critical and often undervalued element of education is teaching kids the 21st-century skills that allow them to become better learners over time. Self-regulation is a uniquely important skill that ensures a student can independently or collaboratively tackle a new challenge in a measured way. Skillfully crafted self-paced classrooms allow students to practice self-regulation, taking partial ownership over the planning and managing of the learning process, which has been correlated with faster learning and higher achievement (Kizilcec, Perez-Sanagusten, & Maldonado, 2017).

5. It paves the way for mastery-based grading. The final frontier of our model at the Modern Classrooms Project is mastery-based grading. The goal is to cultivate a learning environment where students progress if and only if they have shown mastery of the previous skill. A hallmark of mastery-based grading is giving students time to revise their work and be reassessed when necessary. To accomplish this, self-pacing is not just valuable, it is essential. You have to be able to let some students move ahead while others wrestle with a skill until they achieve mastery.

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The First Step: Letting Go of Whole-Group Direct Instruction

One of the primary reasons most educators don't build self-pacing into their classroom is because they are still reliant on whole-group direct instruction. This is not a surprise, given that this is how most educators are trained to teach. But as long as your students depend on you delivering a live lecture or set of instructions at the beginning of class, you'll never be able to make the leap into self-pacing. So before you consider self-pacing, you have to develop a concrete plan for replacing whole-group direct instruction with lessons students can access on their own.

To be clear, whole-group direct instruction is distinct from whole-group discussions and activities. Any effective self-paced classroom naturally infuses collaborative experiences. I will discuss how this can be done later. But the key is reducing-and ultimately eliminating-those times when kids are simply waiting for you to tell them information so they can get started on a task.

So how do you make this shift? This is where the power of technology comes into play. The most effective way to eliminate whole-group direct instruction is to build your own instructional videos. This ensures that you are still the architect of your own content but allows you to multiply yourself so you are available to spend all of class time working with students individually and in small groups. To learn how to build instructional videos, explore our free online course* or read my previous piece in Cult of Pedagogy that details everything you need to know about building a great screencast video.

How can you self-pace within the constraints of school and district expectations?

The most frequent question we receive at the Modern Classrooms Project is about keeping up with school or district assessment schedules and pacing calendars while running a self-paced classroom. I wondered the exact same thing when I started building my own and have discovered two key strategies to make this happen:

1. Self-Pace Within Each Unit of Study

Self-pacing has real power, but when implemented without guardrails it can present substantial challenges. For example, if you go overboard and let students self-pace for an entire year, you run the risk of having the faster learners fly through content while learners who require more time grow frustrated and lose motivation. This in turn can widen the gap between learners. For this reason, we encourage educators to self-pace within each unit of study, and in many cases, even shorter bursts than that. This gives students the structure they need to flourish and frequent opportunities for fresh starts as they refine their ability to be effective, self-regulated learners.

Self-pacing within each unit of study is not only effective for learners, it also enables educators to follow district- and school-level expectations around pacing. Set your end-of-unit or mid-unit deadlines in accordance with the expectations provided to you, then cultivate a self-paced learning environment within those constraints.

2. Classify Your Lessons

What happens if students don't master all the lessons in a unit by the deadline? This is the right question to ask and there is research to support that students in a self-paced learning environment might take longer with material they struggle with (Bray & McClaskey, 2010). Therefore, you should expect that some students will be unable to master every lesson before the unit deadline. To navigate this challenge, you will want to classify lessons based on importance, which will empower you to send kids on personalized pathways based on need. At the Modern Classrooms Project, we encourage educators to use the following three lesson classifications:

Must Do: These lessons cover essential skills and content, without which end-of-unit assessments cannot be completed. These lessons are non-negotiable.

Should Do: These lessons give students valuable opportunities to develop their skills or knowledge and include skills that are still considered to be "grade level expectations." However, when students fall behind and are working hard, they can be excused from these lessons and will still be able to transition to the next unit comfortably.

Aspire to Do: These are the toughest lessons in a unit; they serve as extensions for students who are ready and able to learn skills and content beyond the normal scope of the course. You should feel comfortable excusing kids from mastering these lessons if they run out of time.

Classifying lessons like these is not an exact science, and there's no right way to determine what's essential and what isn't. However, having clear expectations in mind-a reasonable bar every student must meet during the course, plus extensions for more ambitious students-will help you differentiate your instruction to meet every student's needs.

Tracking Student Progress

Most educators, including myself, initially feel overwhelmed by the idea of running a self-paced classroom. I was certainly a bit of a control freak who had a tough time imagining a student-centered classroom where kids drove their own pace. In retrospect, my inclination to micromanage the learning environment was limiting my students' capacity to immerse themselves deeply in the learning process. To soothe my own anxiety and set my students free, I had to create healthy accountability systems to give my students the necessary guardrails to flourish.

In a self-paced classroom, both students and their teacher must know exactly what they will work on every day, constantly tracking progress toward achieving learning goals and mastering content. This helps students get right to work, fosters collaboration, and allows the teacher to provide differentiated support (Lee, 2014; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollack, 2001; Saphier, Haley-Speca, & Gower, 2008). To create the structure necessary for students to flourish, we encourage teachers to build clear progress tracking systems that are easy to update and reward students for effort. We suggest two ways to make this happen:

Public Pacing Trackers

These are publicly displayed in classrooms and indicate where each student is in the unit. In addition to indicating the lesson each student is on, public pacing trackers often highlight the expected pace as well as "lesson all-stars" who have produced exemplary work. It is important to note that public trackers NEVER display grades and given the nature of self-pacing, students have ample time and opportunity to catch up. Also, if lesson classifications are used effectively, the tracker should reflect effort, not ability level.

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These trackers are usually slide decks or spreadsheets that are easy to update daily. If students don't want their names displayed, consider using nicknames, ID numbers, or avatars.

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Arguably the biggest upside of public trackers is that they encourage organic collaboration. Students can easily identify others who are working on similar lessons or seek out those who have mastered the lesson they are on for support. In some cases, teachers will group students on pacing trackers to facilitate collaboration from the onset. The beauty of the public pacing tracker is that no matter the circumstances, everyone has a VERY clear understanding of what they need to be working on.

Individual Pacing Trackers

Either in addition to or in lieu of public trackers, teachers can create individual pacing trackers for students. These often come in the form of game boards or checklists and are kept in student binders or folders. Educators who use individual trackers will frequently check that students are using them effectively and accurately; sometimes they will label checkpoints indicating when students need to show mastery before moving forward.

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Regardless of which method you use, it is vital to have a method for tracking pace. Otherwise you run the risk of turning a controlled chaos learning environment into a completely chaotic one.

Maintaining a High Level of Collaboration

Too often, folks assume a self-paced classroom is one where students learn in silos, that there is a tradeoff between having a collaborative classroom and a self-paced classroom. But these don't have to be mutually exclusive. At the Modern Classrooms Project, we see educators naturally build in collaboration through a variety of strategies and techniques. Here are just a few to consider:

Classroom Learning Spaces

Unlike traditional classrooms, self-paced classrooms do not revolve around the teacher delivering content at the front of the room. Therefore, student seating should be designed to encourage collaboration and small group instruction. When students are sitting in groups, they are more likely to collaborate with their peers, either organically or by following their teachers' guidance. See how one teacher's daily seating charts foster this collaboration.

Collaborative Tasks and Activities

Whenever possible, educators can design assignments and activities that require students to collaborate to achieve mastery. Here are some examples:

1. Consider instituting a policy of "ask three (peers) before me" for classwork, requiring students to reach out to their peers for support before approaching their teacher. You can use student assistance forms to push students to work together and track their collaboration.

2. Jigsaw activities built into class practice can foster natural collaboration. For example, half the class completes one aspect of the lesson while the other half focuses on another aspect. Students then teach and learn from classmates who did the opposite assignment.

Whole-Group Discussions and Activities

Most educators who use our model schedule whole-group collaborative activities like labs, Paideia Seminars or discussions throughout their units. Students usually know when these events will happen and what lessons they need to master beforehand in order to fully participate. Many educators will also open each class up with a discussion. The topic can be content-specific or centered around the key 21st century skills they are developing and reinforcing in a student-centered classroom. Remember, whole-group discussions are welcome in a self-paced environment, just not live lectures.

Progress-Based Groupings

One of the beauties of progress trackers is they provide concrete data to support effective collaboration. If a student is struggling on a lesson, they can identify a peer who has already mastered that lesson and approach them for help. In some cases, teachers will use grouped pacing trackers designed to foster collaboration based on the different lessons students are on.

Positive Reinforcement

Most importantly, students will collaborate when they see value in it. Collaboration is at its best when students truly believe they will have a greater chance of achieving their academic goals by working with peers. To reinforce this idea, you can consider nominating "Lesson Superstars" who help their peers understand lessons the Superstars have already mastered. This elevates and praises students who are working hard to build and support a collaborative learning environment.

If you want to dig deeper into the collaborative strategies we have to offer, check out our Guide for Effective Collaboration in a Modern Classroom.

Strategies for Building Student Motivation

Once you have built a well-structured self-paced classroom, it is important to pre-plan motivation strategies that will help keep all students engaged. When students are in the driver's seat, some will excel, but others may be overwhelmed by the responsibility. This is usually indicative of a need for better self-regulation. Sadly, most K-12 schooling actually conditions kids to be compliant receivers of information. So it shouldn't surprise you when kids are startled by the sudden responsibility they have when they are able to control their own pace. Some will rise to the occasion immediately; others may initially deflate. That's ok! All the more reason to use self-paced learning to allow students to strengthen their abilities to be 21st-century learners.

In the same way that we have to scaffold academic content for students, you may have to scaffold self-pacing. Pacing trackers, self-pacing within each unit of study and lesson classifications all help with that process. But one really powerful way to keep students engaged and support their self-esteem is to build in motivation strategies that ensure students believe they can succeed with this newfound level of responsibility. We separate motivation strategies into two groups:

Relationship-Based Strategies

One of the greatest benefits of a self-paced classroom is the freedom you have as an educator to work one-on-one or in small groups with students. This allows you to have deep and meaningful content-related and non-content-related conversations with students without disrupting the larger learning environment. During those times, you can identify what inspires a student and what makes them deflate.

One of the most common strategies teachers use to check in daily with students is through our daily "do now" strategy featured in this 60-second video. Instead of starting class with an academic task, many of our teachers use a "do now" that is designed to get a temperature check on how students are feeling and allows kids to engage in some daily goal setting. This gives teachers instantaneous data on which students are feeling ready to learn and which students might need some additional support or positive reinforcement.

Incentive-Based Strategies

In addition to building strong bonds with students, it is always useful to create incentives that motivate students to stay on pace and excel. Educators use a variety of techniques, many of which look similar to the strategies they may normally use in a traditional fixed-paced setting. But some of the most effectives strategies leverage the power of self-pacing to motivate students. For example, a number of teachers will use "aspire to do" as a compelling strategy to get kids fired up about mastering content. For kids that are eager to succeed, they will feel compelled to master content beyond the scope of the unit.

In some cases, students need to see the downside of wasting time before they realize that too much procrastination is dangerous. That is why many of our teachers will use a "soft-zero" grading policy by entering "0" grades as placeholders for must-do lessons. These "0s" are temporary as long as the student eventually masters the skill. But it emphasizes the importance of mastering must-do lessons and gives students a grade-based reason to catch up. If you use this strategy, it is critical to reinforce to students that they can always catch up and celebrate them when they do!!

Where to Go to Learn More

Running a self-paced classroom is not easy. The strategies outlined above require careful planning, and implementing them effectively with actual students requires constant reflection, refinement, and commitment. With that said, both I and the teachers whom I've trained through the Modern Classrooms Project would wholeheartedly agree that the benefits-for both students and teachers-more than justify the challenges.

If you're interested in launching a self-paced classroom of your own, I'd strongly encourage you to start with our free online course*, a comprehensive overview of our instructional model, complete with exemplar units, templates, and other useful resources. We've heard from teachers nationwide who have completed this course, taken the plunge into self-paced learning, and marveled at the results. You can read many of their stories in our public Facebook Group.

Finally, if you'd like the support of an expert in building your self-paced classroom, consider enrolling in our Modern Classroom Mentorship Program. Our mentors are all teachers whom we've trained in our practices, and whom we've seen implement our model across a wide range of subject areas and grade levels. As part of the Mentorship Program, you'll be paired with a mentor and receive `1-on-1 coaching, feedback on instructional materials and plans you create, and ongoing support from the broader Modern Classrooms community. Most importantly, you'll leave the program ready to launch a self-paced learning environment of your own. If you're interested in enrolling, you can save $50 at any time with the coupon code CULTOFPEDAGOGY.

Whether you stop after reading this article, take our free course, or enroll in our Mentorship Program, I wish you the best of luck on your Modern Classroom journey. Your students, and our world, require nothing less!

* Cult of Pedagogy has an affiliate relationship with the Modern Classrooms Project. Although the Modern Classroom Essentials course is free, if you purchase one of their paid offerings through the links on this post, Cult of Pedagogy will receive a percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

References

Bray, B., & McClaskey, K. (2010). Personalization vs. differentiation vs. individualization. Mid-Pacific Institute, 1(1).

Eurich, A.C. (1962). Technology in education. New Society, 11, 15-16.

Kizilcec, R. F., Pérez-Sanagustín, M., & Maldonado, J. J. (2017). Self-regulated learning strategies predict learner behavior and goal attainment in Massive Open Online Courses. Computers & Education, 104, 18-33.

Lee, D. (2014). How to personalize learning in K-12 schools: Five essential design features. Educational Technology, 54(3), 12-17.

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollack, J.E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD and McREL.

Saphier, J., Haley-Speca, M.A., & Gower, R. (2008). The skillful teacher: Building your teaching skills. Acton, MA: Research for Better Teaching, Inc.

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In a self-paced classroom, each student is given an appropriate level of challenge and grows at a steady pace throughout the school year. Here's how it works.

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By Jennifer Gonzalez

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Sponsored by Teaching Channel and UL Xplorlabs

Let's go back for a moment to a simpler time, back to 2019 when you may have "struggled to differentiate." When you tried to meet the needs of all students who came to you with different levels of readiness, who had different physical, emotional, and cognitive profiles, and who learned best under different scenarios.

2020 laughs at 2019.

Teaching is much more complicated now, and you are most likely in a situation where your students are scattered in some way. It may be one or a combination of these:

Half of your class is at home while the other half is in-person, then this switches the next day.

Some of your students are all-virtual, all the time.

Even the kids you do have face-to-face (F2F) have to be socially distanced and therefore can't collaborate and interact the way they once could.

Before, a teacher only had to worry about meeting students where they were academically, socially, and emotionally. Now you literally have to figure out a way to meet them where they are.

Depending on who's running your school, you may be expected to do any number of instructional gymnastics to keep all of these students engaged and on track. While I'm not going to get into the "shoulds" here (I address some best practices in this post, and I ranted about one specific remote teaching problem in this Facebook live broadcast), what I'd like to do in this post is curate some of the ways teachers have solved the problem of teaching students who are literally all over the place.

I pulled these ideas from responses to two separate tweets: In the first one, I asked what was working when teaching some students in person and others at home. The second tweet came a few weeks later, where I was asking specifically for strategies to build community among all the scattered groups. I got hundreds of responses, some of which I was still trying to digest an hour ago, so this list is just a sampling of some of the ideas I saw repeated several times and a few that I thought were really noteworthy. If you want to see all of the ideas, follow those links and enjoy! I'll warn you though, it's a lot. With so many people working on the same problem at the same time, there are a lot of ideas in many different iterations. My goal here is to pare it down to just a few that I think you can use.

(One more thing: For efficiency, I'm going to refer to all videoconferencing software as Zoom. So when I say "Zoom," just know that this means Google Meet, Microsoft Teams video, Skype, or whatever you're using. It's just faster this way.)

1. Create Student Cohorts

This was the most frequently mentioned piece of advice from teachers doing this work, so I'm putting it first and separating it from everything else.

The idea is to put students into groups that span different populations-some virtual, some F2F, some from different days in an A/B schedule-so they can help each other through your course. Doing this allows students to ask each other questions and support each other at times when you're not available. It's also a way to create connections between your in-class students and those who are learning from home.

In some classes, these cohorts are simply contact groups, so that when students get stuck, they can get clarification or help from each other.

In other cases, cohorts actually work on projects or assignments together.

In classrooms where F2F and at-home students are participating at the same time, teachers are putting students into pairs made up of one F2F and one at-home learner. This arrangement gives each at-home student a designated partner to connect them to what's happening in class.

For best results, give students a getting-to-know-you activity to do with their cohort or partner so they can form a connection and feel more comfortable with one another.

2. Limit the Synchronous

Many teachers are finding that synchronous instruction-where all students in class and at home are plugged in and participating in real time-needs to be very limited and used intentionally, as opposed to just recording an entire class session and expecting everyone to sit through that. (Again, I explored the ridiculousness of this idea here.).

Here are some ways this principle is playing out:

Brief and debrief. Some teachers are only using synchronous instruction to do a quick overview at the beginning of the class session and a quick debrief at the end, leaving the middle for independent work, group work, or small-group instruction with the teacher.

Make synchronous time special. Several teachers reported using synchronous time for things like read-alouds, reader's theater, and Shakespeare reading, where parts are given to both the at-home and in-person students.

Use virtual bell-ringers. Sort of. Some teachers are starting their synchronous time with a short pre-recorded video that gives everyone a task and reviews the day's agenda. Like a bell-ringer, doing this frees up the teacher to handle administrative tasks, lets kids trickle into the Zoom, and gives everyone something to do until it's time to start as a group.

Put EVERYONE on Zoom. If bandwidth allows and the activity fits, then put all students on Zoom for the synchronous part of your lesson, even F2F students. This will put everyone on the same playing field and make interaction easier.

Try interactive apps. Teachers are reporting great synchronous experiences using Pear Deck and Nearpod, which allow you to create and share interactive presentations with students on their own devices. Tools like Poll Everywhere and Mentimeter let you conduct fast whole-class polls with a few clicks. And YoTeach! offers backchannel chats that are similar to what used to be found on the now-defunct TodaysMeet.

Put direct instruction on video. Not surprisingly, quite a few teachers are reporting that they feel their direct instruction just doesn't work as well via Zoom as it does in a well-planned, pre-recorded video.

Have a backup plan. Use choice boards (general ones prepared ahead of time that can be used over and over) for at-home kids to use when tech goes out. This post about choice boards from Jenny Pieratt offers some things to think about when putting these together.

Differentiate synchronous learning. Here's something to consider: Does every student need the same amount of synchronous learning? Most solutions I'm hearing related to the synchronous/asynchronous question seem to be shooting for one model for everyone. But just like in the old days, it's not likely that every student needs or wants that much face-to-face time with the teacher, even the ones who are face to face. So maybe we can work toward customizing the amount of synchronous instruction for every student, allowing some to work independently or through digital channels more often, while others who need more interaction can get it?

3. Chunk the Time

It can be tremendously helpful to break up the class period into designated chunks, where some students are learning directly from the teacher, others are working in groups, and others are working independently. If you can make the structure visible and predictable for students, even better. The two resources listed below can help you imagine what those structures might look like for you. (Notice that none of the options listed have the teacher lecturing for the entire period. That's important.)

In this post from earlier this month, Catlin Tucker shared three blended learning models that can work in what she calls "concurrent classrooms."

Beth Alexander, director of Teaching and Learning at the Linden School in Toronto, shared a collection of hybrid lesson structures she's been trying, along with visuals like the ones below. Alexander has given me permission to share all of her models in a PDF, which you can download here.

Courtesy of Beth Alexander. All models available in this PDF.

Courtesy of Beth Alexander. All models available in this PDF.

One more tip for this "chunking": When you switch from synchronous to asynchronous, but there will be a time when you go back to synchronous, set up an on-screen timer to let at-home kids know when time is up for an activity.

4. Build Community Intentionally

Having students in multiple locations makes it much harder to build a classroom community, but those relationships are so important for making students feel a sense of belonging and connection. Here are some things teachers are doing to meet this challenge:

Reserve time to get to know each other. As a teacher, you can get to know students-both F2F and virtual-by scheduling short one-on-one meetings with them. To help students get to know each other, do icebreakers throughout the year and assign students to interview each other as a class project. And set aside time whenever possible for non-academic conversations; over time, these will continue to grow those relationships.

Make using names part of your classroom norms. Several teachers mentioned the positive results they got from greeting online students by name at the start of each class period, and others described setting discussion norms that required students to use each other's names regularly. Be sure you're pronouncing student names correctly, too; this will make a big difference.

Create communal spaces online. Slack and Microsoft Teams are two great options for giving students spaces online for general communication. Padlet is another option for structured or unstructured conversations. And Parlay is a robust platform for much more formal discussions.

Use lunch and recess for socialization. Some schools are setting up Zoom sessions for "lunch buddies," where students at home just hang out and talk with students in school. Although you may not get a large response to this kind of an opportunity, think of the social impact it could make on just a few kids to have that small community to visit with every day.

Use video. Flipgrid offers a simple space where students could record short videos that could be shared with the class. One teacher mentioned using these videos to have students record short responses to the prompts that would normally be given for writing in journals.

Play games. Quite a few digital games, like Kahoot!, Quizizz, and GimKit, can be played with both at-home and F2F students at the same time, all while reviewing course content. A few people mentioned Minecraft as an ideal platform for play and interaction. Even a game like Crumple & Shoot can be played where the F2F students shoot the paper wads, but at-home students can still be on the teams.

5. Experiment with Cameras and Screens

Lots of teachers mentioned setups that involved more than one camera and screen so that the same broadcasts can capture different things simultaneously. The number of ideas and combinations along these lines got pretty overwhelming, so I'll just share three big ones:

Two Zooms. When broadcasting, many teachers are setting up one camera to focus on them and another to focus on the board, another shared screen, or a document camera. This puts the "teacher" on Zoom twice but gives students more of a feel for what's happening in the classroom.

Mics and Headsets. Some teachers are putting Bluetooth earbuds in and/or wearing mics on headsets so they can communicate directly with at-home learners without disrupting the in-person class. I think this might drive some people (like me?) crazy, so take this with a grain of salt.

Swivl Cams. A few teachers mentioned using Swivl cameras to track either the teacher or to follow group interactions for students at home to watch.

6. Optimize Discussions

If your synchronous time includes class discussions that include both F2F and at-home learners, these suggestions can help you make the most of that time.

Establish norms. Many students will hold back in discussions if they don't know what the rules are, for fear of messing up in front of everyone. So be sure to establish clear norms for discussion: What should students do if they have something to say? Are there time limits on commenting? What kinds of things are appropriate to type into the chat? Should students write to each other in the chat? Should everyone stay muted or keep microphones on? The clearer these guidelines are, the better participation is likely to be.

Enable the chat. Some students will never feel comfortable unmuting in a large group, but will participate much more actively in a written chat, so whenever you can offer that as an option for participation, do it.

Assign a chat moderator. Have a student or another adult-anyone but you, if you are the one conducting the discussion-moderate the written chat in Zoom so you don't have to multitask. You can occasionally break from the "live" discussion to take questions from the chat, or establish norms where other students can respond to those questions in writing if they have the answer.

Share questions ahead of time. To improve participation from home, some teachers are sending questions to students ahead of time, having students turn in their responses, then calling on individuals to share their responses in the group discussion. This extra preparation ensures a productive discussion and removes some of the doubt students may feel about volunteering responses or having to think of them on the spot.

Repeat questions. When students ask questions, repeat or rephrase them yourself so everyone can hear. This practice helps anyone who didn't happen to hear it the first time, which is more likely in a hybrid situation.

Deal with the crickets. If lack of participation is a problem, you need to figure out the root cause, because it could be any number of things. Start by reading this post about improving student participation. You might also try to add more structure to your discussion by using a strategy like Philosophical Chairs, the TQE method, or the Discussion Game.

None of these ideas are really tested, researched, or optimized in any way, so don't feel like this is some massive to-do list that you have to check off. If you can implement one or two strategies that make things better for you and your students, that's a success.

Probably the worst thing you can do is to try and replicate exactly what you were doing before 2020, time-wise and content-wise. That's trying to force a square peg into a round hole; by doing that, you're just signing up for a ton of frustration.

Years ago I wrote a piece urging teachers to think of your teaching as always being "in Beta." Consider teaching in a post-COVID world to be the most massive project-in-Beta ever. It's going to be messy, but that's how humans learn and grow and adapt. Continue to experiment, fall apart on the days when it's your turn (because everyone seems to need a turn every now and then), ask students and parents for feedback, observe other teachers when you can, and most importantly, keep giving yourself and your students grace.

We're getting through this.

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Some students are in the room with you. Some are home. Everyone is spread far apart. How do you teach this way? How do you build community? Here are some ideas.

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The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12

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The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12

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Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting (Book)
Preview: https://us.corwin.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/112471_book_item_112471.pdf

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From math, literacy, equity, multilingual learners, and SEL, to assessment, school counseling, and education leadership, our books are research-based and authored by experts on topics most relevant to what educators are facing today.

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From math, literacy, equity, multilingual learners, and SEL, to assessment, school counseling, and education leadership, our books are research-based and authored by experts on topics most relevant to what educators are facing today.

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Support Online Learning with Powerful Thinking Routines

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Support Online Learning with Powerful Thinking Routines

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By Catlin Tucker

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Support Online and Blended Learning with Powerful Thinking Routines - Dr. Catlin Tucker

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Project Zero at Harvard's Graduate School of Education has created a collection of Core Thinking Routines as part of their Visible Thinking Project. Teachers can view the entire collection on the Project Zero website, where each routine is described in detail (e.g., purpose, application, launch) in both English and Spanish.

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Why We Need to Open Our Virtual Classroom Doors and See Each Other Teach

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Why We Need to Open Our Virtual Classroom Doors and See Each Other Teach

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By Katie Martin

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I asked a group of teachers how they were feeling. At first one asked, do you really want to know? Yes, I responded, I really want to know how you are feeling. One teacher shared,

It's up and down like a roller coaster. There are moments when it's exciting and I am using new tools and new strategies that are so much more effective than my previous ways, even in person. Then there are moments that I am so down and in tears (and he was visibly close to tears even talking about it). I feel like my first year. I spend a lot of time planning and I am heartbroken when it doesn't turn out. Professional let down of it not going well takes a lot of stamina that I don't have. This is challenging in ways I didn't expect.

His raw response captures so much of what I hear from a lot of teachers. I am going to state the obvious here just to get it out upfront: Teaching, learning, and leading in a pandemic is hard, whether you are virtual, hybrid or face to face. It is new and there are so many more things to manage that require different skill sets and models to design and facilitate learning from a distance not to mention we are in the middle of multiple crises that take a toll on our emotions and capabilities (please tell me that's not just me!). To try and manage this challenge, many have tried to cling to what is known and comfortable and take a 6 hour school day and replicate it online through virtual tools. Some are using synchronous and asynchronous models and we are seeing success when learners can collaborate to engage in meaningful and engaging experiences.

I have heard from multiple educators across schools and districts that there is more collaboration than ever to design new models, practices, and support students. And yet, still too many are designing and teaching in isolation without having seen others teach in these new models. This means that teachers are limited by what they have seen or experienced in staff meetings, collaborations, or their own imaginations. This is the time to increase collaboration and open our virtual classroom doors to observe, learn, and improve.

Prioritizing the Important Over the Urgent

It might feel that with so much going on, there is no time to set up an observation of a colleague or ask for feedback on your lesson but consider how much time you could save by learning something new or picking up some tips on how to organize your day and specific lessons. As I was working with school and district leaders this week, many administrators shared that although they were overwhelmed with the urgent (and there is so much that is urgent) they were grateful to get into classrooms, observe practices to better understand what was happening, see kids and celebrate their teachers. It was what they needed to be grounded in what matters most and help prioritize next steps. Seth Godin puts it this way: "There's a queue of urgent things, all justifiable, all requiring you and you alone to handle them. And so you do, pushing off the important in favor of the urgent." It's so true! As busy educators, we must remember that if we are always reacting to the urgent, we will never have time to improve and if we don't use this time to learn and grow, we are going to miss out on a tremendous opportunity to evolve in our roles and reach children in new and better ways. Everything feels new and is hard but we can't expect to do it all on our own without learning with and from others.

Here are 4 ways to open (virtual) classrooms:

1. Celebrate What's Working

Inboxes are filled with complaints and challenges and it feels impossible to please everyone. It is easy to get bogged down by the challenges but it makes such a difference when we focus on the positives and celebrate one another. Taking 5 minutes to highlight what you notice in others and focus on what is going well can and build each other up. Try to find time with your students, your colleagues, the families, and just on your own to intentionally focus on the good. It is important to create rituals that remind us to celebrate what is working, giving kudos to individuals to help people feel seen and valued and inspired to keep going. Now more than ever we need to identify the positive, focus on progress, and create the space to build each other up.

2. Observe Each Other

Despite the fact that researchers and teachers have linked observations as some of the most effective professional learning, it is still rare for teachers to observe one another. Teaching has long been an individual event behind closed doors and shifting that paradigm is not easy. But as educators are required to shift practices, learn new tools and routines and communicate with students and families differently, observing others and being observed to get feedback is critical to elevating and sharing effective practices and addressing challenges.

In typical circumstances, it takes time and money and scheduling but in an era of COVID-19 where we are teaching and learning online, and our schedules are more flexible, you can more easily observe a colleague in your same school or across the district, visit a teacher in another state or even country at the click of a Zoom button. In this new era of teaching and learning, teachers benefit from seeing their colleagues teach to understand the possibilities (and pitfalls) in their own classroom practices. Observations help ground the conversation about teaching and learning and allow for a much richer dialogue. They also prompt reflection about their own practice -both validating what they do and stretching their thinking

3. Collaborate and Learn Together

I have talked to so many teachers who are creating everything from scratch in isolation. This can be so overwhelming and ineffective. Since much has to be redesigned, this is a perfect opportunity to collaborate as a team or grade level to develop lessons together, share videos and resources and co teach so everyone doesn't have to do it all. When you plan together and co-teach lessons, the collaboration can spark new ideas, limit the isolations and reduce the workload. Win-win! Learning something new doesn't have to come from a formal professional development session or conference. So often the most impactful learning can come from a peer who is teaching the same groups of kids and understands the context. Taking time to teach one another is important in learning communities. Take turns teaching a new strategy, tool, or lesson learned, read articles, and try something out.

4. Problem Solve What's Not Working

Once you have celebrated what's working, it's also important to get the challenges on the table and work together to create better solutions. Presenting challenges, providing feedback and creating actionable next steps are valuable exercises that help improve learning experiences to positively impact students. Clarity of directions and assignments and organizing information is new for many teachers and is one of the biggest frustrations from students and families that I am seeing. One protocol that can be adapted in many ways to get and give feedback in a safe learning environment is the tuning protocol. It helps provide a structure to dive into learning experiences or look at clarity of directions and resources. This usually takes between 30 minutes to an hour and is helpful to have a facilitator and timekeeper and follows this basic structure:

Present the context and the problem to be examined

Clarifying Questions- More specific questions about the context

Feedback- Kind, specific, and helpful

Discussion- What are the implications? What else could make an impact?

Reflection- What was learned?, What might be next steps?

Debrief- How did the process work? What could make it better?

Creating the space for people to put problems of practice on the table for the group to collectively solve builds capacity and trust in a team. When teams take turns sharing a problem of practice, they can leverage the expertise of the group to collectively solve challenges and although they are usually specific to one person they usually have implications for the rest of the team to learn from.

"If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they aren't good enough but because they could be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve. This is one of my favorite quotes from Dylan Wiliam and I truly believe that to support each other in distance learning it will require teachers to open our classrooms and share practices. To create this culture requires prioritizing time and experiences that help us learn and improve. We need to make time for celebration, teaching and learning together, observing each other and problem-solving what isn't working. If we use this time to focus on what matters most and learn together, we can take some valuable lessons that will impact our students now and in the future.

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Why We Need to Open Our Virtual Classroom Doors and See Each Other Teach

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I asked a group of teachers how they were feeling. At first one asked, do you really want to know? Yes, I responded, I really want to know how you are feeling. One teacher shared, It's up and down like a roller coaster.

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Article

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When teachers go back to school this fall, the classroom as they've known it will be gone, and their instruction will be more critical than ever.

That's a daunting combination, but it's what the pandemic has delivered. The spring produced crisis schooling, and teachers and schools scrambled to find online resources and master remote teaching techniques. A more deliberate approach this fall could mean a better experience for students; the lack of one could turn equity gaps into chasms.

With so much riding on instruction, districts need to plan for it with the same rigor they've applied to more operational aspects of reopening. "School leaders can't be swallowed up in figuring out where the hand sanitizing stations are going to go," said Justin Reich, the director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab.

It's a lot to take on even as the ground shifts under teachers' feet. In the building, social distancing could put an end to the group projects and partner work that are central to many teachers' pedagogy. Online, they will have to develop relationships and classroom routines with students they may have never met in person.

And engaging students is more essential than ever: Months of unequal access to instruction last spring mean that students will be coming back to school, in person or remotely, with varying degrees of learning loss. Teachers will have to address those losses as they introduce grade-level content.

They'll also have to keep instruction coherent across online and in-person settings, since many districts plan to offer hybrid schedules. Schools might well need to respond to that reality by forging new roles or responsibilities for staff members-making one teacher the "remote lead," or creating new cross-grade teams to support progressions in learning.

Schools should acknowledge upfront that they'll likely have less instructional time this year and should plan to identify the highest priority parts of their curriculum accordingly. Teachers will need to create flexible, adaptable assignments that students can complete in different environments and with varied levels of technology access.

Experts say no students should be held back from grade-level work-instead, teachers and instructional leaders should figure out where they might need to revisit prerequisite skills in the context of instruction. That's where a rethought approach to assessment can play a role. Experts are advising educators to use standardized tests sparingly and focus more heavily on informal assessments in the classroom: well-designed activities that "assess" the few, most critical things their students haven't yet mastered for the next unit. Teachers can then remediate those gaps "just in time," instead of trying to cover every standard or skill that might have been missed last spring.

Professional development will carry an outsized burden this fall, too, as school staff members require training to serve not only as instructors, but as social-emotional supports for students. Connection and trust are as central to instruction as curricular mapping and assessment. More than ever before, it's essential that instruction encourages strong, caring relationships with adults and provides opportunities for students to think deeply, to connect with their peers, and to get excited about learning again.

Education Week reporters Catherine Gewertz and Sarah Schwartz interviewed 50 teachers, instructional leaders, and curriculum and assessment experts, and reviewed dozens of documents for this installment. It offers advice for deciding what to teach this year, how to teach it, and how to make sure students and teachers both get the support that they need from schools.
-The Editors
CURRICULUM

Now more than ever, schools need to give all students access to grade-level work, experts say. Even if students had little instruction in the spring, districts should fight the impulse to require extensive remediation or reteaching of whole units from last year. Doing so can widen equity gaps.

Instead, instructional leaders need to create a range of entry points into the grade-level content-scaffolds for students who require them, and places where teachers can refresh or reteach concepts that students need to understand in order to succeed this fall.

With many students on hybrid schedules that plan for some in-person and some remote learning, one "class" of students likely won't be the coherent unit that it was in past years. Schools also need to plan how they will keep curriculum and instruction cohesive across different environments.

ASSESSMENT

The coronavirus has already restructured one big pillar of the assessment world: It obliterated federally mandated statewide testing last spring. And now, as the new school year approaches, it's led experts to wave cautionary flags that say: Be very careful about how you handle testing this year.

In a year when so many children have unfinished learning, leading experts are advising educators to resist a "test and remediate" mentality, which risks trapping children in a scrambling-to-catch-up place.

Instead, they're urging schools to focus deeply on instructional techniques and informal tests in the classroom. That information offers the best way to do what's crucially important this year: adjust instruction to meet students' needs, and provide support to help them be successful with on-grade-level work.

It's particularly important this year, experts say, to use each kind of assessment for the right purposes, and to avoid overidentifying struggling students, English-learners, or students with special needs for remediation.

TEACHING

Teachers' practices and routines will look different this year, whether they're holding class online or in-person. But there are some priorities-like engaging with students, providing access to cognitively demanding work, and responding to formative assessment-that teachers can address in any environment.

Regular teacher-student interaction is critical to remote and hybrid learning. But districts can't expect teachers to be available 24/7-setting boundaries is essential for creating a sustainable work environment and protecting teacher mental health.

STAFFING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The coronavirus didn't just disrupt learning last spring; it opened up vast craters of academic and emotional need in students that adults must now try to meet. All of that has created a new set of staffing and professional development challenges for school and district leaders.

When it comes to staffing, it's likely that the usual roles and responsibilities will need to shift to allow a school to focus deeply on things that matter most: good instruction, since many students missed key content last spring; support for technology, since many students will be learning remotely; emotional support for students, who have likely experienced trauma in the pandemic; and connecting with families, whose help is required now more than ever as more learning takes place at home. (Previous installments in our " How We Go Back to School" series have focused on staffing changes needed for health and safety.)

In this section, we explore staffing ideas that some schools are implementing to better support students' academic and emotional needs, whether they're in the building or learning from home. We also offer one organization's thoughts on a way to envision and rework staffing models.

As if staffing isn't challenging enough, professional development is shaping up to be a full plate all by itself. The pandemic has forced so many changes that experts are saying teachers and other school staff members need training on a wide range of things. They've issued a stack of papers and guidance documents suggesting that these topics are important and urgent, but it's a daunting list to conquer.

Here's a sampling of the topics most frequently mentioned as especially important for PD this year:

recognizing trauma in children and providing support;

weaving social-emotional skills into academic instruction (watch for more on this in Installment 7);

deepening instructional skills for the most vulnerable students;

maximizing the effectiveness and engagement of your online instruction;

pivoting easily from online to in-person instruction;

building new kinds of professional-learning communities that work as well remotely as in person;

analyzing the year's curriculum and identifying the highest priority standards to focus on;

shifting thinking about assessment to focus heavily on informal classroom assessments;

and remediating on just the few, key concepts students need most for the next unit.

Feel like a long list? You're not alone. Leaders vary on which of these they feel should be top priorities, but it's easy to see there is a lot to tackle. How does a principal or superintendent manage busy schedules to get all this done?

"It's aspirational," said Dan Domenech, the executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association. "In an environment like this, where there is so much going on at the same time, it's true, there is an awful lot to cover."

Domenech imagines most districts will focus heavily on PD for remote learning, because so many teachers have not received deep training on it. Training on how to respond to students' unfinished learning and their emotional needs will likely be two of the other most common areas of focus, he said.

As this report is published, many school districts are already conducting a week or more of professional development on a range of topics. But it's a lot to take on. And whether teachers will feel adequately prepared and supported to meet the coming year's challenges remains an open question.

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When teachers go back to school this fall, the classroom as they've known it will be gone, and their instruction will be more critical than ever. That's a daunting combination, but it's what the pandemic has delivered. The spring produced crisis schooling, and teachers and schools scrambled to find online resources and master remote teaching techniques.

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Supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Annotated resources for online learning

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ASCD Article by Denise Pope

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Denise Pope

For students and educators participating in distance learning these days, it may be hard to distinguish homework assignments from any kind of school-assigned work that is done at home. In fact, between March and June 2020, "homework" varied considerably: Some schools assigned weekly packets of work to be completed at home in lieu of any online lessons, while other schools decided to eliminate "homework" altogether for students who participated in online lessons for several hours each day. Though we conducted the following research on homework prior to the pandemic, our findings offer implications for all kinds of assignments done at home-both during remote learning and once students return to classrooms.

In a student survey conducted over the last decade (from 2009 to 2020) by Challenge Success, a nonprofit that I cofounded based on my research at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education, we asked over 200,000 middle and high school students from high-performing schools, "Right now in your life, what, if anything, causes you the most stress?" One of the most common responses was one word: "Homework."

The cultural narrative about homework generally focuses on how much homework students are doing. It's treated as a Goldilocks problem: When is it too little? When is it too much? When is it just right? Having too much homework is certainly part of the problem when it comes to student stress levels. In fact, of the more than 50,000 high school students that Challenge Success surveyed from October 2018 to January 2020, 56 percent of students said they had too much homework. In that same sample, students reported doing an average of 2.7 hours of homework per weeknight and 3.0 hours on weekends.

However, the amount of homework alone doesn't tell the whole story. The type of homework students receive can also be a source of stress, our survey shows. For instance, when students perceive homework to be boring or repetitive, or if they feel it is too advanced or confusing, they are likely to be stressed, regardless of the amount of assigned work. In addition, students are often stressed about how well they do on their homework, particularly because homework completion and quality are usually factored into students' course grades.

Given the stress from homework that so many students report, we updated our previous homework white paper with an extensive review of the current literature on homework and its benefits. Based on this review, we found that the relationship between time spent on homework and academic achievement is nuanced and complex. In elementary school, there is very little, if any, evidence that time spent on homework in most subject areas has a positive effect on achievement. (A notable exception is reading for pleasure, which is associated with achievement. One 2013 study found that the influence of reading for pleasure is powerful for children's cognitive development, especially in terms of vocabulary (Sullivan & Brown, 2013.)

In middle and high school, there is a slight positive relationship between time spent on homework and grades and test scores in the recent research. However, those benefits are complicated by various factors and limitations, including whether the homework was interesting to the students, how much effort they put into it, and the level of difficulty and purpose of the assignment. Furthermore, several studies found diminishing returns on the value of homework once a student exceeds a certain amount of time spent on it (Cooper, 1989, 2007).

To make homework work for students and educators, we recommend taking a close look at the quality and purpose of the assignments by asking five questions. These questions apply whether learning is happening primarily at school, at home, or a hybrid of the two.

1. Do students understand the purpose and value of the assignment? When students perceive homework as busy work, meaningless, or of little value to the teacher, they are less likely to complete it and may become less interested in learning and in school in general. Educators can increase engagement by clarifying the purpose of the work and allowing students to choose which problems to do or which topics to research. Teachers can also allow students to stop when they believe they understand the concept.

2. Will all students be able to do the task independently? It is challenging to design homework assignments that meet every child's academic and developmental needs, but students are more likely to disengage when an assignment feels either too hard or too easy. Teachers can use a variety of formative assessment strategies, such as student check-ins and daily exit tickets to strive for the "just-right" challenge for each student and ensure that homework can be done without help from parents or tutors-especially because not all students have the resources to get outside help.

3. Is this assignment better done in class versus as homework? Some activities can't be done effectively or efficiently in class or during synchronous online learning, such as reading a book chapter to prepare for class discussion or interviewing a community member for an oral history project. These tasks might be better to assign as homework or during asynchronous learning. Skill practice, such as learning when and how to apply algorithms in math or parsing difficult text passages, might be more effective during class, where teachers can clarify misunderstandings and provide feedback and coaching.

4. How much time should this assignment take? If you are going to assign homework, consider how much time the assignment should take and recommend an appropriate cut-off time for students without penalty. Suggested time limits should be based on the purpose of the assignment as well as student age and ability. Having students start the assignment in class or during synchronous learning will help you estimate how long it may take different students to do and if they need help. Remember that students may have homework from several classes each night, so try to coordinate large assignments and assessments with other teachers when possible and offer lenient late policies or "homework passes" when workload or home obligations are heavy.

5. What kind of feedback should I provide on the homework? Grading homework is tricky. Some students who don't turn it in or do it incorrectly may have organizational issues or other reasons beyond their control, and others may have relied on outside help to correct the work. If you do choose to grade the homework, make sure you provide actionable and timely feedback on assignments and offer students opportunities to revise and resubmit. Aim to return graded assignments prior to an upcoming assessment so students can learn from their mistakes, and make sure your comments are specific enough for students to make corrections. For example, instead of just marking something as incorrect, add a comment asking a student to show their work, or explain that they need to add more supporting evidence to a paragraph to strengthen their claim.

As educators consider the changes they need to make to their curriculum and pedagogy this fall, particularly how to make up for lost learning over the spring and summer and how to prioritize essential skills and understandings, the questions above can help streamline assignments, increase student engagement, and alleviate some of the stress that so many students are experiencing right now.

To further explore the research mentioned above and to see more tips for designing effective homework, you can download the Challenge Success homework white paper.

References

Cooper, H. (1989). Synthesis of research on homework. Educational Leadership, 47(3), 85-91.

Cooper, H. (2007). The battle over homework: Common ground for administrators, teachers, and parents. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Sullivan, A. & Brown, M. (2013). Social inequalities in cognitive scores at age 16: The role of reading. Centre for Longitudinal Studies. Retrieved from https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CLS-WP-2013-10.pdf

Denise Pope is a cofounder of Challenge Success and a senior lecturer at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, where she specializes in student engagement, curriculum studies, qualitative research methods, and service learning. She is the author of "Doing School": How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students (Yale University Press, 2003) and coauthor with Maureen Brown and Sarah Miles of Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids (John Wiley & Sons, 2015).

More on This Topic: Repurposing Homework in the New Normal

ASCD Express, Vol. 15, No. 24. Copyright 2020 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.

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Denise Pope For students and educators participating in distance learning these days, it may be hard to distinguish homework assignments from any kind of school-assigned work that is done at home.

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ASCD Article

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Harvey F. Silver and Matthew J. Perini

Far too often, students view any schoolwork that they need to do at home as an imposition-something to get through, or worse, avoid completely. This age-old problem has always been an impediment to learning, but it takes on new significance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the remote teaching and virtual learning it has necessitated. We must address this problem head on, because if students and their parents are of the mindset that learning at home will always be a form of drudgery, then our best efforts to teach remotely will be compromised. Think of it as trying to plant a garden on a concrete slab: No foundation to support growth leads to the inevitable result-no growth.

Although the research on homework's effects yields mixed results, most researchers have been clear that homework can be quite effective if it's designed with principles that put the emphasis on the learning rather than the work. For example, we recently worked with the research team at McREL International to develop teaching tools that help teachers design true home learning experiences and that help students and families break the old mindset of homework as busy work (Silver, Abla, Boutz, & Perini, 2018).

Of course, in the current reality of shuttered classrooms and hybrid-learning models where at least some-and often most-of the learning is taking place at home, we need to do more than merely refine our homework practices; we need to develop a learning culture that empowers our students so that they can learn effectively in their homes for extended periods of time.

The Four Cornerstones of Effective Learning Environments

By conducting a deep analysis of the preeminent teacher effectiveness frameworks and standards (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2011; Danielson, 2013; Marzano, 2013) and working with hundreds of educators to convert our research into a simple and practical model, we have found that all successful learning environments rest on four cornerstones. For each of these four cornerstones, we have developed an essential question adapted specifically to the new challenges of online learning:

1. Cornerstone One-Organization, Rules, and Procedures: How can we ensure that procedures and task directions are clear so that students can work effectively at home?

2. Cornerstone Two-Positive Relationships: How can we encourage positive interaction and nurture real discussion in an online environment?

3. Cornerstone Three-Engagement and Enjoyment: How can we make home learning engaging and enjoyable for students?

4. Cornerstone Four-A Culture of Thinking and Learning: How can we encourage students to think deeply and build their own understanding in an online learning environment?

The Tools to Make It Work

Using these essential questions to think about how to optimize your virtual classroom is an important start. But to help schools move from abstraction to real practice, we have identified four concrete instructional tools-designed with an eye toward simplicity and practicality-that can help teachers establish an online learning environment that addresses the cornerstones.

1. Seven-Step Directions

This tool (Silver, Perini, & Boutz, 2016) is ideal for addressing the essential question associated with Cornerstone One: How can we ensure that procedures and task directions are clear so that students can work effectively at home? With learning taking place at home, students don't have the same opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification on task directions, nor do teachers get the immediate feedback on students' comfort level with the directions. Students need to understand not just the basic directions, but the process for working through those directions: When should they work on the task? For how long? What should they do if they get stuck? How will the work be evaluated?

The "Seven-Step Directions" tool helps teachers think through this process strategically and write it out clearly so that their own assumptions about what a task will require don't end up derailing students' work process. An added benefit is that this tool helps students become more self-directed by making them aware of the kinds of questions they should ask themselves before they begin working on any assigned task. Figure 1 shows a sample set of Seven-Step Directions developed by a 5th grade teacher to help her students complete a reading and prediction task for a novel they were about to read.

Figure 1. Sample Seven-Step Directions

Source: Developed by Katelyn Jackson of Fieldcrest Elementary, Burlington, NC, using a reproducible organizer from Tools for A Successful School Year (Starting on Day One): Classroom Ready Techniques for Building the Four Cornerstones of an Effective Classroom (p. 13), by H. F. Silver, M. J. Perini, and A. L. Boutz, 2016, Franklin Lakes, NJ: Silver Strong & Associates/Thoughtful Education Press. © 2016 Silver Strong & Associates. Used with permission.

2. Community CIRCLE

One of the great joys of the classroom comes when we see and hear the telltale signs of real classroom conversation: students actively listening to their peers, students expressing their ideas confidently, students working together to pursue new insights. But can we create this same dynamic online? "Community CIRCLE" (Silver, Perini, & Boutz, 2016) is a powerful discussion technique that engages students because it is driven by their personal experiences, values, and opinions. It directly addresses the essential question for Cornerstone Two: How can we encourage positive interaction and nurture real discussion in an online environment? The steps for implementing this technique spell out the word CIRCLE:

CREATE a question or prompt that invites students to share personal knowledge, experiences, or opinions about a specific topic. Lesley Cagle, an ELA teacher at James T. Alton Middle School in Vine Grove, Ky., uses Community CIRCLE to help optimize students' online learning experience. For one of the discussions, she posed this prompt to students: "What are the advantages and disadvantages of online learning?"

INVITE all students to share their responses. With video-conferencing platforms, students are already looking at one another, making the goal of face-to-face communication one that is actually easier to achieve online. What's important is that the discussion is an invitation -an open forum for everyone to share that creates a large pool of responses. Sometimes, teachers ask all students to share; sometimes encouragement without requirement is the best approach.

REVIEW key ideas by having students summarize one another's responses. Typically, the teacher will call on students one at a time. Each student picks another student's response and restates it ("Jahnelle focused on the disadvantages of online learning, especially the way that ..."). This step first ensures active listening. Second, it promotes summarization, helping students get a better handle on the information. Third, students are required to use their classmates' names when summarizing their positions, which helps build respect for one another's ideas.

COMPARE responses. During this step, the teacher works with the students to identify the similarities and differences among responses. For example, when comparing the advantages and disadvantages of online learning, students noticed similarities and differences like these:

"It seemed that Wendy and Franklin had the most different ideas of all. Wendy talked about how online learning has some real advantages for her because she really likes to work alone and with no distractions. Franklin seems to dislike online learning the most because it's hard for him to sit at a computer for hours and because he really needs the routine of the school day to keep him on track.

LOOK for patterns. During this phase, the teacher challenges students to develop generalizations based on the collective review of the shared responses. After some discussion and debate, students agreed to generalizations like these about online learning:

Online learning is like all learning in that you get out of what you put into it.

The biggest disadvantage is not being together in the classroom. The best way to overcome this challenge is for the teacher to hold regular online discussions (not just lectures!) and for students to be prepared to participate in them.

Keeping a running list of questions for your teachers and then reviewing them at the end of each day to see which got answered and which you still need to post can help you stay on track.

EXTEND the thinking. Working together, the class created a "Productivity Tip Sheet" for making the most of online learning. The tip sheet was posted to the classroom portal, and students printed out copies to post in their home workspaces.

3. Questioning in Style

One of the most common complaints about extended online learning is that it often amounts to a steady diet of busy work. What's desperately missing is the thinking.

Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to engage students in high-quality thinking is through questioning. But research shows that the great majority of classroom questions ask students to do little more than recall factual information (Hattie, 2012). This is a huge missed opportunity. After all, we've all seen the way good questions can make students scrunch up their faces and scratch their heads. Questions, when used well, are one of the most effective ways for teachers to develop Cornerstone Three: Engagement and Enjoyment.

"Questioning in Style" (Boutz, Silver, Jackson, & Perini, 2012) is a tool that helps teachers diversify their questioning practice so that questions become the fuel for active engagement and deep thinking. To use Questioning in Style with your students, keep the poster at the center of Figure 2 below in mind. Even better, help students internalize it by posting it to your virtual classroom and drawing students' attention to it regularly. What the poster shows students is four powerful ways to "flex their mental muscles." Each way-or style-of thinking represents a different way to activate the mind. Around the poster are sample questions designed by an elementary math teacher and a primary health teacher.

After reviewing these teachers' questions, think about how you might generate questions in all four styles for a lesson you're about to teach online.

Figure 2. Questioning in Style Poster and Sample Questions
Source: How to Flex Your Mental Muscles (Poster) by Silver Strong & Associates, 2018. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Author. © 2018 Silver Strong & Associates. Used with permission.
4. More Alike or Different?

One highly effective way to encourage deep thinking and the active construction of understanding (Cornerstone Four) is to encourage students to call up their "inner lawyers" by inviting them to take positions and develop arguments to support them. Jonathan Osborne, a professor of science education at Stanford University, and Gerald Graff, a professor of English and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, both contend that argumentation is so central to learning that it should be treated as a primary goal of education. They argue that teachers should focus on helping students argue positions using evidence so that students learn to appreciate the vital debates that are at the heart of all disciplines.

Enter "More Alike or Different?" (Silver, Perini, & Boutz, 2016), a tool for framing whatever content students are learning as a debate: "Are these two important things we're learning about more alike or more different?" Are spiders and insects more alike or different? Are fractions and decimals more alike or different? How about two literary rebels like Hamlet and Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye?

The instant controversy that More Alike or Different? creates is a great curiosity spark, something that students need more than ever while they're confined to home-based learning. Here's how to turn this initial spark into sustained thinking and learning:

Encourage students to compare the two items carefully before deciding if they are more alike or different.

Model the evidence-gathering process by showing students how you would collect evidence for a position by looking at specific criteria. ("So, I'm looking for strong reasons to support my position that Duke Ellington and Miles Davis are more different than alike, and the first criterion I want to focus on is their musical styles. Duke Ellington is famous for his big-band style, which is ...")

Give students the time and practice they need to gather evidence for their own positions. Make sure that they can reach you with questions as they work through the process for the first time.

Invite students to share and justify their positions, either in writing, through discussion, or both.

Keep at it. Learning to argue is not a one-and-done proposition. The more practice that students have making and supporting arguments, the stronger their thinking will become.

So, there you have it: four cornerstones and four concrete tools to make sure that those cornerstones are well-developed in the online learning environment. At a time when so much of the learning is relegated to the home, developing this kind of culture has never been more important. It is how we can free ourselves and our students from the "busy work trap" and shift the focus from the work to the learning.

References

Boutz, A. L., Silver, H. F., Jackson, J. W., & Perini, M. J. (2012). Tools for thoughtful assessment: Classroom-ready techniques for improving teaching and learning. Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ: Thoughtful Education Press.

Council of Chief State School Officers. (2011). Interstate teacher assessment and support consortium (InTASC) model core teaching standards: A resource for state dialogue. Washington, DC: Author.

Danielson, C. (2013). The framework for teaching evaluation instrument. Princeton, NJ: The Danielson Group.

Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Hattie, J., (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge.

Marzano, R. J. (2013). The Marzano teacher evaluation model. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Silver, H. F, Abla, C., Boutz, A. L., & Perini, M. J. (2018). Tools for classroom instruction that works: Ready- to-use techniques for increasing student achievement. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Thoughtful Education Press.

Silver Strong & Associates (2018). How to flex your mental muscles (poster). Franklin Lakes, NJ: Author.

Harvey F. Silver is the president of Silver Strong & Associates and Thoughtful Education Press. A dynamic speaker and a leading expert on the use of practical, research-based techniques for improving classroom instruction, Silver presents regularly at national and regional education conferences. He also works directly with schools, districts, and education organizations around the world. Silver is the coauthor of several bestsellers in education, including The Strategic Teacher (ASCD, 2007); The Core Six (ASCD, 2012); and Teaching for Deeper Learning (ASCD, 2020).

Matthew J. Perini serves as senior director of content development for Silver Strong & Associates and oversees all aspects of content development including publishing, training designs, and customized curriculum development. He is the cofounder of Thoughtful Education Press and coauthor of The Strategic Teacher (ASCD, 2007) and The Core Six (ASCD, 2012). Perini is also the series editor and contributing author for the award-winning Tools for Today's Educators Series.

Learn more about the authors' work in online learning tools at Thoughtful Classroom.

ASCD Express, Vol. 15, No. 24. Copyright 2020 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.

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Harvey F. Silver and Matthew J. Perini Far too often, students view any schoolwork that they need to do at home as an imposition-something to get through, or worse, avoid completely. This age-old problem has always been an impediment to learning, but it takes on new significance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the remote teaching and virtual learning it has necessitated.

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Designing Breakout Rooms for Maximum Engagement

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Designing Breakout Rooms for Maximum Engagement

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By Troy Hicks

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8 Fun Activities for Virtual Learning Meetings

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8 Fun Activities for Virtual Learning Meetings

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6 Steps to Prepare for Blended Virtual Learning

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6 Steps to Prepare for Blended Virtual Learning

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By Lisa Van Gemert

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Are you facing a year's worth of learning experiences designed for regular classroom instruction, not knowing where to begin to convert it to a whole new world of learning?

You probably aren't describing the experience as shining, shimmering, splendid.

If you've typically taught face-to-face, moving to a blended learning (or even completely virtual learning) experience can be daunting.

I've got six steps every teacher can follow to prepare to teach in a blended learning situation.

This isn't the only way, but after giving it hours upon hours of thought, it's the most methodical and comprehensive method I have come up with.

Hopefully, it will give you some ideas and a starting point for switching your lesson plans to a virtual learning model, even if you don't do every step.

Step 1: Do a brain dump of things your students create and produce

I used a Google Sheet for this.

I made a list of everything I could think of that students produce.

Then, I considered if that product had a virtual equivalent.

You can see here that I just made a list in Column A of the things students do. In column B, I listed if there was a virtual equivalent.

I added in notes in Column C, and then links to tutorials or articles in Column D.

Step 2: Make a list of all the ways you deliver instruction

Next, I made a list of the various learning activities we do in class.

I considered if there were virtual equivalents or substitutes for them.

I used the same process as for the products they create, adding in notes and links.

In fact, this is just another worksheet in my Google Sheet.

The first list was what the students make; this list is what we do to learn.

It may seem like you should do this first, but I found making the products list easier, so I did it first to get me in the groove of it.

Follow the Pick 5 Rule

If I considered every possible tech tool on the planet, I could come up with substitutes for everything.

However, that has its own downside.

If I need to learn 20 different things, that will not lead to success. It will lead to unnecessary stress.

My suggestion is not to expect yourself to work with more than five unfamiliar tech platforms or tools.

Why?

In addition to stress (which few of us need more of), there is a very real danger that you will not learn the tool well enough to harness its power.

You may find that you are using multiple tools when one would do simply because you didn't know that the first tool you were using could actually do that thing.

You don't need five online quiz platforms. Pick one to start.

Here's an example: Nearpod and Pear Deck both have the ability to make your Google Slides interactive.

They both have great applications. However, you probably don't need both Nearpod *and* Peardeck, as Nearpod will do most of what Peardeck will do, along with a bunch of things Peardeck won't do.

In this case, my suggestion would be to use Nearpod and then, once you are familiar with it, add in Peardeck if and only if it has a functionality you really want that you can't get from Nearpod.

The exception to this would be if your district or school pays for an application and not another, and you need the paid features to get what you want out of the platform.

In general, it's better to get really comfortable with one tech application than to have twenty that you don't really have a handle on.

Step 3: Make a list of the materials you use in class.

Think of all the things you and your students touch every day. What are the tangible things you use on a daily basis?

This is the third worksheet in my Google Sheet.

I've used the same process, listing the things I use, their virtual equivalents (if there is one), and then notes.

Notice that for some, I've noted that there is not a true equivalent.

For all of its wonder and goodness, virtual learning has limitations.

Looking at images someone took of what they saw through their microscope is not anything like the experience of peering through your own microscope, feeling the cold metal against your cheek, focusing the lens and then seeing the slide you prepared leap to life in front of you. It's just not.

Step 4: Think of your set-up

Do you have the digital storage you need, and is that working for you?

You may find while something worked before, the added strain of larger amounts of materials makes it not useful anymore.

Do you need any new equipment?

Do you want to take time to set up a home streaming station? Some teachers have created backdrops out of foam core board to set behind them while they facilitate in Zoom or Google Meet.

You can even create those cool bitmoji rooms to use in Google Slides.

Hello Teacher Lady has a great tutorial on how to do them, and you can find inspiration on the internet.

We Are Teachers has some examples for inspiration.

You do not need to do this. However, if your favorite part of school is getting your classroom ready for the first day, something like this may fill that need.

Step 5: Make a list of all your lesson plans.

Yes, all of them. Trust me on this.

Make a list of your lesson plans for a grading period at a time, if you like, but this exercise is most helpful if you do the entire year (you'll see why in a minute).

I used different columns to indicate what the status of that part of the lesson was in relationship to virtual learning.

I used the abbreviation "IP" to indicate "In Person" activities.

By getting granular like this, I can quickly see what needs attention. Rather than thinking, "Oh, man, where do I even begin?", you can easily see what you need to do.

As you can see, I think it's helpful to break down the lesson into its parts. I don't actually use the 5E method, but if I did, that's how I'd divide it.

I usually have these sections of the lesson:

anticipatory set (the Engage of 5E)

instruction delivery

practice

product

review of past learning

If you list the subsections of your lessons, you'll be able to see more clearly what needs adjustment.

Number the lessons.

I got the idea for numbering lessons from Kasey Bell, who credited someone else whose name I can't remember.

When you number them, it makes searching for them easier, and your computer will likely sort them automatically in order for you if your files are named with the number.

That may save a minute here and there, and those minutes add up.

Step 6: Put it all together
Now, the beauty of this system reveals itself.
Look at your sheet with the lessons listed (Step 5).

Consider the information you collected and identified in the previous steps and make a deliberate decision of what changes you could make that would make the greatest number of your lesson plans workable in a virtual format.

This is why breaking the lesson down into its parts is helpful. It lets you see (and search) similar issues.
Not all adjustments are equally useful. Look for those with the greatest return on investment.
You might have a lesson that's a one-off and adjusting it gets you just that one lesson (or even a section of a lesson).

On the other hand, you may realize that by adopting one tech tool or method, you made a dozen lessons ready for virtual learning.

For example, let's consider that currently your students do writing workshops frequently. If you figure out how to adjust those, you may get fifteen lessons ready.
Not every lesson lends itself to distance learning, and that's okay.
Knowing which ones don't is as important as knowing which ones do.

Pro Tip: Don't worry if you're adjusting lessons out of order. If you're using the same technique in multiple lessons, adjust all of those lessons at the same time.

Repeat this until as many lessons as possible are ready for virtual learning.

Bonus Step

One additional thing I think is useful is to create five sub plans that can be delivered virtually and have them available in a way that can be quickly shared.

If you use Google Classroom or other learning management system like Canvas or Blackboard, etc., create a folder just for sub plans that you can deploy at a moment's notice.

Wrapping Up:

Preparing to teach virtually or in a blended model is an elephant best eaten one bite at a time.

Breaking it down into a planned, strategic method like this has many benefits:

We save time.

We have a stronger sense of where we stand.

We gain control of the process.

We know how best to allocate our time.

It feels more do-able.

I hope this has been helpful to you. Perhaps it won't work for you, but reading it over made you think of something else that would.

Teaching will always be about changing horses while riding them, and the more we focus on developing systems that work for this process, the better off we'll be.

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While hexagonal thinking is not new in the world of business and innovation, it's just making its way into the classroom. It's a method for considering the connections between ideas and finding the nuances in those connections. If you're looking for a fresh framework for discussion and critical thinking, this may be just the thing.

How it Works

When you place an idea on a hexagon, it has six sides where connections could be made to other ideas. When you place many ideas on many hexagons, the discussion about where to connect what will be different every time.

Hexagons for the Vietnam-War era
(click all images for a close-up view)

If you gave the same seven idea cards to seven people, do you think you'd get the same seven webs of interconnected hexagons? Would the people explain the connections in the same way?

Nope.

And really, that's the beauty of hexagonal thinking. It provides a springboard for a totally creative discussion. When you give a small group of students a deck of hexagons and ask them to connect them however they choose, every group will come up with a different web for different reasons. Along the way they'll hopefully question each other and dig deep into the concepts on the cards, arguing about which idea connects more to an important concept and which example deserves one of those precious six sides.

The Step-by-Step

Let's imagine you've got your students in small groups, and each group is staring at a beautiful deck of hexagons.

Now what?

I recommend you kick off this activity for the first time by giving directions something like this:
Once you have your set of hexagons, it's time for your group to begin making connections between them. Your conversations now will be about showing how and why you think the different ideas and options connect. Everyone will see things differently, and that's OK. Just keep talking until you find the connections that stick. As you discuss your ideas, use the text to find supporting evidence for why you think your connections are strong ones. Each hexagon can connect to up to six others. Arrange and rearrange until you feel you have the strongest hexagon web in place that you can. Then begin explaining your connections with connection arrows, writing in why you have created intersections between key hexagons. Everyone in the group will contribute differently, and that's OK. You need to have people listening and moving pieces to create the web, people debating, people asking questions. By the end of your discussion, you should have an interconnected web of concepts along with clearly explained connections. If you're working with paper hexagons, tape or glue them down to another sheet of paper to secure them, or take a photo of your finished web. If you're working digitally, submit your two slides: the finished hexagon web, followed by the slide with your explanations.
There's a lot of room here for students to participate in their own unique ways. For me, part of the point of the activity is for students to see that everyone can take on different roles that matter.

Two Examples

Let's take a look at what this might look like in your classroom. In this case, I'll share digital examples created in Google Slides, since you may well be leading your discussions and small group activities via online channels this year. But paper hexagons are equally wonderful when you can use them.

Example 1: English Language Arts

First let's take a look at a hexagonal thinking discussion for an English class, wrapping up a unit on 1984.

Here's the set-up, with the terms listed in individual (moveable) text boxes.

Now students can discuss the placement of their terms/hexagons. In this case, rather than shifting paper hexagons around, they will go into the Google Slide, then drag and drop their terms across the slide and into the web of hexagons as they decide where to place them.

Now that the students have made their connections as they wish, they need to explain their choices. This can take place in many ways:

Students could record arguments for one or two connections on a tool like Flipgrid,

Students could write down their analysis.

Groups could collaborate to write explanations for several of their connections or present them back to the class.

Take a peek at what the written explanations look like for the web pictured above. In this case, students are sharing five explanations, but you could adjust that to suit your needs. Some connections are always going to be more interesting than others - the ones that generate the most debate, the surprising ones, the ones where three key sections link in one place. Have students write or present about the key connections, rather than about every single one.

Example 2: Science

Now let's take a look at how this might look in a science class. Imagine you're looking back over a unit on global warming, and helping students review the big ideas.

Here's the set-up: For this version, students can move the hexagons as well as the terms, creating any number of different webs. Then they use the connection arrows to point to the intersections they are going to explain in detail.

Student groups discuss the possibilities, dragging the hexagons and terms into place as they go. The final product could look one hundred different ways.

Once they have their web created, they make their explanations.

Creating Your Hexagonal Thinking Decks

You can create decks of hexagons with the terms already inside (let your students help you cut them out!) or print blank hexagon sheets and invite student groups to brainstorm the concepts to put inside before their discussion.

No matter how you create them, you want the hexagon decks to be filled with the key ideas of your recent class work, as well as interesting ties across disciplines and to the modern world. Hexagonal thinking makes it easy to cross disciplines and bring relevant modern connections into the discussion.

Let's say you're creating a hexagon deck for Jason Reynolds' book, Long Way Down. You'll fill it with characters, themes and style elements, but also with figures from the news, current political movements, similar books, and background information about the author.

Now imagine you're creating a deck for a unit covering an artistic period. You can put in key terms and artists, but also important authors and political figures of the period, and artists and movements of today that connect back.

As for making the shapes themselves, there are lots of time-saving options, whether you want to use digital hexagons or paper ones.

Digital Hexagons

Get access to your free copy of the digital hexagonal thinking toolkit featured above right here.

Create your own digital hexagons with PowerPoint or Google Slides by following these instructions:

Paper Hexagons

Use this online hexagon generator, created by Pam Hook.

Print and laminate these free rainbow hexagons, then add concepts with dry erase markers for quick discussions.

Print blank sheets of hexagons (you can easily create these in any size using the shapes tool in PowerPoint) to give out to small groups of students, then ask them to generate key terms, ideas, connections to other disciplines, connections to the modern world, etc. on their hexagons and cut them out. Then have groups switch decks so they are discussing a fresh list of ideas.

Create your own hexagon templates with terms you can change up whenever you want to do a hexagonal thinking discussion. Cut them out while watching New Girl on Netflix, or make the first step of the discussion in class to cut out the hexagons while beginning to discuss how they will connect.

A fun addition to any paper deck is a set of connection arrows. Print a few bubble arrows (again, the PowerPoint shapes tool makes it easy) on paper for students to put in at key intersections. Have students fill them in with their explanation of the connection. Sticky notes will also work well.

Wondering how to grade this?

There are a few ways you could grade hexagonal thinking. You could have everyone write a short reflection at the end about their contributions, and grade that. You could use it as a springboard into a writing assignment, asking students to explain and argue for key connections from the discussion, then grade that. You could have students present about a key connection on Flipgrid. Easy.

But I want to suggest a slightly more complex option too. Recently I interviewed Sarah Fine, co-author of In Search of Deeper Learning. One of her findings, after years of study across American high schools, was that we rarely ask students to truly collaborate in our core subjects, so we don't really create a culture of interdependence among them. They don't get to use their individual gifts to contribute to a final product created by the team, although that is often what real-world projects look like. Instead, we favor what she calls "lockstep learning." Everyone must do the same thing, separately.

So maybe for hexagonal thinking, you grade the final group web. And you ask the kids to share about how their different strengths allowed them to contribute to the final product.

Maybe some kids are super brainstormers, coming up with lots of great terms and ideas for what to put on the hexagons. Maybe one or two students in the group are great at lettering and drawing. They could create beautiful visual representations of the terms and ideas. Maybe some students shine at leading discussion. Maybe some are natural at making spatial and visual connections, and can help move the hexagons around as they listen to the group. Maybe some are excellent listeners, and can be taking notes about the connections based on what they hear from others. Maybe some are good mediators, who can help find common ground and calm down heated debates when discussion gets intense.

If you go this route, I really think it's worth discussing in advance what project teams are like in the workplace, and how people contribute in different ways. Then, at the end, you might let kids write a short paragraph about how they contributed based on their own strengths and skills, and whether they were happy with the way the group dynamics turned out.

Variations and Additions

Individuals or Partners

This would certainly work as an individual assignment or a prompt for partners as well. But with a small group, you'll get more perspectives on where to place what, which can be nice. You might consider giving students the option to work alone, with a partner, or in a group.

Adding Visuals

If you and your students are fans of sketchnotes or one-pagers, you can always add a visual layer to your hexagons. Invite students to illustrate their concepts with representative imagery and add quotations from their texts to bring more meaning for each idea into the conversation.

This is certainly not necessary, but adds dimension to the discussion and the eventual display of the concept web.

Hexagonal One-Pagers for Long Way Down

Gallery Walking

Once your students have completed their webs, you can do a gallery walk to see each other's concept webs and check out the connections their peers have made (this can be done online through a collaborative Google slides presentation), or have each group in turn present briefly back to the class about some of their most interesting connection points. The hexagons that caused the most debate will probably be the most fun to share back, and everyone will get to see how others mixed and matched the same hexagons in unique ways.

When you bring hexagonal thinking into your classroom -whether that's online or in person-you bring a fresh spark of energy to discussion. Your students will see things in new ways as they seek to connect wide-ranging ideas. If you're finding it difficult to get kids talking this year as they transition into new scenarios, you're definitely not alone. Hexagonal thinking just might be the tool you're looking for to help your classes over this transition and back into their critical thinking zones.

Come back for more.
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Hexagonal Thinking: A Colorful Tool for Discussion

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If you've been looking for a fresh way to get students thinking outside the box, this may be just what you need.

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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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By Jennifer Gonzalez

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase "We will discuss."
We will discuss the video. We will discuss the story. We will discuss our results.
Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: "What format will you use? What questions will you ask? How will you ensure that all students participate?" I was pretty sure that We will discuss actually meant the teacher would do most of the talking; He would throw out a couple of questions like "So what did you think about the video?" or "What was the theme of the story?" and a few students would respond, resulting in something that looked like a discussion, but was ultimately just a conversation between the teacher and a handful of extroverted students; a classic case of Fisheye Teaching.

The problem wasn't them; in most of the classrooms where they'd sat as students, that's exactly what a class discussion looked like. They didn't know any other "formats." I have only ever been familiar with a few myself. But when teachers began contacting me recently asking for a more comprehensive list, I knew it was time to do some serious research.

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you've struggled to find effective ways to develop students' speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

I've separated the strategies into three groups. The first batch contains the higher-prep strategies, formats that require teachers to do some planning or gathering of materials ahead of time. Next come the low-prep strategies, which can be used on the fly when you have a few extra minutes or just want your students to get more active. Note that these are not strict categories; it's certainly possible to simplify or add more meat to any of these structures and still make them work. The last group is the ongoing strategies. These are smaller techniques that can be integrated with other instructional strategies and don't really stand alone. For each strategy, you'll find a list of other names it sometimes goes by, a description of its basic structure, and an explanation of variations that exist, if any. To watch each strategy in action, click on its name and a new window will open with a video that demonstrates it.

Enjoy!
a.k.a. Chat Stations
Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Small groups of students travel from station to station together, performing some kind of task or responding to a prompt, either of which will result in a conversation.

Variations: Some Gallery Walks stay true to the term gallery, where groups of students create informative posters, then act as tour guides or docents, giving other students a short presentation about their poster and conducting a Q&A about it. In Starr Sackstein's high school classroom, her stations consisted of video tutorials created by the students themselves. Before I knew the term Gallery Walk, I shared a strategy similar to it called Chat Stations, where the teacher prepares discussion prompts or content-related tasks and sets them up around the room for students to visit in small groups.
a.k.a. Values Continuum, Forced Debate, Physical Barometer, This or That
Basic Structure: A statement that has two possible responses-agree or disagree-is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. From that spot, students take turns defending their positions.

Variations: Often a Philosophical Chairs debate will be based around a text or group of texts students have read ahead of time; students are required to cite textual evidence to support their claims and usually hold the texts in their hands during the discussion. Some teachers set up one hot seat to represent each side, and students must take turns in the seat. In less formal variations (which require less prep), a teacher may simply read provocative statements students are likely to disagree on, and a debate can occur spontaneously without a text to refer to (I call this variation This or That in my classroom icebreakers post). Teachers may also opt to offer a continuum of choices, ranging from "Strongly Agree" on one side of the room, all the way to "Strongly Disagree" on the other, and have students place themselves along that continuum based on the strength of their convictions.

Basic Structure: Students are divided into 4 groups. Three of these groups are assigned to represent specific points of view. Members of the fourth group are designated as "provocateurs," tasked with making sure the discussion keeps going and stays challenging. One person from each group (the "speaker") sits in a desk facing speakers from the other groups, so they form a square in the center of the room. Behind each speaker, the remaining group members are seated: two right behind the speaker, then three behind them, and so on, forming a kind of triangle. From above, this would look like a pinwheel. The four speakers introduce and discuss questions they prepared ahead of time (this preparation is done with their groups). After some time passes, new students rotate from the seats behind the speaker into the center seats and continue the conversation.

Variations: When high school English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling introduced this strategy in the featured video (click Pinwheel Discussion above), she used it as a device for talking about literature, where each group represented a different author, plus one provocateur group. But in the comments that follow the video, Wessling adds that she also uses the strategy with non-fiction, where students represent authors of different non-fiction texts or are assigned to take on different perspectives about an issue.
a.k.a. Socratic Circles
Basic Structure: Students prepare by reading a text or group of texts and writing some higher-order discussion questions about the text. On seminar day, students sit in a circle and an introductory, open-ended question is posed by the teacher or student discussion leader. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with textual evidence. There is no particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with others. Discussion is meant to happen naturally and students do not need to raise their hands to speak. This overview of Socratic Seminar from the website Facing History and Ourselves provides a list of appropriate questions, plus more information about how to prepare for a seminar.

Variations: If students are beginners, the teacher may write the discussion questions, or the question creation can be a joint effort. For larger classes, teachers may need to set up seminars in more of a fishbowl-like arrangement, dividing students into one inner circle that will participate in the discussion, and one outer circle that silently observes, takes notes, and may eventually trade places with those in the inner circle, sometimes all at once, and sometimes by "tapping in" as the urge strikes them.
a.k.a. Affinity Diagramming
Basic Structure: Give students a broad question or problem that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as "What were the impacts of the Great Depression?" or "What literary works should every person read?" Have students generate responses by writing ideas on post-it notes (one idea per note) and placing them in no particular arrangement on a wall, whiteboard, or chart paper. Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping them into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another, and so on.

Variations: Some teachers have students do much of this exercise-recording their ideas and arranging them into categories- without talking at first. In other variations, participants are asked to re-combine the ideas into new, different categories after the first round of organization occurs. Often, this activity serves as a good pre-writing exercise, after which students will write some kind of analysis or position paper.
a.k.a. Speed Dating
Basic Structure: Students form two circles, one inside circle and one outside circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their responses with each other. Then the teacher signals students to rotate: Students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person (or sitting, as they are in the video). Now the teacher poses a new question, and the process is repeated.

Variations: Instead of two circles, students could also form two straight lines facing one another. Instead of "rotating" to switch partners, one line just slides over one spot, and the leftover person on the end comes around to the beginning of the line. Some teachers use this strategy to have students teach one piece of content to their fellow students, making it less of a discussion strategy and more of a peer teaching format. In fact, many of these protocols could be used for peer teaching as well.

Basic Structure: Another great idea from Sarah Brown Wessling, this is a small-group discussion strategy that gives students exposure to more of their peers' ideas and prevents the stagnation that can happen when a group doesn't happen to have the right chemistry. Students are placed into a few groups of 4-6 students each and are given a discussion question to talk about. After sufficient time has passed for the discussion to develop, one or two students from each group rotate to a different group, while the other group members remain where they are. Once in their new group, they will discuss a different, but related question, and they may also share some of the key points from their last group's conversation. For the next rotation, students who have not rotated before may be chosen to move, resulting in groups that are continually evolving.

Basic Structure: Two students sit facing each other in the center of the room; the remaining students sit in a circle around them. The two central students have a conversation based on a pre-determined topic and often using specific skills the class is practicing (such as asking follow-up questions, paraphrasing, or elaborating on another person's point). Students on the outside observe, take notes, or perform some other discussion-related task assigned by the teacher.

Variations: One variation of this strategy allows students in the outer circle to trade places with those in the fishbowl, doing kind of a relay-style discussion, or they may periodically "coach" the fishbowl talkers from the sidelines. Teachers may also opt to have students in the outside circle grade the participants' conversation with a rubric, then give feedback on what they saw in a debriefing afterward, as mentioned in the featured video.

Basic Structure: One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept (such as a tornado, an animal, or the Titanic). Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates' questions while staying in character in that role.

Variations: Give more students the opportunity to be in the hot seat while increasing everyone's participation by having students do hot seat discussions in small groups, where one person per group acts as the "character" and three or four others ask them questions. In another variation, several students could form a panel of different characters, taking questions from the class all together and interacting with one another like guests on a TV talk show.
a.k.a. Pyramid Discussion
Basic Structure: Students begin in pairs, responding to a discussion question only with a single partner. After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, the pair joins another pair, creating a group of four. Pairs share their ideas with the pair they just joined. Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion.

Variations: This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group.

Whereas the other formats in this list have a distinct shape-specific activities you do with students-the strategies in this section are more like plug-ins, working discussion into other instructional activities and improving the quality and reach of existing conversations.

One of the limitations of discussion is that rich, face-to-face conversations can only happen when all parties are available, so we're limited to the time we have in class. With a tool like Voxer, those limitations disappear. Like a private voice mailbox that you set up with just one person or a group (but SOOOO much easier), Voxer allows users to have conversations at whatever time is most convenient for each participant. So a group of four students can "discuss" a topic from 3pm until bedtime-asynchronously-each member contributing whenever they have a moment, and if the teacher makes herself part of the group, she can listen in, offer feedback, or contribute her own discussion points. Voxer is also invaluable for collaborating on projects and for having one-on-one discussions with students, parents, and your own colleagues. Like many other educators, Peter DeWitt took a while to really understand the potential of Voxer, but in this EdWeek piece, he explains what turned him around.

A backchannel is a conversation that happens right alongside another activity. The first time I saw a backchannel in action was at my first unconference: While those of us in the audience listened to presenters and watched a few short video clips, a separate screen was up beside the main screen, projecting something called TodaysMeet (update: TodaysMeet has shut down. Use YoTeach! instead.) It looked a lot like those chat rooms from back in the day, basically a blank screen where people would contribute a few lines of text, the lines stacking up one after the other, no other bells or whistles. Anyone in the room could participate in this conversation on their phone, laptop, or tablet, asking questions, offering commentary, and sharing links to related resources without ever interrupting the flow of the presentations. This kind of tool allows for a completely silent discussion, one that doesn't have to move at a super-fast pace, and it gives students who may be reluctant to speak up or who process their thoughts more slowly a chance to fully contribute. For a deeper discussion of how this kind of tool can be used, read this thoughtful overview of using backchannel discussions in the classroom by Edutopia's Beth Holland.
a.k.a. Accountable Talk
Talk moves are sentence frames we supply to our students that help them express ideas and interact with one another in respectful, academically appropriate ways. From kindergarten all the way through college, students can benefit from explicit instruction in the skills of summarizing another person's argument before presenting an alternate view, asking clarifying questions, and expressing agreement or partial agreement with the stance of another participant. Talk moves can be incorporated into any of the other discussion formats listed here.

Whole Brain Teaching is a set of teaching and classroom management methods that has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. One of WBT's foundational techniques is Teach-OK, a peer teaching strategy that begins with the teacher spending a few minutes introducing a concept to the class. Next, the teacher says Teach!, the class responds with Okay!, and pairs of students take turns re-teaching the concept to each other. It's a bit like think-pair-share, but it's faster-paced, it focuses more on re-teaching than general sharing, and students are encouraged to use gestures to animate their discussion. Although WBT is most popular in elementary schools, this featured video shows the creator of WBT, Chris Biffle, using it quite successfully with college students. I have also used Teach-OK with college students, and most of my students said they were happy for a change from the sit-and-listen they were used to in college classrooms.

An oldie but a goodie, think-pair-share can be used any time you want to plug interactivity into a lesson: Simply have students think about their response to a question, form a pair with another person, discuss their response, then share it with the larger group. Because I feel this strategy has so many uses and can be way more powerful than we give it credit for, I devoted a whole post to think-pair-share; everything you need to know about it is right there.

TWO MORE YOU'LL LOVE

Since writing this post, I have learned about two more discussion strategies that teachers are finding to be incredibly effective and powerful for getting students to talk, especially about books and other texts:

This protocol has students come up with their own Thoughts, lingering Questions, and Epiphanies from an assigned reading. Teachers who have used this method say it has generated some of the richest conversations they have ever heard from students!

This strategy places students into one-on-one conversations, getting them to learn each others' names better and create a track record of what they talked about. Excellent for classes where you want to assess for discussion and help students get more comfortable with each other.

So what else do you have? I would like to think this is a pretty complete list, but I'm sure more strategies are out there. If you use a discussion strategy that's not mentioned here, please share it below.

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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Here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging.

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Common Sense Education - Three Tips for Formative Assessment

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Common Sense Education - Three Tips for Formative Assessment

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3 Tips for Great Formative Assessment | Common Sense Education

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Unlock the full potential of formative assessment in your classroom! Check out these tips for how to use formative assessment apps and games such as Kahoot, Socrative, Plickers, and Poll Everywhere to check for understanding and encourage student self-assessment.

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Common Sense Education - Review of Quiz and Game Show Apps

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Common Sense Education - Review of Quiz and Game Show Apps

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While quizzes might not be the most inventive way to learn, they're still useful for memorizing and recalling facts, assessing knowledge, or getting quick info at the end of a lecture or presentation. Because of their utility, there are tons of different apps, websites, and games out there for swiftly creating and delivering everything from quizzes and flash cards to polls and exit tickets. Some lean more into play, allowing teachers to host classroom game shows, while others shift more toward learning, facilitating formative assessments. No matter the focus, we've looked at all the tools out there for quizzing and selected our favorites below.

Our selections

These are the tools we feel best balance everything you'd want in a quizzing tool, while offering high-quality learning opportunities and polished experiences. They're split up into a few key categories that might be your best bet, depending on your needs.

Quizizz has grown thoughtfully over time to be our definitive top choice, whether you're running quick quiz games or looking to craft and launch deeper slide-based lessons with embedded assessments. Notably, it's got a decent-enough free version (with ads) that lets you run basic quizzes with exceptional question variety. However, the paid version (no ads) takes things to the next level with video and audio embeds, asynchronous learning, and answer explanations. This turns Quizizz into a lesson-delivery tool edging closely to platforms like Nearpod.
Read our review of Quizizz.
Other recommendations

These tools also got high marks and are worth a look, depending on your needs.

Best for flashcards and test prep: Quizlet

Quizlet is a polished tool that pretty much does it all. The standout feature is its flash-card-based study tools. If you want to help students prep for tests, there's really nothing better. Students can use study sets that teachers assign, create their own, or use one from the content library powered by providers like Kaplan. These study sets have a mastery option that reinforces concepts as well as other neat customization options.
Read our review of Quizlet.
Best choice for game shows: Kahoot!

Easily one of the more popular tools on this list, Kahoot! defined the quiz game genre. While Kahoot's suite of products has gotten increasingly bloated and confusing, the slick presentation of the quiz experience remains unmatched for K-12 classrooms. For now, it remains for us the go-to option for quick, fun quiz games. They've also added a post-quiz exit ticket that gets students reflecting on their learning and feelings.
Read our review of Kahoot.
Best for formative assessment: Formative

If your focus is on substantive dialogue about learning, then Formative is worth a look. Compared to other tools on this list, it has less flash and dash, but a better feedback loop between students and teachers. We're particularly fond of Formative's live feedback feature, and the creative question types. It's also got the best privacy score of any tool on this list.
Read our review of Formative.
Great for simple polls during presentations: Mentimeter

Mentimeter is a favorite among the staff at Common Sense. We use it regularly to run live polls during our presentations and lectures. It's super simple for both you and your audience to use, and can generate great visual aids like word clouds that can be used during, or even after, presentations. Best of all: You can probably get away with the free version.
Read our review of Mentimeter.
Good option for device-free classrooms: Plickers

A lot of classrooms don't have enough devices to use other tools on this list effectively. Plickers solves this, using printed QR codes that students can raise in the air to answer questions. Teachers then use a device to capture student responses. Unfortunately, this low-tech solution means fewer customization options.
Read our review of Plickers.
See everything we considered

The tools we call out here are a small slice of everything we looked at. If you prefer to do your own evaluation, find every tool we considered below.

These two Top Picks lists feature every tool we think passes muster.

You can also use our site's search to browse our full library of reviews.

Our criteria

To help organize our evaluation of quizzing tools, we looked at a few key features and functionality.

Question and activity variety

Options for homework or individual practice

Feedback and reporting

Design and engagement

Learning approach

Customization options

Content library

Price

Platform availability

Why trust us?: Our evaluation process

Our team of editors and reviewers (all current or former educators and/or researchers) painstakingly looked at dozens of quizzing, formative assessment, and polling apps for this article and narrowed down 11 of these for deeper evaluation and consideration. Each app goes through a rigorous evaluative process by both a reviewer and an editor. This involves hands-on testing (in some cases, this includes in classrooms or other real-world scenarios), rating according to our research-backed 14-point rubric, communication with developers and other educators, and finally a written review. We also consult our vast library of from-the-field reviews submitted by practicing educators. All told, each app undergoes at minimum four to six hours of testing and evaluation.
More information on our ratings and reviews.
Is there something we missed? You can request a product for review using this form.
Disclosure: Common Sense Education has published content on Kahoot!

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The Best Quiz and Game Show Apps for Classrooms | Common Sense Education

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While quizzes might not be the most inventive way to learn, they're still useful for memorizing and recalling facts, assessing knowledge, or getting quick info at the end of a lecture or presentation. Because of their utility, there are tons of different apps, websites, and games out there for swiftly creating and delivering everything from quizzes and flash cards to polls and exit tickets.

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Common Sense Media Student-Driven Formative Assessment Infographic

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Common Sense Media Student-Driven Formative Assessment Infographic

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Digital Citizenship Lessons for the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Digital Citizenship Lessons for the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Common Sense Education Article

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As many parts of the U.S. and world continue with distance learning because of the coronavirus pandemic, setting expectations for this new way of teaching and learning is essential. It's important to remember that even if students are comfortable with technology, learning online requires its own norms and procedures, many of which will be new to students who are used to learning in a face-to-face classroom.

In addition, teachers and students alike are spending more time checking news and social media in an effort to understand the coronavirus and its effects. Now more than ever, students need key digital citizenship skills, including news and media literacy, the ability to recognize and respond to cyberbullying, and an understanding of how their media habits affect them.

To help you establish a culture of digital citizenship for distance learning, we've collected our most relevant digital citizenship lessons for this moment. The lesson plans listed here are all available for free as part of Common Sense Education's K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. If you're able to share resources with your students, you can assign our lessons using Google Classroom, download student activity sheets and send them as virtual activities to students, or share links to our videos with your students (lessons with videos are noted with an *).

Short on time? Check out our quick digital citizenship activities: discussion-based activities that take only 15 minutes. These are available on every lesson with a video (noted below with an *).

We hope these resources are helpful to you during this challenging time.

Online Communication

As you set up the communication channels for your virtual classroom, it's important for students to understand the norms and expectations for online communication. They may be used to texting or chatting with friends on social media, but how they interact in the online school setting will be different. Help them learn what to do if they encounter hurtful language online, how to switch their communication style based on the setting, and ways to debate and communicate with civility.

*The Power of Words (Grade 3): Focus on social and emotional learning as you help students learn how to process their feelings when they see or read something online.

*Digital Drama Unplugged (Grade 6): Students can learn how digital drama develops and how to de-escalate contentious situations.

Connecting with Digital Audiences (Grade 11): Help high school students rethink how they use their devices as they transition to a virtual learning environment. Students think about how they should adjust the way they communicate with one another as well as how they use their devices depending on the setting.

*We Are Civil Communicators (Grade 12): This lesson helps students identify the best ways to meaningfully and respectfully engage in online discussions.

News & Media Literacy

For many students, the coronavirus pandemic has them worried. While there is reason for concern, some of their anxiety stems from incomplete or incorrect information they're seeing on social media. Now is an important time to help them build critical thinking skills so that they can identify what information is credible and what isn't. Use these lessons to support news and media literacy:

Finding Credible News (Grade 6): Help students differentiate real news articles from misleading ones.

This Just In! (Grade 8): When breaking news happens, information may not always be accurate. Students can learn the importance of stopping, thinking, and reflecting on what we see in breaking news.

Hoaxes and Fakes (Grade 9): Help students ask critical questions when they encounter information online, and decide which sources are credible and which are not.

Media Balance

When school happens online in addition to kids' already-busy online social lives, they may start to feel like they're staring at a screen 24/7. Talk with students about how much time they're spending on devices and help them reflect on how their media use makes them feel. Try these supporting lessons:

*Finding My Media Balance (Grade 5): Students out of school, staying home, may be using more media than ever. Plus, the bombardment of news media can be overwhelming. This lesson helps students think through what their own media balance should include, for their own well-being.

Social Media and How You Feel (Grade 10): Social media plays a big role in most teens' lives, and research shows that it causes intense feelings -- both positive and negative. This lesson helps teens think through how social media use is making them feel, and come up with a plan for more beneficial use.

Cyberbullying

Some students might witness or be the target of cyberbullying based on misconceptions about COVID-19. It's important for educators to teach students how to identify, respond to, and avoid cyberbullying. In addition, when you address what is and isn't acceptable online behavior, you promote a positive and safe learning environment for your students.

Putting a STOP to Online Meanness (Grade 2): Focus on social and emotional skills as you help younger students process mean behaviors or actions they witness online.

Upstanders and Allies: Taking Action Against Cyberbullying (Grade 7): This lesson prepares students to respond to situations that involve cyberbullying by encouraging them to be upstanders.

Responding to Online Hate Speech (Grade 8): Students likely encounter a lot of negative content, fear, and even hate of others online and on social media. Students will learn to identify online hate speech, and define specific actions they can take to positively impact a situation involving hate speech.

*Countering Hate Speech Online (Grade 10): Students can learn to understand the connection between xenophobia and online hate speech. Students analyze how the internet can contribute to the spread of xenophobia, and develop strategies to combat hate speech.

Use these short, self-guided digital citizenship activities and create a positive culture around digital learning.

Get teens talking about real issues they've encountered online -- from media addiction to hate speech.

Get customizable planning calendars and student activity sheets to make digital citizenship part of your teaching.

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Essential Digital Citizenship Lessons for the Coronavirus Pandemic | Common Sense Education

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Support the transition to distance learning and help students think critically and compassionately about what they see online.

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Learn 6 key considerations for a blended model of in-person and remote instruction.

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Learn 6 key considerations for a blended model of in-person and remote instruction.

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Common Sense Education Article

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How to Plan for Hybrid Teaching and Learning | Common Sense Education

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Learn 6 key considerations for a blended model of in-person and remote instruction.

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Ideas from Mentimeter on How to Engage Students Using Mentimeter

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Ideas from Mentimeter on How to Engage Students Using Mentimeter

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Use interaction to engage your students and up your teaching skills through formative assessment

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Padlet Tutorial - How to Get Started Guide 2020

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Padlet Tutorial - How to Get Started Guide 2020

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Video

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Padlet Tutorial - How to Get Started Guide

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Making Thinking Visible

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5 Ways That Teachers Are Using Breakout Rooms to Create More Learner-Centered Experiences in Distance Learning

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5 Ways That Teachers Are Using Breakout Rooms to Create More Learner-Centered Experiences in Distance Learning

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Article (Aug. 30, 2020)

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Katie Martin | Informed by Research, Inspired by Practice

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5 Ways That Teachers Are Using Breakout Rooms to Create More Learner-Centered Experiences in Distance Learning

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I have talked with many educators who are anxious about creating breakout rooms for fear of inappropriate interactions, bullying, and being off task in breakout

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10 Ways Professional Learning Can Model the Practices that Engage and Empower Learners in Distance Learning 

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10 Ways Professional Learning Can Model the Practices that Engage and Empower Learners in Distance Learning 

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Article (Aug. 24, 2020)

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I saw this tweet from a teacher's daughter and my heart went out to him and every teacher who is embracing this opportunity to learn something new and redesign classes to meet learners where they are.

I have engaged with so many teachers who are stepping out of their comfort zones to learn and evolve to meet students' needs and I am learning so much too. I am so grateful to see a more holistic view of the student success and emphasis on social emotional learning. Human connection and effective teaching and learning are crucial in distance learning. Although there are great tech tools and many programs that at first glance can seem to minimize complexity when everything continues to shift, we have to remember as we plan for the fall and beyond that there is no substitute for a teacher. Now more than ever we need teachers who can connect with students, guide them on their path and codesign authentic, participatory, and relevant learning experiences based on their needs, strengths, and questions.

Here are 10 ways that professional learning can support teachers to design engaging and empowering distance learning experiences.

Focus on Learning, Not Perfection

Although I have taught many online/ distance courses over the past 10 years, in the last 6 months I have been immersed in how to best design distance learning models and support educators to facilitate their own classes in ways that engage and empower learners. I have done virtual keynotes, webinars, lots of workshops, and 3-day institutes to support teachers to move from emergency remote learning to engaging learner-centered practices, any time anywhere.

Teaching or facilitating professional learning from a distance and in-person is not necessarily new but still, I am far from perfect and I continue to learn so much from the process and the educators that I engage with.

Sometimes things are clunky, and a link doesn't work. Sometimes the internet just doesn't cooperate, and slides take longer to load and sometimes when I am managing 100 things, I show my messy desktop instead of the slide deck. I was reminded this week when someone told me that when I acknowledge that things didn't go perfectly, it helped her to see she didn't have to be perfect either. Humility is essential, and giving yourself and others grace will go very far right now. As Brene Brown says, "I am not here to be right, I am here to get it right." And so, I keep showing up and do the best I can.

Keep it Simple

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the new apps and always feel like I should be doing more. I have to constantly remind myself (because I have learned from my failures) to keep it simple and that adding more flashy tools doesn't always make it better often, it makes it worse and the learning can get lost.

Create Connections in Small Breakout Rooms

Small groups are the most powerful but just like in the classroom, just putting people into groups doesn't guarantee collaboration, and learning. Creating consistent small groups can allow for connection and using protocols to facilitate conversation and meaningful tasks is a great way to leverage the expertise of the educators in the group and make the learning more personal. This is a reflection that I got from a teacher this week and a reminder that although our learning spaces may look different, we can still create meaningful connections.

Learn by Doing

People have different comfort levels and skill sets. I have found the best way to support learners is to immerse people in meaningful tasks where they are motivated to figure things out. With technology challenges specifically, in larger groups, if you don't create space to learn, people will check out, and if you spend too much time on the tech challenges people will check out. Learning by doing in small groups can allow those who are proficient to model and teach, while it can provide a safe space for others to engage in the learning without letting the technology get in the way.

Create More Personalized Learning Opportunities

This week I was working with educators who were designing their projects for their distance learning program. They had time to work and could choose to work with a colleague or on their own. The personalized time focused on their desired outcomes (including knowledge, skills, and habits) and how they could assess the learning process. We engaged in learning experiences to prepare them and I provided resources to explore based on their needs. Still, the goal was not to all be at the same place but to get what they needed to move forward because each project was different, and they were all at various stages of the planning.

Providing flexibility and focusing on the learning and growth rather than the completion of a task can empower learners to own their learning and do something that matters to them and others. Here is a reflection from a group of educators that captured the impact of their experience:
A 3 day evolution Scared to hopeful - excited to see us moving to a CBL platform as a school Talking together as a faculty on pedagogy - continue this conversation to define who we are as a school. People are open and willing to try new things but we need to continue the conversation Different - we are talking not being talked to. Extroversion exercise - leveling to be together and share in an egalitarian way. This feels more human sharing, building together, collaborative Continue this moving forward sharing ideas to support one another. Make sure we continue the conversation to support one another through the process, we are together in this and we can create a formal structure of support.
Gain Empathy for Their Students

I can't count the number of times that educators shared how being a learner gave them a new perspective on how to better design experiences for their students. When facilitating professional learning it is crucial that we provide experiences that not only model how teachers can design their distance learning classes but that we make time for reflection about what worked and what didn't. A teacher shared with me recently, "Usually, I am stuck in the auditorium in an uncomfortable seat for our professional learning. I appreciate getting to move around and having the flexibility and be in my own house but learn, connect with colleagues, and plan for my classes." This flexibility to learn and move around and make choices about their learning within certain constraints can also empower students.

Create Moments of Genuine Connection

This week Jennifer Gonzalez highlighted Moments of Genuine Connection on her blog.

The impact was reinforced when a teacher shared with me this week how she noticed and appreciated those moments of genuine connection in our professional learning:

"You have learned names and used them, attended to the context, made people feel heard and facilitated the conversations, attending to the chat, and all the while moving us forward in a caring way."

This is one of the best compliments that I have received and a great reminder of how important it is that people feel seen and valued.

A counterexample to this is a teacher that 4 days into their back to school professional learning and meetings and his principal had yet to connect with him. He acknowledged how this made him feel invisible. Being intentional about connecting with each person takes effort and using someone's name, noticing them, greeting them, and reaching out through chat, email, or in a phone call can make a world of difference.

Ensure Multiple Spaces for Voice and Interaction

One of the main reasons that whole group instruction all the time is so ineffective is because people have varied needs, goals, and ways they prefer to learn and engage. Some people like to talk and can dominate conversations, some like to take their time and process and if we always take the first to respond we miss out on their ideas. For this reason and many others, creating multiple outlets for people to learn, share, and put ideas into practice is important. In addition to small groups, the chat feature has proven to be a powerful tool for discussion, diverse representation of voices, and increased engagement.

Additionally, classroom jobs which are great for connecting with students and those same jobs can be also helpful in professional learning. In a recent Distance Learning Institute I facilitated, we had someone responsible for playing music when we had reflection time (if you don't want to listen you can mute), we had someone who could help troubleshoot tech issues and tell jokes to get us connected after a break. In addition to our small groups, and personalized work time, this allowed us to build the community and ensure multiple voices were heard.

Ask for Feedback Often

I love this thread about student perspectives on TikTok and Morgan Jackson's perspective as a teacher too.

I told my students if you see it being done better somewhere else or come up with something you think works better let me know. I've never taught like this before and I'm not naive enough to think I got it all right.

Every time I teach, I learn so much. Sometimes it's because of what goes well but also when things fail and I get feedback on how to improve. Ask for feedback early and often and use it to improve.

Seek to Understand, Not Demand

The camera on is a hot button for a lot of teachers and administrators and it can seem as if people are disengaged, or if people are late it can seem as if they don't care. Just this week I had teachers who couldn't turn on their computer because they didn't have enough bandwidth, their computers just didn't work, one shared he was late because he had just had a Covid test, another was defending her master's thesis. There will be family emergencies, tech issues, personal issues etc and we can't know what someone else is going through but if we seek to understand, not demand compliance we will learn so much more about people and build relationships instead of shutting people down.

I love this language to try from Jimmy Casas in Live Your Excellence.

Modeling the Practices We Seek

As we navigate the challenges of Covid and distance learning we have an opportunity to shift practices and leave behind what has been ineffective and rapidly accelerate the adoption of new practices. Our beliefs and expectations shape our experiences, including professional learning, which is why we need to model these practices for teachers to mirror the learning experiences we want to create for learners.

We can continue to buy new programs and buy new resources, but if we fail to engage and empower teachers to design better experiences for their students, I believe we will miss the greatest opportunity to develop the knowledge skills and mindsets that learners need to thrive and navigate the uncertainty we are all facing.

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10 Ways Professional Learning Can Model the Practices that Engage and Empower Learners in Distance Learning

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I saw this tweet from a teacher's daughter and my heart went out to him and every teacher who is embracing this opportunity to learn something new and redesign classes to meet learners where they are.

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Look it up: Building knowledge or just finding answers?

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Look it up: Building knowledge or just finding answers?

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Article

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Arnold Glass and Mengxue Kang, psychology researchers at Rutgers-New Brunswick's School of Arts and Sciences, are conducting an ongoing study using technology to monitor college students' academic performance and to assess the effects of new instructional technologies on that performance. Noticing a problematic trend in the data-students' homework grades far outpacing their exam grades-they have dug into a subset of their findings to try and determine what may be driving that change. The results raise questions about teaching and learning in a time when remote education opportunities are expanding.

The data come from Professor Glass's own courses: two sections of a lecture course on human learning and memory taught between 2008 and 2011, and two sections of a lecture course on human cognition taught between 2012 and 2018. Glass and Kang analyzed student homework and exam performance (232 total question sets) for 2,433 students who took the classes over the entire period. Fity-nine percent of students were female, and 41 percent were male. The vast majority were between the ages of nineteen and twenty-four.

Homework consisted of online quizzes of four to eight questions posted after each lecture that were to be completed outside of the classroom prior to the next lecture. The students' answers, the correct answer, and some detail on why the answer was correct were available after the quiz window closed and throughout the semester and were to be used as study guides for the exams. There were three in-class exams given each semester. In the final two years of the study, the researchers also asked students about their process for completing the online quizzes: whether they typically answered from memory (these students were dubbed Homework Generators), or whether they looked up their answers before submitting (dubbed Homework Copiers).

The initial data sorted students into two groups: those whose exam grades were higher than their homework grades and vice versa. The researchers considered the former to be the preferred outcome, since the lectures and online quizzes were intended to build upon one another over the course of the semester and "produce learning" that would ultimately increase the probability that students answered exam questions correctly. This was the predominant pattern shown by the data beginning in 2008. However, the percent of students who exhibited the opposite pattern-scoring better on the online homework than the in-person exams-increased from 14 percent in 2008 to a whopping 55 percent in 2017.

During the most recent two years of the study, Glass and Kang added the survey responses on homework strategy and performed an analysis of variance to discover that Homework Copiers were far more likely than Homework Generators to be among the group whose exam scores lagged their homework scores. In other words, looking up the answer to an online quiz boosted those quiz scores but did not appear to build learning that translated into success on exams when no outside resources could be used. Nearly 60 percent of students reported being Homework Copiers in 2017.

The researchers make a couple of leaps in their discussion of the findings, likely based on other parts of their ongoing research, in which they demonize burgeoning internet access and increasing smartphone usage among students during the ten-year study period. But the survey questions asked here of self-identified Homework Copiers do not differentiate between digital and analog look ups. Whether it's Google trawling or combing the course's required textbook for answers, the point is that students are on their own when answering the homework questions. The more common this type of learning becomes-work completed outside of class and without oversight-the more looking up answers will likely occur. It is vital that course design responds to this reality. That college kids are looking up homework answers is probably not big news. That it might undermine their learning and retention when a course is not properly structured to address it should be the headline-or a call to arms. Especially if their little siblings in high schools could be following suit.

SOURCE: Arnold L. Glass and Mengxue Kang, " Fewer students are benefiting from doing their homework: an eleven-year study," Educational Psychology (August 2020).

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Look it up: Building knowledge or just finding answers?

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Arnold Glass and Mengxue Kang, psychology researchers at Rutgers-New Brunswick's School of Arts and Sciences, are conducting an ongoing study using technology to monitor college students' academic performance and to assess the effects of new instructional technologies on that performance.

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Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning (Second Edition)

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Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning (Second Edition)

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Carnegie Mellon University: ETC Press - Journal Contribution

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The Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning is an edited collection of chapters that sets out to present the current state of research in K-12 online and blended learning. The chapters describe where we have been, what we currently know, and where we hope to go with research in multiple areas.

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Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning (Second Edition)

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The Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning is an edited collection of chapters that sets out to present the current state of research in K-12 online and blended learning. The chapters describe where we have been, what we currently know, and where we hope to go with research in multiple areas.

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The Science of Keeping Kids Engaged—Even From Home

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The Science of Keeping Kids Engaged—Even From Home

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Article

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The sudden, unplanned move to distance learning during spring 2020 drove a wedge into the middle of the school year-disrupting academic schedules, putting an end to extracurriculars, and undercutting the assessment and academic feedback cycles in most schools. Student motivation, predictably, foundered.

As one of our students put it, online school "is just like in-person school but with all the fun bits removed." Without the ambient social interactions that are such a rich part of a regular day at school, and without in-person guidance from teachers, coaches, and counselors, many of the key motivational drivers were suddenly gone. In most K-12 schools, there were no fully formed distance-learning alternatives waiting in the wings. Indeed, glaring holes and inequities were exposed in the first days and weeks of distance learning: families with sporadic or no connection to Wi-Fi; students who lacked a calm place to study; siblings who needed to chip in to take care of brothers and sisters, or needed to contribute money by getting a job. Over and above it all were increased levels of trauma.

In short order, the move to online learning also laid bare some of the instructional flaws in our traditional structures of accountability, evaluation, and standardized testing. We hope for intrinsically motivated students, but we tend to design for the opposite, often with the best of intentions in mind. But motivating students with carrots and sticks-through endless, demoralizing cycles of high-stakes testing and assessment-is not getting us the deep learning and love of learning we desire.

Fortunately there is a science of motivation, and we need to design it into the very fiber of our virtual courses. There is a pressing need to do so now in order to help keep students engaged through the challenges of distance learning, and to avoid exacerbating the previously existing gaps in learning opportunities born of systemic inequities.

A Two-Stage Approach to Motivation

You may have heard of the major theories of motivation that researchers discuss, like self-determination theory and expectancy-value-cost theory. We will discuss these in a second article coming soon. For now, we think that learning mindsets-students' beliefs about themselves, their potential, and the learning context-are a better starting point that we can understand and implement relatively quickly in classrooms. Once we get proficient at learning mindsets, then we can go take the next step toward an understanding of the deeper structure of motivation, and how it can be applied to create fundamental structural reform in schools.

Researchers talk about three learning mindsets: sense of belonging, purpose and relevance, and growth mindset. If we want to design for intrinsic motivation, this is where we need to start. Some of these learning mindsets may be familiar to you, but they are often misunderstood and misapplied in schools.

Creating a Sense of Belonging

Make students feel heard: Include activities, topics, and examples that students identify with so they feel it's OK to bring their authentic self to class each day. Work hard at eliminating identity threat. Every child deserves to feel seen, listened to, and respected, and that their unique story is a part of the larger story of the class.

For example, you can create a ritual for starting your online class in which every child speaks and every child hears their name spoken by somebody else; incorporate fishbowl discussions online and encourage students to "speak from the I perspective"; co-create class rules and norms with your students and post them on the first page of each unit on your learning management system (LMS), and revisit and renew the norms periodically; have each child share their preferred pronouns with you instead of making assumptions.

Reduce barriers to connecting online: Let students know that there is an easy way to communicate with you outside of class-you can manage expectations by telling them how quickly you'll respond-and that they are welcome to do so. While setting clear expectations for the whole class, it's also important to be creative and proactive in identifying and finding solutions to challenges-emotional or academic-that individual students are facing. For example, you can set up one-on-one phone or video calls with each child on a rotating basis, or offer them the ability to text or call you directly.

Remind yourself that social time is as important as academic time: If you are teaching online, deliberately use some of your precious time for social connection. For example, begin your class time with a social ritual: try a short "mental stretch" break; offer some monitored hangout time before class starts; or create small groups that meet socially asynchronously. This isn't wasted class time-it's an investment to help keep them motivated and present for the long haul.

Connecting Work to Purpose and Relevance

Work hard to articulate purpose: Teachers often underestimate the importance of purpose and relevance in building motivation, and overestimate how good a job they are doing making the purpose clear. Deliberately and regularly state the purpose of assignments and activities-this is especially important when you are distanced from your students.

Use online surveys to solicit-and leverage-student interests: Ask students about their interests and passions, and design activities that target things that your students genuinely find personally relevant. It's not always necessary to make the activities academic: During distance learning, you should cut down some of your traditional content in order to forge deep connections-the goal is to boost students' long term buy-in for the year.

Build connections to real life: Research suggests that students' motivation toward education is improved when they take the time to link their learning to their existing interests-or to the world around them.

Try having students complete this activity, which asks students to connect recent academic insights to their interests, by interviewing each other, perhaps over Zoom.

Give students choice: Adding well-chosen, constrained elements of choice in topic or medium are great options to help boost motivation during distance learning-students feel empowered while also learning how to improve their ability to choose. But be mindful that too much choice creates decision fatigue. Example activities: Choose from one of these four essay prompts; select a renowned leader that meets a set of criteria to study for your project; produce your work in the form of a podcast, children's book, 2- to 3-minute video, art installation, or paper.

Hard Work, Failure, and Growth Mindset

Explain how learning works: Begin by talking to your students. Tell them that studying is hard, but it gets easier over time when you begin to use effective study strategies. Teach them about neuroplasticity-that effortful practice over time helps rewire their brains.

Give them effective study strategies: Students should favor study strategies like articulating key concepts in their own words, active retrieval, and spaced practice over rereading and highlighting-and you should build in time to let them practice and refine those strategies. During distance learning it is especially important to be deliberate about this because students are on their own more often and need strategies for self-regulation.

Help them get unstuck: Be concrete with students about the fact that they will periodically get stuck, so they'll need tactics to get over the hump. Have you created a class climate where kids feel comfortable asking peers for help-or considered setting up small study groups to facilitate better communication? Have you given your students easy ways to contact you during business hours, and even urged them to do so when they're stuck? Have you created a useful, easily accessed list of class resources in your LMS?

Use tech to create a low-stakes environment: Create low-stakes quizzes in your LMS, or use tech tools like Pear Deck, Quizlet Live, and Poll Everywhere to support frequent but gradeless retrieval practice and formative assessments. Reposition these "quizzes" as part of continuous learning, and help students see them as useful tools to get a sense of where they are, how well their study strategies are working, and what they need to do next. Finally, don't confuse low-stakes with easy; students work harder and learn more deeply when they are challenged. Build time for getting things wrong and learning from those mistakes into every class.

Alter your grading systems and structures: Despite the conventional wisdom in education, grades don't motivate students to do their best work, nor do they lead to better learning or performance.

What better time than now to adjust your grading structure to reward growth, development, and improvement? Even if summative assessments are beyond your control, consider adjusting your mid-unit grading by awarding points and grades based on student work related to continuous improvement. This not only helps the struggling learners, but also pushes the top achievers to show that they are putting in the effort needed to demonstrate clear improvement in their skill levels.

Be constantly ready to adjust your teaching: Because it's hard to "read the room" and determine what your students know in a virtual classroom, use your formative assessments to continually adjust your own teaching. This is a great way to model the growth mindset behaviors that you'd like your students to adopt.

Create a digital record of competence: Motivation can be boosted when students notice their growing competence. Create short activities to promote this rather than leaving it to chance-for example, bring back a piece of older work and do a then-and-now comparison, or create a simple online portfolio that can be regularly updated and revisited. Be sure that students link their competence to hard work and the right strategies, not to innate ability.

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The Science of Keeping Kids Engaged-Even From Home

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The upcoming school year will be filled with uncertainty, but the need to keep students engaged while working from home feels like a sure thing. Fortunately, there is a science of motivation.

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Article

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How educators can provide excellent instruction as they develop their online classrooms.

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3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to the Classroom

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3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to the Classroom

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Article

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For some teachers, emergency remote instruction birthed new instructional practices that they plan to continue after distance learning ends.

Remote teaching has brought profound changes. I went through a grieving process for what my classroom once had been and for what it felt like to be in a room with students and interact with them so easily. But as I made my way through that grief, after a month or two I began to find some hope. I realized that there are lots of lessons to be learned from this time of distance learning. When we can be in person again, there are some practices that will carry with me because I discovered they actually work better:

Guest Speakers, Panelists, Supporters

As a teacher who uses principles related to design thinking and leads students in project-based learning, I believe it's essential to begin with the end user in mind and provide projects that connect to the real world. I am always inviting in panelists and experts to provide feedback for students.

I close my English 9 spring semester with the dream job unit. Students pick a dream future career or job and build a portfolio that contains a cover letter, a résumé of soft skills learned from my class and others, project examples, and visuals. During remote learning, I shifted this to a Google Slides portfolio that I created with a template for each student.

After students completed their slides, I worked to find volunteers who matched their specific fields of interest, and students prepared for a group interview. I had double the volunteer interviewers that I have had for the last 10 years, but I was able to have people from all over the world participate and help. One student wanted to be a special-effects makeup artist. I posted a message on my Facebook page and was connected with a Hollywood director who put me in contact with a professional makeup artist who worked on the Saw movie franchise. In person or not, we will be creating digital slide portfolios, and I will have panelists connect online with the students they're interviewing.

Small Group Work With Google Docs, Slides, and Jamboards

During my in-person classes, I often have students work in groups. Students have shared contracts to help keep them accountable as they work together on a common goal. Through distance learning, I discovered that I didn't have a way for students to use their collaborative time effectively. How would I know what they actually worked on and discussed? I had them record their discussions, but that meant I needed to listen to them later. I also had them produce or create something, but then it was hard to know who was doing the work.

Being remote, I used Google Meet for breakout sessions to allow students to be in mini-groups for discussion and work. When working this way, the noise of one group did not affect any other teams, and I could pop into different rooms and monitor students' activity. In addition, every time they were in a group, they worked on a shared Google slide, doc, or jamboard that I owned as the teacher. This way, even if I wasn't in their discussion, I could visually see their progress. I could even leave comments as they were working to provide feedback without listening to the conversation.

Class Discussions

The beauty of the Google Meet or Zoom space was that it allowed students to speak and write in real time. I found myself being able to see students who may have felt or been unseen in my classroom because of where they sat or because someone else often spoke on behalf of that table. I had the ability to see all faces at once on the screen and could better control the conversation through muting microphones, something I wouldn't be able to do in person. I also developed a protocol for these online discussions that was shared worldwide through district professional development presentations, in Twitter chats, and at global Google Educator Group events.

What really changed things for my class was giving students the following jobs that aided in the discussion.

Welcomer: If a student arrived late, this student would type a welcoming message in the chat and give a one- or two-sentence overview of what had happened so far. Once we're back in the classroom, I plan to have one student greet guests at the door and another one or two check in with anyone who is late to get them caught up.

Linker: If I shared a link during remote instruction, this student would save it because someone would inevitably ask for it. In person, the linker would still make note of where important links are posted on our learning management system or daily agenda to help students who don't know where to look.

Questioner: If a question popped up in the chat while I was sharing my screen so I couldn't see it, the questioner was allowed to unmute him- or herself and let me know. This prevented several students from unmuting themselves and talking at once. During face-to-face instruction, this student would become a speaker for the table. A group can discuss their ideas first and try to problem-solve. Later, one person per group can share out questions.

Timekeeper: This student provided a time warning to help us all stay on track. I always need someone to keep up with the time even in my classroom.

Notetakers: While all students took the notes they needed for themselves, I would add these students' notes to my daily agenda for anyone who was absent. I sent their notes along with the daily recording to make sure that all students could keep up with the work. This will be essential as we return to a new view of school. Not all students will be able to attend, and I must be prepared for this. It will also help students process what they're learning.

It might not be the classroom I had before, but there are some practices that I will take with me into my classroom next year whether we're remote or in person. This time has pushed me to look at my practices in a new way and forced me to make improvements in areas I had told myself were just fine. While I never wanted Covid-19, I am forever grateful for the changes that being forced to work remotely has inspired me to make, both for me and for my students.

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3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to the Classroom

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For some teachers, emergency remote instruction birthed new instructional practices that they plan to continue after distance learning ends. Remote teaching has brought profound changes. I went through a grieving process for what my classroom once had been and for what it felt like to be in a room with students and interact with them so easily.

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The Blended Learning Models that can Help Schools Reopen

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The Blended Learning Models that can Help Schools Reopen

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Blog Post

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As educators start considering their options for the fall, the future is full of uncertainty. If schools remain closed, they'll need to prepare for more remote learning. On the other hand, there's a chance schools might be able to open back up, in which case they'll likely need to have students come in shifts in order to maintain social distancing.

Fortunately, if bringing students to school part-time is an option, schools don't have to invent new approaches from scratch. Two of the blended-learning models we've documented are well suited to these circumstances: the Enriched Virtual model and the Flipped Classroom model. There is a caveat: They all hinge on internet connectivity, a challenge that both public and private efforts are moving quickly to try to solve.

In an Enriched Virtual arrangement, students complete the majority of coursework online at home or outside of school, but attend school for required face-to-face learning sessions with a teacher a few times a week. In Flipped Classroom setups, students learn at home via online coursework and video-recorded lectures, and teachers use class time for teacher-guided practice or projects.

Normally, the Flipped Classroom model is used by teachers whose students come to class every day, whereas the Enriched Virtual model is generally deployed to increase support for students in virtual schooling who normally wouldn't attend a brick-and-mortar school at all. In COVID-19 circumstances requiring a reduction of the number of students in school buildings on any given day, however, the distinctions between these models become a bit blurry. Here are some examples of what these types of models look like.
Combining independent online learning with face-to-face instruction
Scott Nolt, a high school history teacher in North Carolina, has been using blended learning for years as a way to teach his students without daily direct instruction. At the school where he first developed his approach to blended learning, roughly half of his students met in class with him on any given day while the other half learned independently, often at home. At his current school, students were in class with him every day until COVID-19 closed their campus, but spent most of their time working independently on course activities while Nolt worked with small groups in a study-hall-type arrangement. This approach allowed him and his students to transition seamlessly to distance learning once schools closed.

During their online learning time students dive into new content by studying texts, watching online videos, and taking assessments that help them develop their basic understanding of course content. They then turn to individual assignments and group discussions that help them develop their analytical, critical thinking skills. While working online, students communicate with Nolt through an online messaging system and through the comment features built into online assignments and discussions that allow him to give feedback on their work.

The blended-learning approach allows students to explore concepts at different depths of understanding, based on their interests. All students are expected to learn the "big idea" for each lesson or unit, but can then choose activities for going deeper on topics that interest them. They then demonstrate their mastery of course concepts through essays, PowerPoint presentations, or other types of assignments.
Using blended learning to strengthen relationships
Stacey Roshan, a high school math teacher in the Washington, DC, area, became a teacher because she wanted to share her love of math with students and help combat the notion of "I'm not a math person." She wanted her class to be a place where exploring math was fun and where students knew she cared about them as individuals. But for many of her AP Calculus students, it was hard to love math given their nightly struggle through homework assignments with unanswered questions and the enormous pressure to get straight A's. Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Roshan found there was little time to focus on students' needs when she was busy trying to ensure that she delivered all the content they needed to tackle their nightly assignments.

To address these challenges, Roshan turned to blended learning. She "flipped" her lessons into online videos for students to watch at home. She then shifted class time toward addressing students' questions and misunderstandings as they worked through problems, discussing and exploring math concepts conceptually, and engaging with students in a more personal way.

As Roshan explains in her book, Tech with Heart, "It's important to understand that my flipped classroom is not about videos at home and textbook work in class. It is about easing students' anxiety by giving them time to work through problems with their peers and with me. It is about personalizing the learning space, building relationships with students and gaining their trust, and being there to support them when they need me the most."
Making these models work for the fall
Most of the flipped classroom and enriched virtual models that we've studied come from the high school level because elementary students are normally at school every day and have relatively little homework. But considering that COVID-19 will likely require all students to learn at least part-time at home, these models are worth consideration for elementary schools as well. Both models offer a blueprint for how teachers can design instruction to meet the constraints-and even opportunities-of students coming to school in shifts to meet distancing requirements.

To learn more about blended-learning models similar to those described above, I recommend exploring the content on the Blended Learning Universe and browsing the blended learning mini-course available at Khan Academy. For those interested in learning the ins and outs of setting up models like these, the Modern Classrooms Project offers some great professional development resources as a starting point.

Thomas Arnett is a senior research fellow for the Clayton Christensen Institute. His work focuses on using the Theory of Disruptive Innovation to study innovative instructional models and their potential to scale student-centered learning in K-12 education. He also studies demand for innovative resources and practices across the K-12 education system using the Jobs to Be Done Theory.

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The blended learning models that can help schools reopen - Christensen Institute

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As educators start considering their options for the fall, the future is full of uncertainty. If schools remain closed, they'll need to prepare for more remote learning. On the other hand, there's a chance schools might be able to open back up, in which case they'll likely need to have students come in shifts in order to maintain social distancing.

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blended learning universe

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Educators Turn to Bitmoji to Build Community and Engagement

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Educators Turn to Bitmoji to Build Community and Engagement

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Article

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Since remote learning started this past spring, Bitmojis have taken the education community by storm.

Available through the Bitmoji app, these customizable, mini-me avatars have become stand-in teachers running virtual classrooms, enforcing rules and expectations, collecting assignments-and making students smile, we've heard. Simply put, they're fun.

Amber Weaver, a second-grade teacher in Louisville, Kentucky, says she likes that her Bitmoji classroom-a virtual replica of her real one-makes resources like the school calendar easily accessible to her young students and provides them with a sense of virtual familiarity and stability during a tough time.

But not everyone is a fan of the Bitmoji craze. Some educators believe that they're a distracting fad and that teachers should be focusing more on creating effective lessons and supporting students' well-being instead of creating cutesy virtual classrooms, according to an article in Education Week. They also claim that Bitmoji resources raise issues of digital equity, as not all students have easy access to the internet or to digital devices to use them. Proponents counter that effective instruction and Bitmojis aren't mutually exclusive, and say they're broadly helpful in engaging students in virtual learning.

As teachers prepare for the fall, many are considering ways to bridge virtual and hands-on learning to keep kids engaged-and Bitmoji may provide the leg up to do so. We talked to more than 50 K-12 educators about how they're using Bitmoji and gathered links to their resources that you can download and customize for your own use.

Getting Started

To get started creating your Bitmoji universe, you need to download the app (available for iPhone and Android) and create your Bitmoji by selecting physical features like hair and eye color and an outfit. After creating your character, you can cast it in a huge array of activities, such as reading, dancing gleefully, or even eating a sandwich.

Next, download the Google Chrome extension, which allows you to choose a favorite image of your Bitmoji-perhaps your doppelganger washing its hands or saying "hello"-to copy and paste it into whatever format you'd like, such as Google Slides where you host your virtual classroom.

For inspiration, Facebook groups like Bitmoji Craze for Educators offer a range of templates and tutorials that show newbies the ropes, like this step-by-step video tutorial on setting up a Bitmoji classroom, and hacks that inspire veterans with new ideas. And of course, the examples below are a great starting point.
Note: Most of the examples mentioned in this article are linked to templates that can be downloaded. One type of link goes directly to a copy that can be customized to your heart's desire. The other goes to an open Google Slide. If taken there, click "File," pause your cursor over "Make a copy," and select "Entire presentation." From there, it's yours.
Bitmoji Classrooms

The most popular use of Bitmojis in education is for creating virtual classrooms, or virtual learning hubs (typically hosted on Google Slides, which can be integrated into a learning management system (LMS) like Seesaw, Google Classroom, or Schoology) where teachers post classroom materials and resources for students. Every teacher's Bitmoji classroom is unique. Some teachers have made them resemble their real-life classrooms or homes, while others have leaned toward fantasy.

Kindergarten teacher Sara Hannah's Bitmoji classroom looks a lot like her real classroom, she says, but with some elements of fun. In the virtual room, clickable icons link to assignments, games, read-alouds, and short video lessons-even the virtual cats are clickable. Incorporating Bitmojis has created more excitement around classes, which she says helps motivate students in virtual learning.

Brittney Harvey, an elementary school-certified occupational therapist assistant, created an occupational therapy room for her students in Oklahoma. The virtual room links to resources like Zoom for one-on-one sessions, pre-writing video lessons, and GoNoodle-a video library filled with exercises that help Harvey's students develop gross motor skills.

The Bitmoji classroom isn't limited to core subjects. Educators have created Bitmoji classrooms for at-home recess (grades pre-K-3), art classes (first grade), and maker spaces (grades K-6).

Setting Expectations and Norms

Teachers say they've found that Bitmojis can be a helpful (and fun) way to get students to remember the rules and expectations in their virtual classrooms.

Jillian Graham, a high school math teacher from Fort Mill, South Carolina, created norms around how to act during Google Meet classes and used her Bitmoji character to remind students about them, for example. While her students waited to join a Google Meet session, they saw her Bitmoji explaining how they should act on video calls with instructions like "dress appropriately" and "be an active participant."

Aimee Wilson, a 10th-grade U.S. government and English teacher, on the other hand, created a Bitmoji cell phone policy poster that outlined when it is and isn't OK to use a cell phone, while Brandi Dudley, a first- and second-grade teacher in California, created Bitmoji Covid-19 posters to remind her students of protective measures like handwashing.

Bitmoji Libraries

Many educators say they are using Bitmoji to create "libraries," or virtual bookshelves, linked to video read-alouds, PDFs, and digital books.

Cammie Duval, an elementary school teacher in Milwaukie, Oregon, created a K-2 growth mindset library for her district, for example, and has 29 libraries in total on different themes like " Mad Scientist," which have been downloaded as templates more than 90,000 times by teachers. To stimulate excitement, Duval hides a digital worm ("a bookworm") in every library that kids can search for as they peruse the books.

"Most of my students cannot read and don't have family members who have a lot of time to read with them," says Duval of the benefits of the digital read-alouds. "Bitmoji libraries give those kids the ability to fall in love with reading at home by themselves."

In light of recent events, some educators have been inspired to create libraries with a host of diverse books. Overcome with emotion after the murder of George Floyd, Tracey Burton, a pre-K-5 technology teacher in Ishpeming, Michigan, created a Bitmoji library that houses VideoLink links-YouTube links without the ads-that connect to read-alouds of books about different races and cultures like Mixed Me and Too Many Tamales.

"I didn't think I could change the world, but I do feel like I [can] make a change," says Burton. "Reading about other cultures makes the world smaller and more connected."

Relationship-Building Activities

Other educators have found that Bitmojis can play a role in building relationships and making deeper connections with their students from afar.

Last spring, Angie Baton Ritenour, a fourth-grade teacher in Farmington, Michigan, collaborated with two grade-level colleagues to create an iSpy Bitmoji room, which they used during a video call to get students more engaged in remote learning. They filled the virtual room to the brim with objects, like photos of students and items from their classrooms. During the video call, students took turns saying "I spy with my little eye...," and their peers had to guess what object they had picked-helping students build connections with one another.

And Amanda Wells says she plans on having her eighth-grade students complete an All About Me Bitmoji assignment so she can get to know them better this fall. On a templated Google Slide, students will share their interests coupled with a drawing or photo, such as a drawing of them playing with their dog, and write two complete sentences explaining why they enjoy each activity.

While some educators argue that teachers should be spending their time on developing engaging lessons rather than creating superfluous Bitmoji resources, educators have proved that they can do both.

Laura Hoomes, a kindergarten teacher in Huntsville, Alabama, says she's spent more time planning this summer than in previous ones, having already created over 40 Bitmoji libraries to use next year. She's also created home learning kits, weekly at-home crafts, and 22 center games for each of her students-none of which are Bitmoji-to give students a range of activities to choose from.

"I have two young kids, so it's mostly what I can accomplish at night after they go to bed!" says Holmes. "I'm just trying to be ready for virtual kindergarten."

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Educators Turn to Bitmoji to Build Community and Engagement

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Both fun and practical, Bitmoji classrooms are adding some levity to fall planning this year.

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Blog Post

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Below is a collection of some great web tools you can use to create video lessons. As we have stated elsewhere, 'The nature of a video lesson differs according to the purpose for which it is created; it can be an explanatory video, a step by step tutorial, a review, a demo, a recorded video presentation and many more. Video lessons are ideal for flipped classroom and can be incorporated in almost any learning situation. The tools we have curated for you are simple and easy to use, no software installation is required. Check them out and share with us your feedback.

1- YouTube Video Editor

YouTube Video Editor embeds all the hacks you need to create stunning video lessons. You can use it to trim videos, add hyperlinks, add illustrative text, add audio tracks and several other multimedia materials. To be able to use YouTube Video Editor, you need to be logged in to your channel via your current Google account. Check out this guide to learn more about what you can do with YouTube Video Editor.

'Snagit gives you a simple way to create and edit screenshots or record videos to show a complex process, give detailed feedback, or share important information with the people who need it most...Capture an image or video of what you see on your computer screen. Record Skype calls or Google Hangouts with audio. Instead of traveling on site, capture meetings and interviews that you can watch and review later.'

This is another great tool to use to record a video of your screen. Camtasia has an advanced video editor that lets you create professionally looking videos: you can add animations, music, transitions, backgrounds,or even import your camera footage and turn it into an instruction video.

For those of you using Chromebook in their instruction, Explain Everything is an excellent tool to use to create video lessons. It offers you an interactive screen casting whiteboard to create slides, draw in any color, add text , audio files, images and videos to design stunning video tutorials.

Playpoist (former Educannon) is another wonderful tool to use to create video lessons. It allows you to add a wide variety of question types to your videos. Each of these questions will be time-linked to a specific moment in the video so students will stay engaged as the video progresses. You can 'add tables, images, audio clips, links, and even embed coded.'

'If you use videos in the classroom, EDpuzzle is a must have. Take any video from YouTube, Khan Academy, Learn Zillion, etc. make it perfect for your classroom and more engaging for your students. Make any video a true lesson by making it to the point, personal and effective, plus get all the data about your students so you know if they truly understand the lesson.'

'VideoAnt is a web-based video annotation tool for mobile and desktop devices. Use VideoAnt to add annotations, or comments, to web-hosted videos. VideoAnt-annotated videos are called "Ants".'

Screencast-O-Matic is a free and easy to use screen recording too. With one click you can start recording your screen and right from your browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and does not require any software installation.
First appeared here

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Some of The Best Tools for Creating Educational Video Lessons

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Below is a collection of some great web tools you can use to create video lessons. As we have stated elsewhere, 'The nature of a video lesson differs according to the purpose for which it is created; it can be an explanatory video, a step by step tutorial, a review, a demo, a recorded video presentation and many more.

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Active Learning while Physical Distancing

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Active Learning while Physical Distancing

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The Distance learning Playbook: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting, Grades K-12

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The Distance learning Playbook: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting, Grades K-12

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Preview of Introduction
By Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Hattie

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October 23rd, 2020 - Now Fully Virtual/Online (due to Covid-19 and Public Health Guidelines)
Leveraging Technology in BC Classrooms
Buy Tickets on Eventbrite
Join us for an amazing day of professional learning online for this October 23rd PSA day. Due to COVID-19, the BCTF, and Public Health Guidelines, this Conference is now FULLY ONLINE! We hope to make this conference available to as many educators as possible as it is very timely given the educational realm we find ourselves in today.

@trev_mackenzie
Call for Proposals - NOW OPEN Click here to submit your proposal to present at Blended Digital Ed 2020

- Instructional strategies
- Assessment strategies
- Leadership strategies for sustainable digital learning
- Universal student supports
- Digital tools and apps to facilitate learning in various learning environments
- Coding, Robotics, Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR)

Sessions will vary greatly from new apps and tools to strategies and teaching practices that will engage your learners in news ways. The program is geared towards all grade levels, and we encourage you to consider sharing your own practice with your colleagues by submitting a Session Proposal today!
A truly inclusive event - this one day professional development opportunity will have something for everyone in K-12 BC education: from the new and experimenting, to the full-time and confident users. Technology in the education realm has completely changed the experiences of both educators and students - it is now both our everyday normal, as well as the most powerful new tool on the planet. Educators will come together on the October 23 rd, 2020 PSA day, online, to share their experiences, tools, tricks, tips, and strategies on utilizing and implementing technology into our practice, classrooms, and schools.

Registration includes an engaging, and timely relevant keynote by Trevor MacKenzie, a variety of amazing sessions; one-year membership to the BCEDL PSA (optional add-on for non-BCTF members); access to community and sponsor vendors; door prizes...and so much more! We encourage you to consider sharing your own practice with colleagues by submitting a Session Proposal today (if your session is chosen, you will receive a free registration to the entire event)!
In partnership with the BCEDL, BCTF, BlendEdBC, Navigate NIDES, Comox Valley Schools, Canadian eLearning Network, and Canvas.
Partners:

Sponsors:

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Leveraging Technology in BC Classrooms Buy Tickets on Eventbrite Join us for an amazing day of professional learning online for this October 23rd PSA day. Due to COVID-19, the BCTF, and Public Health Guidelines, this Conference is now FULLY ONLINE!

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The Shift from Engaging Students to Empowering Learners

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The Shift from Engaging Students to Empowering Learners

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The Shift from Engaging Students to Empowering Learners

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Empowering Students to Own the Assessment Process

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Empowering Students to Own the Assessment Process

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Video by John Spencer

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Empowering Students to Own the Assessment Process

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Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication Video

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Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication Video

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Teacher Reflects on Multimodal Teaching Philosophy

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Teacher Reflects on Multimodal Teaching Philosophy

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Video

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"Multimodality refers to a field of application rather than a theory" (Bezemer 180). After my overview of Semiotics, this is an important distinction. Multimodality, according to Jewitt, is NOT a theory, but rather a tool that can be applied within various theoretical contexts to aid in analysis (Bezemer 180). Jewitt's work focuses on multimodality as it is applied to literacy. There are two approaches in particular that she addresses in her work: social linguistic and social semiotic.

Before continuing, it is necessary to establish what exactly a mode is. Not surprisingly, social linguistics and social semiotics have different definitions, though they do share some similarities. Social linguistics considers a mode to be "an organizing principle of representation and communication" (Bezemer 183). However, much social linguistic research still considers speech and writing as "carrying the 'essence' of meanings, and that other simultaneously operating modes can merely expand, exemplify or modify these meanings" (Bezemer 181). On the other hand, modes in a social semiotic sense are "organized sets of semiotic resources for making meaning" which require a "shared cultural sense within a community" (Bezemer 184). In other words, a mode in social semiotics is only a mode if the community surrounding it uses it to create meaning in an organized fashion. Since semiotic resources are defined as sources through which participants interpret messages, I can conclude that social linguistics and social semiotics agree that modes are ways in which information is communicated. The graphic to the right demonstrates several modes of communication, and elements that can contribute to meaning making within those modes.

Furthermore, social semiotics makes three primary assumptions of modes:

1. Representation and communication always draw on multiple modes with each mode contributing meaning.

2. All modes were shaped by their cultural, historical, and social use to realize specific social functions.

3. Meaning made through any mode is always part of the meanings made with other modes that are present.

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"Multimodality refers to a field of application rather than a theory" (Bezemer 180). After my overview of Semiotics, this is an important distinction. Multimodality, according to Jewitt, is NOT a theory, but rather a tool that can be applied within various theoretical contexts to aid in analysis (Bezemer 180).

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What is the SAMR Model and what does it look like in schools?

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Digital Citizenship resource curated by ISTE

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Digital Citizenship resource curated by ISTE

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Teaching digital citizenship has never been more important. Prepare students to stay safe, solve problems, and become a force for good.

The DigCit Coalition, ISTE, and the Los Angeles Unified School District are hosting DigCit Connect - a virtual event on October 22. This free event will provide parents, educators and students with the tools they need to be creative, innovative and responsible members of the digital world. Join us to learn how you can kick-start the movement in your homes, classrooms, and beyond.

Explore the DigCitCommit Competencies

Digital citizenship is a critical skill for students of today and our leaders of tomorrow. These five competencies will shift the conversation from don'ts to do's.

Inclusive

I am open to hearing and respectfully recognizing multiple viewpoints and I engage with others online with respect and empathy.

Informed

I evaluate the accuracy, perspective, and validity of digital media and social posts.

Engaged

I use technology and digital channels for civic engagement, to solve problems and be a force for good in both physical and virtual communities.

Balanced

I make informed decisions about how to prioritize my time and activities online and off.

Alert

I am aware of my online actions, and know how to be safe and create safe spaces for others online.

Parents, educators and others with an interest in equipping students to thrive in digital environments can find an array of resources from our partners.

Do you lead a Digcit initiative within your state, district or organization? We'd love to learn more about the innovative work you're doing!

Contact Us

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The DigCit Coalition, ISTE, and the Los Angeles Unified School District are hosting DigCit Connect - a virtual event on October 22. This free event will provide parents, educators and students with the tools they need to be creative, innovative and responsible members of the digital world.

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CMEC's Pan-Canadian Global Competencies Video

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CMEC's Pan-Canadian Global Competencies Video

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Building on strong foundations of numeracy and literacy, global competencies at CMEC is a pan-Canadian effort to prepare students for a complex and unpredictable future with rapidly changing political, social, economic, technological, and ecological landscapes.

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CMEC Pan-Canadian Systems-Level Framework on Global Competencies

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CMEC Pan-Canadian Systems-Level Framework on Global Competencies

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Backgrounder Document (PDF)

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The ISTE Student Standards guide educators toward student-driven learning practices that prepare students to thrive in an evolving technological landscape.

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October 23rd, 2020 - Now Fully Virtual/Online (due to Covid-19 and Public Health Guidelines)
Leveraging Technology in BC Classrooms
Buy Tickets on Eventbrite
Join us for an amazing day of professional learning online for this October 23rd PSA day. Due to COVID-19, the BCTF, and Public Health Guidelines, this Conference is now FULLY ONLINE! We hope to make this conference available to as many educators as possible as it is very timely given the educational realm we find ourselves in today.

@trev_mackenzie
Call for Proposals - NOW OPEN Click here to submit your proposal to present at Blended Digital Ed 2020

- Instructional strategies
- Assessment strategies
- Leadership strategies for sustainable digital learning
- Universal student supports
- Digital tools and apps to facilitate learning in various learning environments
- Coding, Robotics, Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR)

Sessions will vary greatly from new apps and tools to strategies and teaching practices that will engage your learners in news ways. The program is geared towards all grade levels, and we encourage you to consider sharing your own practice with your colleagues by submitting a Session Proposal today!
A truly inclusive event - this one day professional development opportunity will have something for everyone in K-12 BC education: from the new and experimenting, to the full-time and confident users. Technology in the education realm has completely changed the experiences of both educators and students - it is now both our everyday normal, as well as the most powerful new tool on the planet. Educators will come together on the October 23 rd, 2020 PSA day, online, to share their experiences, tools, tricks, tips, and strategies on utilizing and implementing technology into our practice, classrooms, and schools.

Registration includes an engaging, and timely relevant keynote by Trevor MacKenzie, a variety of amazing sessions; one-year membership to the BCEDL PSA (optional add-on for non-BCTF members); access to community and sponsor vendors; door prizes...and so much more! We encourage you to consider sharing your own practice with colleagues by submitting a Session Proposal today (if your session is chosen, you will receive a free registration to the entire event)!
In partnership with the BCEDL, BCTF, BlendEdBC, Navigate NIDES, Comox Valley Schools, Canadian eLearning Network, and Canvas.
Partners:

Sponsors:

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Leveraging Technology in BC Classrooms Buy Tickets on Eventbrite Join us for an amazing day of professional learning online for this October 23rd PSA day. Due to COVID-19, the BCTF, and Public Health Guidelines, this Conference is now FULLY ONLINE!

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Free online course

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For the past three months, the COVID-19 crisis has caused massive disruptions in every corner of our society. Schools have been heavily impacted, some closing for the year, and others transitioning to Emergency Remote Learning.

As we close one school year and begin to plan for the next, we still do not know what that year will have in store for us. We may be back to school face-to-face with a new normal. We may be online. We may use some combination of these models at different points during the school year. The process of preparing for all of these possibilities can seem overwhelming.

Whether you have been teaching remotely for three months, or are just getting started -- Remote Learning at the beginning of the school year is going to be a new experience for all of us.

Over seven weeks, we will cover best practices, resources, and strategies to set your Remote Learning classroom up for success while providing you plenty of opportunities to brainstorm and share with colleagues. We will be providing specific focus throughout the course on supporting students with limited connectivity and for students with learning differences and other unique needs. These strategies will be focused beyond the COVID-19 crisis and will support you in bringing remote learning to your classroom whenever it is needed. At the end of the course, you will develop an action plan for your Remote Learning Classroom.

Course Objectives

Define Remote Learning: We will define what Remote Learning is and is not, how it is different from traditional "distance learning", and review the Instructional Design Principles for Remote Learning.

Establish Norms for Remote Learning: In this unit, we will discuss how to set up classroom procedures in a Remote Learning context, including sending and receiving content, maintaining connections with students.

Bring SEL to Remote Learning: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) focuses on helping learners understand and manage emotions, set goals, set and achieve goals, show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. In this unit, we will learn how to bring SEL practices to your Remote Learning classroom, and how to identify and address the social and emotional needs of your students.

Maintain Connections with Students and Families: In the time of COVID-19, many families and students are struggling with daily realities including managing working from home while teaching students, having to go to work while students have to remain home, food insecurity, family illness, or loss of income. This unit will cover strategies to support and maintain connections with families in uncertain times.

Select Digital Content: With all of the resources available on the Internet, selecting high-quality, appropriate content for all students can be a challenge. This unit will support locating, identifying, and vetting content to pick the best resources for your Remote Learning classroom.

Support Populations with Special Needs: This unit will address and provide strategies to support students with disabilities, learning differences, English Language Learners, and other students with unique academic and social-emotional needs.

Provide Feedback and Assessment: This unit will dive deep into providing high-quality feedback to students remotely through a variety of media. We'll also dig in to how to assess student learning and adapt instruction in new ways.

Learn More

As you engage in supporting your own professional development, there are many ways to demonstrate your learning and earn recognition through this course that can be applied towards continuing education units (CEUs) through your own local educational agency.

A certificate of completion for 10 hours of professional development (1.0 CEUs) will be provided to participants who: (1) verify upon completion of the course that they spent at least 10 hours participating in the course; (2) participate in the discussion forums (two per unit) by adding creating a posting with thoughtful content and providing a substantive response to at least one other participant's post (i.e., not just saying, "I agree"); (3) complete the surveys at the end of each unit.

You can submit the certificate to your local agency with a request for CEUs. Granting of CEUs will be subject to the policies and procedures of your state and local agency.

Certificates will be available in Unit 6 for download after the requirements are met. Participants have until September 1 to complete requirements to qualify for a certificate of completion.

Jaclyn B. Stevens is a Research Scholar with the Friday Institute's Professional Learning and Leadership Collaborative. In her work, she supports educators and leaders in adaptive student-centered approaches to provide concrete, quality, purposeful, reflective and on-the-ground personalized learning supported through technology to work towards equity for all learners. Her mantra is to adapt, not adopt - fostering digital initiatives to transform professional learning through changes in pedagogical shifts and meeting the needs of all learners to champion creativity and innovation. Thanks to Americorp, Jaclyn was able to make the shift from media designer to educator in 2005. She has taught middle school English Language Arts, high school digital media, and supported the creation of Warren New Tech High School in rural NC prior to joining the Friday Institute. Follow Jackie on Twitter @jaclynbstevens.

The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation is pleased to partner with the following organizations for this course:

Friday Institute Online Professional Learning Courses provide a scalable, accessible, and flexible approach that is aligned with the principles of effective professional learning. Our approach is grounded in authentic, active, and collaborative professional learning activities. The approach builds upon the following key design principles:

Self-directed learning, through personalizing your experience by identifying your own goals, selecting among a rich array of resources, and deciding whether, when, and how to engage in discussions and activities to further your own learning and meet your goals.

Peer-supported learning, through engaging in online discussions, reviewing your colleagues' projects, rating posted ideas, recommending resources, crowdsourcing lessons learned, and participating in twitter chats and other exchanges appropriate to the individual course.

Job-embedded learning, through the use of case studies, classroom and school related projects; developing action plans; and other activities that center your work on critical problems of practice and data-informed decision-making in your own classrooms, schools or districts.

Multiple voices, through learning about the perspectives of other teachers and administrators along with those of students, researchers and experts in the field. Our courses are purposefully not designed around one or two experts who present online lectures. They provide exposure to a rich set of perspectives presented within the context of course elements that reflect these core principles.

You will see these design principles implemented in our courses through the following instructional elements:

Conceptual Frameworks

Resource Collections

Asynchronous Discussions and Twitter Chats

Student Scenarios

Expert Panels

Participant Projects and Peer Feedback

Crowd-sourcing

Professional Learning Community (PLC) Guides

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For the past three months, the COVID-19 crisis has caused massive disruptions in every corner of our society. Schools have been heavily impacted, some closing for the year, and others transitioning to Emergency Remote Learning. As we close one school year and begin to plan for the next, we still do not know what that year will have in store for us.

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Free or Low-Cost Resources for PD in Distance Learning

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Free or Low-Cost Resources for PD in Distance Learning

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List by Common Sense Education

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Get ready for blended or fully remote instruction with these flexible professional development options.

With so much uncertainty about the 2020-2021 school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, one fact remains: The skills and resources that reflective, dedicated teachers need to navigate remote, hybrid, and face-to-face learning environments are plentiful -- and ever evolving.

To help you find the professional development you want and need for the upcoming school year, we've put together a short list of free or low-cost PD opportunities. All the options here provide support for the shift to blended or fully remote instruction as well as for the many other challenges of teaching during the coronavirus pandemic. Most of these options are self-guided and offer flexibility for adult learners. We hope you find something that fits your needs and schedule!

Pick and choose

The following events and resources don't require a huge time commitment, offering choice, flexibility, and many one-off topics and sessions:

With sessions scheduled through September 6, the Global EdTech Academy is loaded with free one-off sessions on topics ranging from "What is the Hype with HyperDocs?" to "20 Ways to Engage Students Virtually." If you miss a session, you can catch up on the Global EdTech Academy YouTube channel. Master classes for deeper dives into technology applications and office hours with presenters are also available. This project is sponsored by Microsoft and CUE (Computer-Using Educators), an ISTE affiliate in California.

This roughly one-hour, interactive online training prepares educators to teach students the crucial skills and dispositions to be mindful and responsible online citizens. After all, addressing cyberbullying, analyzing news media, and understanding a digital footprint (among other topics) are all crucial components of functioning effectively in the digital world. You'll need to sign up for a free account with Common Sense Education to access the digital citizenship curriculum and other resources.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic and the challenges of distance learning, Common Sense Education is hosting a weekly webinar with educators from across the country. The webinars cover a range of topics and can be watched live or viewed later on the YouTube channel. Past topics include " Empowering Student Expression Online" and " Giving K-5 Learners a Voice and a Choice" during distance learning. You can get registration notifications and watch live by signing up for the Common Sense Education newsletter. Each archived video also has links to slides, documents, and relevant resources.

edWeb offers a range of professional learning, including a huge archive of more than 1,850 recorded webinars. Many summer webinar topics are directly related to teaching during the coronavirus pandemic, including "How to Mix STEM and Play with Hybrid Learning," "Using Focus Skills to Close COVID-19 Learning Gaps," and "Remote Learning for Early Learners with Autism." A bonus? If you need to earn PD hours, the platform and its programming is currently approved by the credentialing boards in nine states, and local districts that approve edWeb are usually supported by state-level agencies. Here's a map where you can verify eligibility to earn credit.

Find more high-quality and relevant webinars at the Share My Lesson site by the American Federation of Teachers. Webinar topics reflect the widespread adoption of remote or hybrid learning for the 2020-2021 school year, including "Hybrid Learning: Seven Strategies for a Successful and Flexible Year Ahead" and "Remote But Not Disconnected: Engaging Students Online via History, Civil Rights and Anti-Racism." You can register to attend webinars live or view them on demand for up to a year after they air. Share My Lesson provides a certificate of completion for each webinar you attend, which can be used to earn one PD hour per webinar if your district and/or state approves it.

Teaching Channel has an unparalleled collection of more than 1,400 videos showing teachers in action across grade levels and content areas. Teachers who subscribe can access downloadable resources as well as PD Express mini courses including "Moving Your Instruction Online" and "Family Partnerships," which take less than two hours to complete.

Deeper dives

The following PD opportunities require a potentially greater time commitment -- but might have a greater payoff!

KQED Media Academy (free, register for summer session by July 27)

Even without the pandemic and its demands related to screen time and critical thinking, digital media literacy skills are increasingly important in a world flooded by information and multimedia. KQED's academy offers four courses, three of which focus on media production. But the upcoming, instructor-led summer session is " Analyzing and Evaluating Media for the Classroom." The other three courses are open for registration and will take place during the fall and winter. The time commitment for the course is 20 hours.

Organized and administered by North Carolina State University's College of Education, the Friday Institute offers numerous choices for MOOC-Eds: Massive Open Online Courses for Educators. Check out " Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for Educators" or " Teaching Remotely: A Practical Guide." The MOOCs are self-directed and offer videos, activities, digital forums, and other resources. Past participants estimate the courses take roughly three hours a week.
How to DIY Your Distance Learning PD

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Free or Low-Cost Resources for PD in Distance Learning | Common Sense Education

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With so much uncertainty about the 2020-2021 school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, one fact remains: The skills and resources that reflective, dedicated teachers need to navigate remote, hybrid, and face-to-face learning environments are plentiful -- and ever evolving.

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For a full overview on blended learning basics and models, visit the Blended Learning Universe, an online hub curated by the Christensen Institute.

The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns:

1. at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;

2. at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;

3. and the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

The majority of blended-learning programs resemble one of four models: Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual. The Rotation model includes four sub-models: Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Flipped Classroom, and Individual Rotation.

1. Rotation model - a course or subject in which students rotate on a ﬁxed schedule or at the teacher's discretion between learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. Other modalities might include activities such as small-group or full-class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil-and-paper assignments. The students learn mostly on the brick-and-mortar campus, except for any homework assignments.

a. Station Rotation - a course or subject in which students experience the Rotation model within a contained classroom or group of classrooms. The Station Rotation model differs from the Individual Rotation model because students rotate through all of the stations, not only those on their custom schedules.

b. Lab Rotation - a course or subject in which students rotate to a computer lab for the online-learning station.

c. Flipped Classroom - a course or subject in which students participate in online learning off-site in place of traditional homework and then attend the brick-and-mortar school for face-to-face, teacher-guided practice or projects. The primary delivery of content and instruction is online, which differentiates a Flipped Classroom from students who are merely doing homework practice online at night.

d. Individual Rotation - a course or subject in which each student has anindividualized playlist and does not necessarily rotate to each available station or modality. An algorithm or teacher(s) sets individual student schedules.

2. Flex model - a course or subject in which online learning is the backbone of student learning, even if it directs students to offline activities at times. Students move on an individually customized, ﬂuid schedule among learning modalities. The teacher of record is on-site, and students learn mostly on the brick-and-mortar campus, except for any homework assignments. The teacher of record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring. Some implementations have substantial face-to-face support, whereas others have minimal support. For example, some Flex models may have face-to-face certified teachers who supplement the online learning on a daily basis, whereas others may provide little face-to-face enrichment. Still others may have different staffing combinations. These variations are useful modifiers to describe a particular Flex model.

3. A La Carte model - a course that a student takes entirely online to accompany other experiences that the student is having at a brick-and-mortar school or learning center. The teacher of record for the A La Carte course is the online teacher. Students may take the A La Carte course either on the brick-and-mortar campus or oﬀ-site. This differs from full-time online learning because it is not a whole-school experience. Students take some courses A La Carte and others face-to-face at a brick-and-mortar campus.

4. Enriched Virtual model - a course or subject in which students have required face-to-face learning sessions with their teacher of record and then are free to complete their remaining coursework remote from the face-to-face teacher. Online learning is the backbone of student learning when the students are located remotely. The same person generally serves as both the online and face-to-face teacher. Many Enriched Virtual programs began as full-time online schools and then developed blended programs to provide students with brick-and-mortar school experiences. The Enriched Virtual model differs from the Flipped Classroom because in Enriched Virtual programs, students seldom meet face-to-face with their teachers every weekday. It differs from a fully online course because face-to-face learning sessions are more than optional office hours or social events; they are required.

Source: Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2014).

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Blended Learning Definitions - Christensen Institute

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For a full overview on blended learning basics and models, visit the Blended Learning Universe, an online hub curated by the Christensen Institute. The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns: at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or [...]

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Introduction to blended learning | Khan Academy

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Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more. Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

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Guide that goes along with the Blended Learning Practice MOOC.

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The Guide to Blended Learning is an introduction using technology and distance education teaching strategies with traditional, face-to-face classroom activities. This Guide has been designed to assist teachers adopt blended learning strategies through a step-by-step approach taking constructivist and design-based approach and reflecting on decisions taken to provide authentic learning experience in their own contexts.

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MOOC and Guide to Blending Learning

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The intermediate-level Blended Learning Practice massive open online course (MOOC) is an introduction to blending technology and distance education teaching strategies with traditional, in-person classroom activities. This free, 4-week course provided by the Commonwealth of Learning in partnership with Athabasca University is open to teachers and other educational professionals considering implementing blended learning practice into their own classrooms or programs.

Schedule

16 January to 12 February 2022 (4 weeks)

Registration

Registration is now closed

Intended audience

Higher education, K-12, and vocational teachers and other educational professionals from the Commonwealth and around the world

Expected workload

5 hours per week (20 hours total)

Challenge level

Intermediate

Certification

Certificates of Participation and Completion available (at no charge)

THE GUIDE TO BLENDED LEARNING

BLP MOOC will also introduce you to the Guide to Blended Learning, a free, open access guidebook authored by the course instructors and published by the Commonwealth of Learning. The Guidebook covers the full range of considerations for implementing blended learning, from initial conceptual and planning concerns, through the development and structuring of learning activities, and evaluation of blended courses and programs. The Guidebook provides the foundation for this course.

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blended learning practice mooc athabasca university commonwealth of learning

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The intermediate-level Blended Learning Practice massive open online course (MOOC) is an introduction to blending technology and distance education teaching strategies with traditional, in-person classroom activities.

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Self-paced Online Course

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(K-12) BL-101: Beginning to Blend - Canvas Network | Free online courses | MOOCs

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The Canvas Network offers free online courses and classes from the world's leading universities. Find a MOOC and enroll now to get started on your new journey!

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12 Of The Most Common Types Of Blended Learning

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12 Of The Most Common Types Of Blended Learning

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by TeachThought Staff

Blended Learning is not so much an innovation as it is a natural by-product of the digital domain creeping into physical spaces.

Broadly speaking, blended learning just means a mix of learning online and face-to-face, which means it's likely your students are already doing some form of blended learning and have for years. As digital and social media become more and more prevalent in the life of learners, it was only a matter of time before learning became 'blended' by necessity.

Finding The Model That Works For Your School, Classroom, And Students

In The Definition Of Blended Learning, we offered that 'blended learning is a model that combines online and face-to-face learning spaces and experiences.' Below, we identify and describe 12 different types of blended learning.

Obviously, there aren't just 12. It could be argued that there are thousands of types of blended learning varying by content, scale, technology, learning spaces, etc.

The purpose of this post is to A) Explain the most commonly referred to types of blended learning as most educators know them and B) Help you think more about blended learning as a flexible concept that ideally empowers both teachers and students to improve learning outcomes so that you can C) Identify and adapt a blended learning model that's right for your school, classroom, and students.

6 Types Of Blended Learning You've Probably Heard Of

1. Station Rotation Blended Learning

Station-Rotation blended learning is a: "...model (that) allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule, where at least one of the stations is an online learning station. This model is most common in elementary schools because teachers are already familiar with rotating in centers and stations.
Similar to: Lab Rotation Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: the fixed schedule that guides the 'blending'

2. Lab Rotation Blended Learning

'The Lab Rotation' model of blended learning, similar to "Station Rotation,' works by "allow(ing) students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule...in a dedicated computer lab allow(ing) for flexible scheduling arrangements with teachers...enabl(ing) schools to make use of existing computer labs."
Similar to: Station Rotation Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: the use school computer labs in new ways

3. Remote Blended Learning (also referred to as Enriched Virtual)

In Enriched Virtual blended learning, the student's focus is on completing online coursework while only meeting with the teacher intermittently/as-needed.

This approach differs from the Flipped Classroom model in the balance of online to face-to-face instructional time. In an Enriched Virtual blended learning model, students wouldn't see/work with/learning from a teacher on a daily basis face-to-face but would in a 'flipped' setting.
Similar to: A mix of Self-Directed, Flex Blended Learning, Flipped Classroom
Primarily characterized by: students completely coursework remotely and independently.

4. Flex Blended Learning

The 'Flex' is included in types of Blended Learning and its model is one in which... "a course or subject in which online learning is the backbone of student learning, even if it directs students to offline activities at times. Students move on an individually customized, ﬂuid schedule among learning modalities. The teacher of record is on-site, and students learn mostly on the brick-and-mortar campus, except for any homework assignments. The teacher of record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring."
Similar to: Remote blended learning, Inside-Out Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: its versatility to meet the needs of a variety of formal and informal learning processes (schools, organizations, homeschooling, etc.)

5. The 'Flipped Classroom' Blended Learning

Perhaps the most widely known version of blended learning, a 'Flipped Classroom' is one where students are introduced to content at home, and practice working through it at school supported by a teacher and/or peers. In this way, traditional roles for each space are 'flipped.'
Similar to: Remote Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: the retention of traditional learning forms in new contexts (i.e., studying at school and learning at home)

6. Individual Rotation Blended Learning

The Individual Rotation model allows students to rotate through stations, but on individual schedules set by a teacher or software algorithm. Unlike other rotation models, students do not necessarily rotate to every station; they rotate only to the activities scheduled on their playlists."
Similar to: Mastery-Based Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: the personalization of student learning as determined by individual schedules that have the chance to better meet the needs of each student

6 Types Of Blended Learning You Probably Haven't Heard Of

7. Project-Based Blended Learning

Blended Project-Based Learning is a model in which the student uses both online learning-either in the form of courses or self-directed access-and face-to-face instruction and collaboration to design, iterate, and publish project-based learning assignments, products, and related artifacts.
Similar to: Self-Directed Blended Learning, Outside-In Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: the use of online resources to support project-based learning

8. Self-Directed Blended Learning

In Self-Directed blended learning, students use a combination of online and face-to-face learning to guide their own personalized inquiry, achieve formal learning goals, connect with mentors physically and digitally, etc. As the learning is self-directed, the roles of 'online learning' and physical teachers change, and there are no formal online courses to complete.

In Self-Directed blended learning, one challenge for teachers is to be able to judge the and (somehow) success of the learning experience without de-authenticating it.

For students, the challenge is to seek out models of products, processes, and potential that can provide the kind of spark that can sustain learning while being self-aware enough to know what's working and why, and to make adjustments accordingly. Some students need very little to soar, while others need support through very clear pathways that they can guide themselves through with autonomy and self-criticism.
Similar to: Inside-Out Blending Learning, Project-Based Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: the exchange of traditional academic work for student-centered inquiry

9. Inside-Out Blended Learning

In Inside-Out blended learning, experiences are planned to 'finish' or 'end up' beyond the physical classroom, but still require and benefit from the unique advantages of both physical and digital spaces.

In both the Outside-In and Inside-Out models, the nature of the 'online learning' is less critical than the focus on platforms, spaces, people, and opportunity beyond the school walls. (The 'online' components could be self-directed inquiry and/or formal eLearning courses and curriculum.)

Because the learning pattern is 'outward,' Project-Based blended learning is an excellent example of the Inside-Out learning model.

As with Outside-In blended learning, there is a need for expert guidance, learning feedback, content teaching, and psychological and moral support from face-to-face interactions on a daily basis.

Well-designed, each of the three 'areas' plays to its strengths and complements the other two.
Similar to: Outside-In blended learning, Blended Project-Based Learning
Primarily characterized by: student movement between digital and physical spaces

10. Outside-In Blended Learning

In Outside-In blended learning, experiences are planned to 'start' in the non-academic physical and digital environments students use on a daily basis, but finish inside a classroom.

This could mean traditional letter grades and assessment forms, or less traditional teaching and learning that simply uses the classroom as a 'closed-circuit' publishing 'platform'-a safe space to share, be creative, collaborate, and give and receive feedback that grows student work.

Well-designed, each of the three 'areas' plays to its strengths and complements the other two. While the pattern is Outside-In, unlike Remote blended learning there is still a need for guidance, teaching, and support from face-to-face interactions on a daily basis.
Similar to: Inside-Out Blended Learning
Primarily characterized by: student movement between digital and physical spaces; the potential authenticity of student work

11. Supplemental Blended Learning

In this model, students complete either entirely online work to supplement their day-to-day face-to-face learning, or entirely face-to-face learning experiences to supplement the learning gained in online courses and activities.

The big idea here is supplementing -critical learning objectives are met entirely in one space while the 'opposite' space provides the student with specific supplementing experiences that the other did not or could not provide.

12. Mastery-Based Blended Learning

Students rotate between online and face-to-face learning (activities, assessments, projects, etc.) based on the completion of mastery-based learning objectives.

Assessment design is crucial in any mastery-based learning experience; the ability to use face-to-face and digital assessment tools is either powerful or 'complicated' depending on the mindset of the learning designer.
*Sources include TeachThought, the Christensen Institute and blendedlearning.org

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12 Of The Most Common Types Of Blended Learning

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From Station Rotation and Mastery-Based Learning to the Flipped Classroom, let's take a look at the most common types of Blended Learning.

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9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face

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9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face

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Sponsored by PowerSchool and ISTE U

It's a pretty safe bet that most teachers will be doing some form of online teaching in the coming year. Maybe you'll do it full-time, maybe it will be some kind of hybrid model, but one thing is for sure: This time around you won't be dropped into it without warning.

So with this chance to take a breath and do more thoughtful, intentional planning, the next question is What do we do differently? What shifts do we need to make in our face-to-face teaching practices to make the most of online learning?

To find out, I sought the help of Melanie Kitchen, a Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Staff Development serving 19 school districts in Western New York state. Melanie has years of experience working with teachers on developing blended learning and has now shifted to helping teachers develop best practices for remote learning.

Melanie Kitchen

I asked Melanie to share some ways online teaching should be different from face-to-face teaching. She came up with nine: three that are specific to community building and communication, and six that focus on instructional design. Along with these differences, she also shared a few things that should stay exactly the same.

Community Building & Communication

1. The first weeks of school should be devoted to community building and digital competency.

Resist the temptation to dive right into curriculum at the start of the school year. Things will go more smoothly if you devote the early weeks to building community so students feel connected. Social emotional skills can be woven in during this time. On top of that, students need practice with whatever digital tools you'll be using. So focus your lessons on those things, intertwining the two when possible.

"If you are explicitly teaching persistence," Kitchen says, "maybe I'm going to give you a challenge that's not content-related, but something that you might have to kind of grapple with. But when I assign that, if I'm using Google Classroom, then I'm going to assign that through Google Classroom and teach you how you're going to open an assignment, how you're going to submit it, how you'll be receiving feedback. So you are teaching these skills all at once, and it's not something separate or extra. It's just all done together."

Other good resources that can guide and inform the conversations you have in these early weeks are:

2. Communication with parents needs to be more thorough, streamlined, and predictable.

Parents are also adjusting to this new way of doing school. Because they are sometimes expected to play an even more prominent role in supporting student learning, they need more support from you. "We really need parents to be our partners in this learning community," Kitchen says.

Here are some guidelines:

Establish a consistent location and predictable schedule for sharing information. When parents know where and when to look for information from you, they'll do a better job of keeping up with it and following through on their end. Weekly updates are a good way to keep everyone informed about what's going on in your class. And rather than toggling around between emails, text alerts, blog posts, website announcements, and newsletters, choose one platform for outgoing information and stick to it; if your whole school can do the same you'll see even better results.

Set clear expectations and boundaries for communication. When can students and parents expect to hear from you? How and when can they get in touch with you when needed? If you don't set boundaries you'll end up feeling like you have to be available 24/7, which will quickly lead to burnout. Establish regular office hours and advertise them in an easy-to-find place so parents know when you'll be most accessible.

Create a backup plan for off-hours and tech support. If parents or students need help outside of your regular office hours or they need help with technology, who can they contact? Make this information clearly available.

Make communication multimodal. Although it's important to consistently post through one platform, it's also helpful to provide the information in more than one mode. For example, you might offer written announcements and record the same announcements in a short video each week so students and parents can choose the format that works best for them.

Provide parent tech training. Parents will be better able to support students if they understand how to use the technology, so provide them with tutorials on the tech you use, including whatever platform you use to disseminate information.

3. Community and connection need to be a priority for teachers, too.

"Teachers need to connect with each other now more than ever," Kitchen says. Your school leadership should be building in regular opportunities for you to stay connected to your colleagues during this time. If they are not, create those opportunities for yourself.

Staff meetings should still be held regularly-even if it's through a videoconferencing platform-to keep staff connected.

During these meetings, some time and attention should be given to teacher well-being and emotional health.

Smaller groups like teaching teams or content-area PLCs can offer even more support.

If you're not getting the support you need, seek it out through platforms like Twitter.

This article offers a more in-depth look at teacher well-being: How to Support Teachers' Emotional Needs Right Now.

Instructional Design

4. Teacher collaboration is even more important.

Meeting the challenges of online learning gets easier when we work together. "As we're all trying to get to know these students better," Kitchen says, "we need to be working together to do that." That means working more closely with specialists to make sure our lessons and materials meet the needs of all students, partnering with others in our content area to plan instruction, working together on cross-curricular projects, and dividing up the things all students need (like technology instruction) among teachers on a team or grade level so students aren't doing the same lessons over and over and our work isn't duplicated.

Fortunately, collaborating online can be even easier than trying to do it when we all teach in the same physical building. "This virtual environment has provided us the opportunity to break down those walls, to break down those silos," Kitchen says. "Our schedules and time constraints that we may have had before will come down. We may have more opportunity to partner with people that we didn't have the time or the space to be able to do that before."

5. "Face-to-face" time should be used for active learning.

Online instruction is made up largely of asynchronous instruction, which students can access at any time. This is ideal, because requiring attendance for synchronous instruction puts some students at an immediate disadvantage if they don't have the same access to technology, reliable internet, or a flexible home schedule.

But you're likely to offer "face-to-face" or synchronous opportunities at some point, and one way to make them happen more easily is to have students meet in small groups. While it's nearly impossible to arrange for 30 students to attend a meeting at once, assigning four students to meet is much more manageable. Kitchen likes "campfire groups," which are permanent groups of about four that stay together for long periods of time. This arrangement allows students to get to know each other better and establish more trust. Students might be rearranged for other activities to provide some variety, but the campfire groups would provide a stable base throughout the school term.

So what kind of instructional activities should be used for these different formats?

What works best, Kitchen says, is to keep direct instruction-things like brief video lectures and readings-in asynchronous form, using checks for understanding like embedded questions or exit slips.

You can then use synchronous meetings for more interactive, engaging work. "If we want students showing up, if we want them to know that this is worth their time," Kitchen explains, "it really needs to be something active and engaging for them. Any time they can work with the material, categorize it, organize it, share further thoughts on it, have a discussion, all of those are great things to do in small groups."

Small group strategies she strongly recommends:

6. Content needs to be simplified and slowed down.

Online instruction is not conducive to covering large amounts of content, so you have to choose wisely, teaching the most important things at a slower pace. To make those choices, Kitchen recommends asking some key questions:

What really holds leverage for the students? What has endurance? What knowledge is essential?

What knowledge and skills do students need to have before they move to the next grade level or the next class?

What practices can be emphasized that transfer across many content areas? Skills like analyzing, constructing arguments, building a strong knowledge base through texts, and speaking can all be taught through many different subjects.

What tools can serve multiple purposes? Teaching students to use something like Padlet gives them opportunities to use audio, drawing, writing, and video. Non-digital tools can also work: Students can use things they find around the house, like toilet paper rolls, to fulfill other assignments, and then submit their work with a photo.

7. Instructions should be easy to find, explicit, and multimodal.

Because you are not in the same room with students, your instructions have to work a lot harder than they do in a brick-and-mortar setting.

Provide instructions in a consistent location and at a consistent time. This advice was already given for parents, but it's worth repeating here through the lens of instructional design: Set up lessons so that students know where to find instructions every time.

Make instructions explicit. Read and re-read to make sure these are as clear as possible. Make dogfooding your lessons a regular practice to root out problem areas.

Offer multimodal instructions. If possible, provide both written and video instructions for assignments, so students can choose the format that works best for them. You might also offer a synchronous weekly or daily meeting; what's great about doing these online is that even if you teach several sections of the same class per day, students are no longer restricted to class times and can attend whatever meeting works best for them.

8. Traditional grading practices should take a backseat to feedback.

"We saw a transition during emergency remote teaching where each of us had different requirements about grades or no grades, pass and fail," Kitchen says. "This whole environment really needs to be supported by communication and connection. If I'm to receive an A or a 95 or a 65, that doesn't necessarily tell me as much as verbal feedback or print feedback to what I'm doing right, what I can improve on."

So when teaching remotely, put the emphasis on formative feedback as students work through assignments and tasks, rather than simply grading them at the end.

Most learning management platforms, like Google Classroom, have built-in features for giving feedback. Use these as your primary method.

Tools like Floop offer other ways to provide on-the-spot feedback and can be especially good for math.

Feedback should be frequent and specific. Consider some of the methods shared by Matthew Johnson in Flash Feedback.

Provide a pathway for students and parents to give YOU feedback on assignments as well.

9. Summative assessment should focus on creation.

In online learning, Kitchen says, "There are so many ways that students can cheat, so if we're giving them just the traditional quiz or test, it's really easy for them to be able to just look up that information."

A great solution to this problem is to have students create things. These can be videos, podcasts, digital or physical art, writing pieces, comics, and so on. "It's a lot more difficult to cheat when you have to make something or do something. And it also integrates all of the areas and it builds up, all of that learning builds up into this creation that they will do."

For assessment, use a detailed rubric that highlights the learning goals the end product will demonstrate. A single-point rubric works well for this.

To help students discover tools to work with, this list of tools is organized by the type of product each one creates. Another great source of ideas is the Teacher's Guide to Tech.

When developing the assignment, rather than focusing on the end product, start by getting clear on what you want students to DO with that product. This list from Bill Ferriter explores the difference:

Image Credit: Bill Ferriter (CC BY-NC-ND)

What Stays the Same

Not everything in online teaching is different. Some aspects of good teaching should definitely stay the same.

Clear and consistent communication

Creating explicit and consistent rituals and routines

Using research-based instructional strategies

Determining whether to use digital or non-digital tools for an assignment

A focus on authentic learning, where authentic products are created and students have voice and choice in assignments

The teaching environment may not be the same as we're used to, but it's important to remember that good teaching is still good teaching. "All of those things that we know are really good practices can still be done virtually," Kitchen says. "It just might look a little bit different."

You can find Melanie on her website, creativecuriosity.org, or on Twitter at @MelKitchenEDU.

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9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face

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What shifts do we need to make in our face-to-face teaching practices to make the most of online learning? What can stay exactly the same?

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Sponsored by Pear Deck and Participate

As a middle school English teacher, I incorporated plenty of group work into my instruction. I did it for a number of reasons. Sometimes it was because a task seemed like a natural fit for cooperative learning, like days when I wanted students to brainstorm ideas together. Other times it was just to mix things up and do something different. And then there was the "fewer grades" principle: If I had 120 students and I gave an assignment to groups of four, that meant I would only have to grade 30 final products, rather than 120.

It didn't always go well, though.

Student contributions were uneven. Some groups were better at staying on task than others. A lot of time got wasted. Personalities conflicted. Absences created logistical headaches. Not only did I observe these problems as a teacher, I had also experienced them plenty of times as a participant in group projects. I was the classic "just let me do it all" person: Sensing early on in most situations that other group members weren't going to add much value, I ended up taking on most of the work myself.

Despite it all, I never quite gave up on cooperative learning as a teacher. Not only did I believe in its inherent value-that as humans, we need regular practice in working together on things-but I knew that research said it was a good thing. At least, I was pretty sure it did.

As I talk with teachers about this, I'm finding that my experiences have been fairly typical: Many of us want to use cooperative learning in our classrooms, but we wish we could get it to work better. So I went in search of answers by taking a look at the research and asking for help in this tweet and this one.

And now I have the answers to two questions.

First, Is cooperative learning worth it? What does the research say? Beyond academic research, are there philosophical, "human" reasons we should keep taking it on?

Second, How do we solve some of the most common problems with cooperative learning? After seeking input from scores of teachers and mining my own experiences, I've settled on a list of four of the most pressing issues with cooperative learning. For each one, I'll share some of the most effective solutions coming from practicing classroom teachers and organizations that have developed formal systems for collaborative work.

Let's begin.

Is Cooperative Learning Worth It?

If most of the cooperative learning we implement only gives us lukewarm results, it makes sense to ask if we should even bother. Why not just have students work alone all the time?

What the Research Says

I'm going to keep this brief: Rather than dig through piles of studies on cooperative learning, I found one big overview of decades of research that has been done on the subject (Gillies, 2016).

Here's the big takeaway: In general, when students work together, they make greater academic and social gains than when they compete against one another or when they work individually. But merely putting students into groups is not enough to realize these gains. To be effective, cooperative work needs to be structured so that it embodies five key components:

positive interdependence: Group members must work together to achieve a common goal.

individual accountability: Each member is responsible for doing his or her part.

promotive interaction: Group members help, support, and encourage each other.

effective interpersonal skills: Students are taught how to communicate, solve problems, and resolve conflict effectively.

group processing: Groups are given time to reflect on how well their group functioned and to make plans for improvement.

Beyond Research: Why Cooperative Learning Matters in the 21st Century

Apart from the academic and social gains cooperative learning has offered for generations, we now find ourselves in an era where it may be more essential than ever before.

For one thing, it gives students practice in the kind of skills that are becoming more desirable in the workplace. P21's Framework for 21st Century Learning includes collaboration as one of its essential skills. As manufacturing is automated and information can be obtained with a few clicks, higher-level skills like communication, creativity, and collaboration are more valued-these are skills computers can't really replicate. The work of human beings is going to involve more and more of those kinds of skills in professional spaces, higher education, and community life.

On a deeper level, we need cooperative learning because technology is really starting to limit our face-to-face communication. Even when we're in school together, we are on devices so much of the time. This can be wonderful and efficient, and it offers so many more opportunities to expose ourselves to new ideas, but it is stunting our ability to have regular conversations and robbing us of all the gifts that come with those interactions. Giving students regular opportunities to share physical space and actually talk through complex problems is a gift they may not get anywhere else, so yes, it's worth it.

Four Common Problems with Cooperative Learning

Problem 1: Student contributions are uneven; sometimes vastly uneven.

It came as no surprise to me that this was the most frequently mentioned drawback teachers experience with cooperative learning. This problem shows up in different ways: The academically strong students end up doing all the work, while others slack off or give up because they can't find a way in. Or maybe students contribute an equal amount, but they don't actually work together; instead, they just divide up the work, then copy off each other's papers.

Unfortunately, many teachers assume this problem is caused by students not wanting to work together, but I think it often comes down to two larger issues: First, students haven't been taught collaborative skills. And second, the task has not been structured for true collaboration.

Solving this problem is not simple or one-dimensional. It will most likely require several different approaches: explicitly teaching collaborative skills, using some type of structure so that roles and procedures are more clearly defined, and setting norms and expectations ahead of time.

Explicitly teach collaborative skills.
If students are going to do good collaborative work, they need to be explicitly taught collaborative skills.

Teach these skills in the same way that you'd teach academic material. Do role-plays, model the behavior you want to see, do demonstrations of what not to do. If needed, re-teach the skills throughout the year. Do not assume students have already been taught how to collaborate or that they should know better. Chances are very good that neither of these are true.

Train students on collaborative skills by working on shorter, easier projects at first, then have students reflect on how well they collaborated. Only have them tackle a bigger project after they have mastered the collaboration skills.

If you're going to teach collaborative skills, you need to identify what the skills are. One great set of resources comes from PBLWorks, where you can download rubrics for assessing collaborative work. Whether you use the rubrics to actually perform assessment or not, they can help you identify the skills needed for effective collaboration.

Use cooperative structures.
In my own classroom, I rarely did anything to actually structure group work. I was barely aware that formal structures existed for this type of thing. Since then I have learned that quite a few of these have been developed to provide a framework for collaborative tasks. To implement most of these well, some training or professional development will likely be necessary. Some of the structures that were recommended by teachers are listed here:

Team-Based Learning
Learn More
Popular in medical schools but applicable for K-12, this method groups students into heterogeneous teams that stay the same over the course of a whole semester. It includes steps that ensure each team member has prepared ahead of group work with pre-reading and other tasks, and has built-in structures for individual accountability. Team-Based Learning seems to be most appropriate for courses where students are expected to demonstrate learning of and think critically about a large body of content.

Agile Project Management
Learn More
This approach to managing large, complex projects comes from the world of software development. It breaks large projects into shorter cycles, where parts of the project are developed and then assessed for quality so the team can make changes as they go. Two of Agile's most well-known formats are Kanban and Scrum, which is now available in a version made specifically for schools called eduScrum. Agile seems most appropriate for project-driven courses, where students need to come up with creative solutions to problems, rather than courses driven more by knowledge acquisition.

POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning)
Learn More
This structure is most often used in science courses, but can be done in other content areas as well. In assigned, self-managed teams, students are given specific roles to carry out as they work through an activity designed to deepen their understanding of the content. Just like with Team-Based Learning, this seems to be best suited for courses that are more content-driven than those that focus on individual creativity or skills.

Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures
Learn More
Dr. Spencer Kagan's work on cooperative learning has been a teacher go-to for decades, giving us structures like Quiz-Quiz-Trade and Numbered Heads Together. The company offers professional development and lots of other resources, but probably the best (and most affordable) place to start would be with their book, Kagan Cooperative Learning, which provides a full overview of the structures and how they work. These are appropriate for all content areas and grade levels, but the artwork of the site and book suggests they are geared more toward grades K-8.

Solve in Time
Learn More
This structure was created to help teams solve problems with a design thinking approach. Students work through steps of clearly defining a problem, researching and understanding it, coming up with a solution, then sharing it.

Jigsaw
Learn More
This strategy isn't necessarily designed for projects, but rather for having students learn a discrete body of information together. Each group member is tasked with learning a chunk of the material, then teaching it to the rest of the group.

Establish norms and expectations ahead of time.
Rather than solve problems only when they come up, many teachers have students create group contracts before starting work. Developed with input from all group members, contracts outline members' expectations and describe how students will respond when problems arise. These resources can help you get started with developing contracts:

Problem 2: Interpersonal conflicts interfere with productivity.

Sometimes students just can't get along well enough to work together. These conflicts sometimes exist prior to a group's formation; students may have a history with one another that has nothing to do with your class. Personal problems can also arise after group work starts, as students discover personality traits that create irritation or conflict.

These kinds of conflicts should not be treated lightly. When students don't feel socially or emotionally comfortable with other group members, they won't be willing to take the kinds of risks that are necessary for learning. In a 2-year study, Google interviewed hundreds of its employees to determine what qualities made some teams more successful than others. They identified 5 key traits, and the one they said was most important was psychological safety. Similarly, a 2017 University of Washington study reported that students who "felt more comfortable" in their group showed a 27% increase in content mastery over those who did not (Theobald, Eddy, Grunspan, Wiggins, & Crowe, 2017).

Here are some ways teachers have optimized interpersonal dynamics in groups:

Start with team-building. For teams that will stay together for more than a class period, it's worth it to delay the academic work at first and focus on building the team relationship. One way to do this is through team-building games and activities. The website Playmeo has lots of these you can try.

Survey students ahead of time. Before creating groups, have students complete a form indicating which classmates they would prefer to work with and if there are any they would rather not. Recognize that for some students, the reasons for not wanting to work together could run deep with painful memories; do not dismiss preferences as students "just wanting to work with their friends."

Survey students during group work. Some teachers have students complete daily reflection sheets where they indicate how well they felt their group worked together that day. These can help you detect problems early on so they can be addressed right away.

Work with students to problem-solve. In some cases, rearranging groups or allowing some students to work independently may be the most logical solution. But at other times, the teacher can work with students who struggle in groups to develop better social and collaborative skills.

Elementary teacher Erin Gannon used some of the above solutions with a student whose dominant personality and poor impulse control made others ask to not be grouped with her. Gannon worked with the student one on one to practice strategies for giving others more opportunity to lead. She also talked privately with the other group members.

"We ALL came up with a plan together for what would happen if she started to 'feel prickly,'" Gannon says. "(The student) wasn't perfect but they genuinely cheered her on when she had good days. It took a lot of work but I would have devoted the same attention to an academic need. She was an excellent student, very sweet, with great leadership abilities, but that trouble working with others could really have hurt her down the road. I think my other students really needed to better understand the situation and not just shun her. If students are working in teams there should be a sense that we are all responsible for each other's success. Empowering them to be part of the solution is pretty powerful."

Problem 3: Off-task behavior wastes time.

Whether it's excessive talking, inappropriate device use, or general fooling around, a lot of cooperative time can be wasted when students just aren't doing the work they're supposed to be doing. Here are some ways to tackle this problem:

Do check-ins. Establish specific tasks or benchmarks that groups need to complete and show you when they're done. Breaking the larger project into smaller tasks not only keeps everyone moving, it can also tell you which groups are starting to fall behind the others. These check-ins can be required for individuals or for whole groups. Some teachers assign points or grades for these to add extra incentive.

Use a timer. Several teachers said that setting a timer for the completion of certain tasks helped keep groups on track.

Look at the assignment. Students may have trouble focusing on the task because it doesn't really engage them. Maybe it's not personally meaningful to them, maybe it's too easy, maybe it's too confusing. Any of these shortcomings can make it much more difficult for students to stay on task, and no matter how many checks you put in place, if it's an uninspired or poorly designed assignment you'll be fighting an uphill battle.

Problem 4: Student absences can throw everything off.

Ideally, all group members will be present for the whole lifespan of a project. But things happen, and the longer the project, the more likely you are to have absent students. One missed day is usually not a big deal, but if a student misses multiple work days when the group should be actively collaborating, it becomes much harder for that person to make an equal contribution. Here are some ways teachers have found to work around this issue:
Plan ahead.

Design projects where some components require all group members' participation, but others are done by individuals and might even be considered "like to have" rather than "must have." That way if one person is unable to do their part, that part can just be dropped without impacting the whole project.

Make sure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined ahead of time for each student so that the "work" doesn't just get pushed around randomly. If a student is absent for a few days, it's clear what they need to do to catch up, and if they are unable to do it, the other group members can decide who takes on their tasks.

If students set goals together and include contingencies for absences in a group contract, then there will already be an agreed-upon plan to put into action.

Leverage technology.

Have students use a platform like a shared Google Drive or a HyperDoc for keeping all project materials in one cloud-accessible place. As long as the absentee has home internet access and is well enough to work, he or she can keep at it from home.

Some teachers allow groups to use Skype, Facetime, or Google Hangouts to video chat with the missing group member during regular class time.

If live video chat isn't an option, students could still document their meeting with video and share that with the absent student later.

Course correct.
If a student's absence lasts long enough to impact the group and the above solutions aren't working, the teacher may redistribute the workload among remaining members, remove the student from the group, and give that student an individual assignment to replace the group task. If you spell this out in the contract and/or rubric ahead of time, the process should be fairly straightforward.

A Few More Tips

Don't send work home. Because home environments vary so greatly and students have different access to materials, transportation, etc., it's best to keep all collaborative work in the classroom. Moreover, expecting students to meet outside of class time, especially if they are younger and don't have their own transportation, will automatically create problems within groups and from group to group.

Keep groups to 3-4 students. This seems to be the general consensus from expert readings to talking with individual teachers. Once a group gets larger than 4 it becomes easier for students to slip through the cracks.

Check out collaborative tech. While many schools are already using Google's collaborative tools, other tools have collaboration features that you may not be aware of. Some are built specifically for collaboration and project management, like Trello, Asana, Kanbanchi, and Slack. Other tools like Wakelet for curation and Canva for graphic design allow students to collaborate on projects from anywhere they have internet access.

The bottom line is this: If cooperative learning hasn't really worked for you in the past, don't lose hope. There are so many people out there who have come up with fantastic ways to get it right, so pick yourself and your students back up, try some of the stuff we've covered here, and see if you can make it better next time.

References:

Gillies, R. M. (2016). Cooperative learning: Review of research and practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3). Retrieved from https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2902&context=ajte

Theobald, E.J., Eddy, S.L., Grunspan, D.Z., Wiggins, B.L., & Crowe, A.J. (2017). Student perception of group dynamics predicts individual performance: Comfort and equity matter. PLOS One, 12(7): e0181336. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181336

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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Solutions for four of the most common problems with collaboration.

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Active Learning | Center for Educational Innovation

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Active learning is any approach to instruction in

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This module was developed by Karin Kirk, a freelance educational writer and geoscientist. "It seems as though self-regulated learning can make the difference between academic success and failure for many ...