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Blended Learning Models in NC Classrooms YouTube Playlist

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Blended Learning Models in NC Classrooms YouTube Playlist

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NC Rethink Education - Blended Learning in NC Classrooms

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Regional Virtual Instruction Consultants partnered with schools across NC to showcase how they are using the Rotation Model, Flex Model, and Lab Model with s…

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Playlists vs. Choice Boards: What is the difference? by Dr. Catlin Tucker

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Playlists vs. Choice Boards: What is the difference? by Dr. Catlin Tucker

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Playlists vs. Choice Boards: What is the difference? - Dr. Catlin Tucker

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This week, I received a comment to my blog asking: What do you feel is the biggest difference between playlists and choice boards? Would you say a playlist is more data-driven and a choice board gives more variety in learning modalities? These are great questions!

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8th Grade Social Studies - Horizontal Planning Example

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8th Grade Social Studies - Horizontal Planning Example

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8th grade Social Studies Module 9 - Lesson 5 Horizontal Planning

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5th Grade Science - Horizontal Planning Example

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5th Grade Science - Horizontal Planning Example

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5th grade Life Science Module - Lesson Horizontal Planning

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NC Check-ins 2.0 & Rethink Content Lessons

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NC Check-ins 2.0 & Rethink Content Lessons

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Available K-8 Content from Rethink Education

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The NC Remote Academy Resource Hub is a repository for all Remote Academy stakeholders. This hub is to provide space for remote academy stakeholders to explore resources that address the unique needs of remote academies and access resources that can assist in planning, instruction, and professional learning designed to support effective standard-based teaching and learning.

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Blended Learning: Building a Playlist - Dr. Catlin Tucker

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A playlist presents a strategy teachers can use to structure learning experiences that are more personalized to specific learners' needs.

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11 Choice Board Templates You Can Use Tomorrow in Your Classroom - dforlearning.com

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Explore 11 choice board templates you can use right away in your classroom to engage students, provide choice and differentiate instruction.

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Click on "Use Template" to get a copy you can begin using now!

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Horizontal Agenda Planning for Station Rotation

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Planning Document for Personalized Learning Playlist

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Planning Document for Personalized Learning Playlist

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Use this document to begin planning all of the elements you want/need in your personalized learning playlist. Then go find a template that you like!

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Blended Learning: Design a Mini-playlist that Allows Students to Control the Pace of Their Learning - Dr. Catlin Tucker

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After reading Catlin Tucker's blog post, 5 Strategies to Engage Learners Around Flipped Instruction, I was inspired to reflect on and revise a mini-unit I designed focusing on the short film Alike by Daniel Martinez Lara and Rafa Cano Méndez. This silent film sheds light on the subtle ways that creativity can be absent in [...]

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7 Big Ideas as You Shift Toward Online Teaching - John Spencer

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7 Big Ideas as You Shift Toward Online Teaching - John Spencer

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A few days ago, we found out that all of the schools here in Oregon will be off until the start of April. Many of the universities have asked professors to switch their courses from face-to-face to online. This is a move that school districts across the U.S. and throughout the world are making. Needless to say, these are unprecedented times.

As a K-12 teacher, I had extensive experience with blended and hybrid teaching. As a professor, I've helped professors pilot new online courses and transform their face-to-face courses to online courses. And yet, I was reticent about writing this article and creating the eBook and toolkit that accompany it.

Why?

Because I still have times when I mess up with online learning. I still have lessons that tank. I still have times when I haven't developed as tight of an online community as I would have hoped. I am constantly learning and evolving as I move through new iterations in distance learning. And yet, I also see value in sharing what I've learned along the way. With that in mind, I thought I would offer my perspective and share my free resources.

The bad news? You can't convert your course.

As an education professor, I had the opportunity to work as a Digital Fluency Mentor helping professors develop online, hybrid, and virtual courses. One of the most common questions people asked me was, "How do I convert my face-to-face course into an online course?"

The truth is, you can't convert it. Learning isn't like a file that converts between a .doc and a PDF and a Google Doc. We can't simply substitute new tools and do the same exact activity. In other words, that rich, spontaneous, Socratic Seminar simply won't work in a discussion board or through a video conferencing system. That amazing collaborative design challenge doesn't transfer easily when students move out of the makerspace and into their own homes.

See, the problem with the idea of converting instruction is that you only see the limitations. You take a great in-person activity and then you try to do your best to substitute it with digital tools. But this will always lead to a deficit.

The Mindset Shift: From Converting to Transforming

But what if we chose a different approach? What if we asked, "How do I transform my course?" rather than "How do I convert it?"
With transformation, you think about the creative and connective capacity of technology to design learning experiences that would have been inconceivable before.

This idea is at the heart of the SAMR Model. With the SAMR model, the first two layers focus on using technology to enhance the learning process while the next two layers focus on transforming the learning. The first level, Substitution, uses technology as a direct substitution for the learning task with no significant change. So, a student who types an essay on the computer merely swaps a pencil for a keyboard. With Augmentation, the technology acts as a substitution with some augmentation. So, that paper essay moves to a Google Doc, where students can not only type and edit but also comment on one another's work. With Modification, technology enables significant task redesign. So, that essay is now a blog post. Students engage in online research, work collaboratively on a shared document, and publishing to an authentic audience. It is no longer an essay for a teacher. Instead, it is an article crafted for the world. With Redefinition, the technology allows for tasks that were previously inconceivable. So, that same essay is now a multimedia package, with a blog post, a podcast, and a short video. The research, too, includes video conferences with experts.

Note that Redefinition isn't necessarily better. Sometimes you simply need to substitute or modify a task with technology. At the same time, we also want to avoid the trap of handing students digital worksheets and essentially shifting toward packet work.

Equity Matters

The following are ideas we need to consider ahead of time:

If you're reading this right now, there's a good chance your school is moving quickly from face-to-face to online instruction. With COVID-19, there are many classrooms doing a quick shift toward online instruction. You are likely a K12 educator but you might be a professor at a university where your school has suddenly shifted classes online without any warning.

It's easy to step into digital spaces and forget that they are not socially neutral. The systems that perpetuate injustice off-line exist online as well. With that in mind, I'd like to remind educators to remember the following:

1. Not everyone has the same access to technology. Not every student has the same device or the same internet connection. Not every student has the same access to a quiet workspace at home. Please work with key stakeholders to address the issue of equity of access.

2. Power dynamics exist online. Pay close attention to the role of gender and race in your online instruction. There's a tendency for people to assume a false social neutrality online but you need to address power dynamics. Please consider finding experts in culturally responsive pedagogy and ask them for a critique of your online materials so that you can find areas where you need to improve.

3. Be sure to provide linguistic support. Please remember that some of your students might not be native English speakers and they deserve access to sentence stems, visuals, front-loaded vocabulary and other accommodations that you provide in-person.

4. Embrace a Universal Access and Universal Design mindset. Re-read the IEPs and 504 plans to provide necessary accommodations. Lean in to the special education teachers and disability support staff to think through how you will make your instruction universally accessible. For example, you will need to check that closed captioning is available on all videos and that transcripts are available for podcasts. You might need to provide additional assistive support technology. Often, librarians and instructional designers will have key information for you in these areas.

Seven Big Ideas as You Shift Toward Distance Learning

The following are a few ideas to consider as you shift toward online / distance learning.

Big Idea #1: Students should be creating original content.

In education, we often use consumer language to describe instruction. How do you deliver the lesson? Did the students get it? And there is some truth to this. We need to engage in direct instruction. We often model a particular skill that students then copy. Other times, we help students attain knowledge by reading articles, watching videos, or listening to lectures.

This is especially common in online courses, where the predominant model is to consume content and then discuss the information afterward.

However, at some point, we want students to engage in meaningful projects. We want them to be problem-solvers and makers and designers. In other words, we want students to develop a maker mindset.

This is why, ultimately, they need to engage in creative work online. But what does this actually look like?

Blogging: Thematic blogs are blogs based on a student's interests, passions, and ideas. It could be a foodie blog, a sports blog, a fashion blog, a science blog, or a history blog. They choose the topic and the audience. It's a great way for students to practice writing in different genres (persuasive, functional, informational/expository, narrative) with specific blog topics they choose. They can also add multimedia components, like slideshows, pictures, videos, and audio.

Podcasting: With podcasts, students create audio recordings that they then share with an authentic audience. They can work individually, with partners, or in small groups. It can be more scripted or more open. If you want, you can have students edit the podcasts and add music by using Garage Band or Audacity. But you can also do a simple recording with smartphones.

Videos: Video creation is a little more complicated. They are often more time-consuming and sometimes require additional skills. However, if students are at home, they might just be willing to spend the additional time creating a video. A simple option for video creation is the annotated slideshow. Here, students create a slideshow and then record the audio as they move through it. They can do this on PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides.

Not sure where to start? One idea is a Wonder Day:
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You can also get the Wonder Day project as well as the blogging and podcasting resources when you download the eBook and toolkit at the bottom of this article.

Big Idea #2: Be sure to leverage the power of online collaboration.

We live in a world where there are countless online tools for communication and collaboration. We can send instant messages, edit on a shared Google Document, hop onto a video conference, and easily send files back and forth. And yet, when it comes to distance learning, teachers often craft tasks that are entirely independent and individual. To make the most out of online learning, we need to leverage digital tools for collaboration.

Synchronous:
Chats, including Gmail chat or Slack
Video chats, including any video conferencing software (Hangouts, Zoom, Skype)

Asynchronous:
Shared documents, such as Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Slides
Project management software, such Trello
Voice chats, including Voice Thread

Synchronous/Asynchronous Hybrids:
Walkie Talkie apps, such as Voxer

Note that you need to know ahead of time which tools are COPPA and CIPA compliant. You need to check in with your district about your local policies. However, you should find a few key areas where you can have students work collaboratively even if they aren't in the same physical space.
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For online collaboration, you might try a small mini-project, where students engage in shared research and then come together to make something new (think the previously mentioned Wonder Day). Other times, they might collaborate by working on independent projects and sharing their processes with others.

Big Idea #3: Empower your students to own their learning in an online environment.

We often talk about what it means to move from compliance to engagement. It's the idea of creating an environment where students want to learn rather than have to learn. But if we want students to be creative, self-directed learners we need to go beyond student engagement and into empowerment. But this requires some paradigm shifts.

That's right. We're going to be talking shift.

Here's what I mean: The empowered classroom is a shift from giving choices to inspiring possibilities It's what happens when you move from making the subject interesting to tapping into student interests; when you go from saying "you must learn this" to asking "what do you want to learn?" It's a shift from taking assessments to assessing your own learning, it's an iterative process full of mistakes that ultimately lead to success. It's a shift from the teacher asking all the questions to the students asking their own questions, where they chase the inquiry process and take learning off-road. It's a shift from uncritical consuming to critical consuming and creating. Here, students move from critical consuming to inspiration to creativity, where they use the design process to launch their work to the world. It's a shift from differentiating instruction to personalizing learning And it's a shift from rigid to adjustable systems so that students own the process. They can set their own pace, choose their own formats, and decide what resources they want to use to accomplish their goals. It's a shift in mindset from compliance to self-direction. In other words, it's a shift toward student ownership. When that happens, our students become the creative, critical thinkers who change the world.
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This is a challenge in a physical classroom, with each student learning at a different pace. But that's actually the hidden advantage of online learning. The physical distance actually makes it a little less chaotic as we embrace student ownership.

The following are a few areas where you can incorporate student ownership:

Students owning the assessment process

Students choosing the topics

Students selecting the scaffolds

Students choosing how they present their learning

I go in-depth into the process in the free eBook you can access at the bottom of this article. I also include the suite of assessments that you can use in online learning. Note that because you aren't available to do in-person formative assessment, it is even more important that students engage in self-assessment and peer assessment.
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Here's a small sample of what it looks like to incorporate student choice in your online class:

Traditionally, choice menus allow students to choose how they will present what they are learning. It's a great first step for students who aren't used to having as much voice and choice in their learning. While choice menus are great, I thought I would share a variation on the choice menu that goes beyond choosing topics and toward student ownership of the learning targets and resources. Here's what it looks like.

As a teacher, I would keep an ongoing online curation of resources for each unit that I taught. Any time I saw something fascinating or relevant, I would copy and paste the link into a document. Then, I would use that curated list of resources in the choice menus. When students chose podcasts, videos, etc., I would link the option to a one-page topic-neutral document with a list of best practices, tutorials with instructions, and rubrics for that particular option.

So, if students were learning about forces and motion in science, they might select a specific standard. Then they would watch a video or podcast and then click on the slideshow option where they could see reminders of best practices (remember to use visuals, use a solid contrast in colors, cite sources, etc.) and begin creating their product.

Notice that with this choice menu, students are deciding either the topics, concepts, or skills and then deciding on their own resources and strategies before ultimately deciding on their final product.

Big Idea #4: Provide opportunities for vintage and digital mashups.

When we think of online teaching, we tend to imagine a student sitting at a computer completing work. However, some of the best tools are low tech and lo-fi. Yes, we need students to use a laptop. But we also need students to use pencils and paper and cardboard. In other words, you need to take a vintage innovation approach.

Vintage innovation happens when we use old ideas and tools to transform the present. Think of it as a mash-up. It's not a rejection of new tools or new ideas. Instead, it's a reminder that sometimes the best way to move forward is to look backward. Like all innovation, vintage innovation is disruptive. But it's disruptive by pulling us out of present tense and into something more timeless

Vintage Innovation is a both/and mindset. It's the overlap of the "tried and true" and the "never tried." It's a mash-up of cutting edge tech and old school tools. It's the overlap of timeless skills in new contexts. Vintage innovation is what happens when engineers use origami to design new spacecraft and robotics engineers are studying nature for innovative designs.

As you move toward online teaching, consider how you might embrace this mindset of a mash-up.

Big Idea #5: Be intentional with the design of your online classes.

User experience design theory (sometimes abbreviated as XD, UX, UXD or UED) focuses on the user experience of a platform. This might include accessibility, usability, enjoyment, and the overall flow of the experience. UX design focuses on both on how we use digital tools and on how we inhabit digital spaces. It focuses on systems in a way that is deeply human. What does it feel like for people? What does it look like for them? What are their processes?

The best systems are the ones that feel invisible. You step into it and immediately know where to go and what to do. Don't get me wrong. Confusion can be a great thing in a classroom if it is leading toward deeper learning. But confusion caused by poorly designed courses leads to disengagement and frustration. It cuts learning short and disrupts creative flow.

There are a few key elements of UX Design that we can incorporate into our online instruction:
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One simple step is to do a UX Design audit. I've included a template in the toolkit and eBook that you can download at the bottom of this post. Use this form as a way to self-assess the design of your online course. Focus on using this diagnostic tool as a way to improve the overall design. It helps to picture your course through the lens of a student who is accessing it for the first time.

Big Idea #6: Take a "show and tell" approach.

We tend to assign homework that asks students to take schoolwork into their world. Often, students fail to turn in their work. But what if it's shows and tell? Suddenly, kids can't wait to bring in an item from their world and share it with the class.

Show and tell is essentially the opposite of homework. It's a chance for students to bring their world into the school rather than school into their world. This approach honors student agency. When I taught eighth grade, I encouraged a "show and tell" approach to homework. Here, they could bring in experts, resources, videos, or audio from their own community as they worked on projects in class. It was always optional but many students choose to complete it, since it was a chance to bring their world into class.

As educators, we need to remember that home learning doesn't have to require us to send schoolwork home. It's about building a partnership between school and home and recognizing the ways that students might learn within their own environment.

We can take this same approach as we design distance learning experiences for our students. One small example is to ask students to share their interests and passions through a Geek Out Blog.

Big Idea #7: Be present and available as a teacher.

Distance learning doesn't mean we have to be distant. As teachers, we can be intentional about creating a sense of presence with our students. Here are a few ideas that I've found helpful:

Video announcement: This starts with he first week, where you do an on boarding video of the course and explain how it will work. But after that, you can create a weekly or even daily short video with a preview of what students will do. Although pre-recorded, these short, unstructured videos create a sense of presence for you as a teacher.

Small group check-ins: Here, you can schedule small group meeting and use video conferencing to meet with groups and look at their progress.

Email check-ups: There are a few options here. First, you can send out a whole class email with expectations, deadlines, etc. But the second option is just a short email to each student asking how they're doing. If you have 180 students in a class, rotate with 18 per day and make sure each student gets an individual email every other week. You can create an email template and personalize it.

Short text check-ins: With this option, you can ask students to use the chat function to send questions or comments as you go.

Surveys: Ask students to fill out a course survey each day where they share what their experiences have been in an online course.

Scheduled conferences: On the next page, you'll see the 5 minute conference system. With a whole day of working from home, you can easily schedule these conferences with students and let them know you are there for them.

There are so many other ways to be present and I'm sure that you, as a teacher, have other ideas of strategies you can use to build relationships and be present with your students, even as you shift toward distance learning.

Ultimately, there is no one single way to do online teaching. It's an experiment and it varies depending on your subject, your context, and your students. You'll make tons of mistakes - and that's okay. The beauty is in learning from those mistakes and iterating toward better and better instruction. Lean in to the experts in your own institution and be humble about what you don't know. Ask students for their input along the way. And over time, you'll develop some amazing distance learning units.

Below, you'll find the a free eBook, along with a toolkit full of resources you can use as you shift toward online teaching. You'll find lesson plans, writing prompts, entire projects, protocols, and guides.

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7 Big Ideas as You Shift Toward Online Teaching - John Spencer

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A few days ago, we found out that all of the schools here in Oregon will be off until the start of April. Many of the universities have asked professors to switch their courses from face-to-face to online. This is a move that school districts...

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Behavioral Engagement Using Interactive Digital Content: Interactive Video Lesson

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Behavioral Engagement Using Interactive Digital Content: Interactive Video Lesson

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Encourages autonomy and responsibility for learning

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Don't you wish you could multiply yourself in the classroom? Interactive video is more than showing a YouTube in class! This teaching strategy can be used at all levels and in different ways to build independence, free yourself up for teacher-led small group instruction, and give students the opportunity to learn at their own pace.

Research on Interactive Video

Interactive video currently has an effect size of .58. This means that it has the potential to have a positive effect on student achievement. The VisibleLearningMetaXwebsite definesInteractive Video as:

"A digital video technology that allows students to review segments of a recording in a non-linear way, as many times as they wish. Interactive video has been linked to reduced cognitive overload, greater attention, and greater reflection."

All things that we want to afford for our learners! Think about how many times you have watched a video to learn something new or get a refresher on a topic. Being able to visually see and understand something allows for clarity and a deeper understanding. Personally, I use YouTube to learn more about new technology and to learn new recipes while cooking. More on that later!

A Reinforcement, Not a Replacement

"I've never had to repeat directions to students," said no teacher, staff member, or central office personnel EVER! When creating an activity in the classroom, consider how you can utilize interactive video to enhance your instruction and essentially multiply yourself for your students. Weston Kieschnick says in his book, "Bold School: Old School Technologies + New School Technologies," that:

"to enhance the effectiveness of this strategy, it should come after teacher-delivered core instruction."

I understand this as "don't let interactive video replace you, instead, let it reinforce what you have already taught to your learners." Interactive video allows you to "interact" with multiple learners at the same time and in different locations, but it is not a replacement for your instruction.

An Example of Interactive Video

When working with 2nd graders on an author study project, the teacher I was coaching utilized interactive video. Using video, she provided directions for one part of the project that included project expectations. She also recorded a brief re-teach of her mini-lesson for another part of the project, including the same visuals she used in her whole group lesson. Throughout this project, her understanding and use of interactive video in her classroom grew. Each student could clearly see the teacher's expectations and could re-watch videos as needed without interrupting the teacher. The teacher was then able to facilitate the learning, helping any students who were struggling or needed more scaffolding, while others continued to learn from her through video.

Boost Independence During Small Groups

When interactive video is implemented in the classroom, it increases the chances that students can learn something while away from the teacher. If a station rotation model or playlist model is implemented in the classroom, especially with elementary students, there are many times when students are required to be on task while away from the teacher.

In these models, the teacher is usually working with a few students in small groups on a specific skill or providing intervention. We know this small group instruction is where the powerful teaching moments happen. But oftentimes, this is the exact moment when the students who are not working with the teacher, decide that they can not function independently, and they HAVE to ask the teacher a question about what they are supposed to be doing independently.

With interactive video, or even video directions, included in station tasks, students are less likely to disrupt the teacher and small group instruction. They can also revisit instructions if needed. In other words, how can you maximize your small group time, and they can maximize their time on task.

Tools for Creating Videos for Stations

One tip for providing interactive video or video directions is to utilize Flip. With this platform, teachers can record task directions, generate a QR code for the video (on the site itself), then print the QR code and include it at the station/ task.

For those that have a Learning Management System (LMS), maximize what you already have access to! Use folders to organize the station tasks and record the videos directly in your LMS. This is a quick way to organize and house videos that students can refer back to.

Offer Self-Paced Learning

In addition to boosting independence, incorporating videos leads to empowering students to learn at their own pace. Providing interactive video for students to watch and then respond to, or offering videos with directions, allows students to pause, play, rewatch, and/or digest content at a pace that works for them.

If a student needs to take a bathroom break, they won't miss the important content when it is in a video format. For example, I am no expert chef in the kitchen! When I am learning how to cook a new recipe, I turn to good old YouTube. With video directions on YouTube, I can understand measurements, pause and rewind to seek clarity on a step, and rewatch to see what my meal should look like.

Prevent Frustration

When delivering professional development, I love to use this Fold the Cheese clip from Schitt's Creek. This is about the frustration you feel when you don't fully understand something. And then someone else is getting upset with you because you don't understand. Let's avoid having students go through this frustration!

As a teaching strategy, interactive video works best when leveraged to enhance instruction. This consumption of materials is best maximized when the video is created by the teacher who students have the privilege to learn from every day. How will you implement interactive videos to boost independence, offer self-paced learning, and prevent frustration?

Lucia Soto is one of our 2023 Elementary Technology Conference (ETC) presenters! Don't miss her with Gilbert Barrera on "A Balanced Approach to Building Independence While Leveraging SeeSaw."

ETC is coming in hot this June 11-13 in Galveston, TX. But don't worry, it's the coolest conference around. If you work in any role in elementary education, there's something for you at ETC this summer. Don't miss it!

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The Benefits of Using Interactive Videos in the Classroom

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Who wants to boost independence, prevent frustration, and create self-paced learning for students? Learn how interactive videos can help!

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Encourages teamwork, communication, and shared responsibility

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Promoting Authentic Learning With Multimedia Research Projects

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Students can actively demonstrate their learning through inquiry-focused projects that promote creativity.

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Behavioral Engagement Using Personalized Learning: Goal Setting and Reflection

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Behavioral Engagement Using Personalized Learning: Goal Setting and Reflection

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Encourages ownership of learning by fostering motivation, accountability, and self-regulation skills

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Blended learning allows teachers to use data to personalize instruction while supporting student agency.

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 pace. Students should also learn in part within a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home, where each student's learning path within a course or subject is connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

The blended learning model contains pillars focusing on the design or creation of learning environments and lessons. Pillars include but are not limited to data-driven instruction, personalized learning, student agency, relationships, rigor, and relevance. Each subsequent strategy supports at least one or more of the pillars.

Using models like backward design, a teacher can easily identify the appropriate structure of a blended learning lesson. Teachers should identify the desired results, determine acceptable evidence, and then plan the learning experience. Not every strategy aligns with the outcomes you seek, so choose carefully. Also, remember that the learning task may necessitate some prerequisite skills for students to succeed. Use caution when estimating the readiness of your students to complete a task independently.

5 Powerful Blended Learning Strategies

1. Utilize goal setting. When goals are cocreated with students, they are more likely to commit and achieve success. Students who set goals, identify specific actions to reach them, and track their progress toward those goals have greater agency and will have the skills to help them succeed throughout life. Teachers who plan regular cycles of one-to-one conferences with students to monitor progress and goal achievement are highly successful.

A best practice for goal setting is focusing on one or two goals at a time so that students and teachers can manage them easily. A well-written goal is specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant, and has an element of time length.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of personalized learning, student agency, relationships, rigor, and relevance.

2. Apply standards mastery mapping. Standards mastery mapping is closely tied to goal setting, and student benefits are maximized when they are used together. For example, when discussing with individual students about their progress, a visual representation is a powerful tool to see if they are progressing in a skill area or need to redouble their efforts in another. Similar to an "I can" tracker but organized by standard, this strategy can be digital or on paper.

Allowing students to take part in maintaining the map is a way to support accountability and agency. Standards mapping can take on a variety of scopes, such as a range of individual micro skills out to the broader concepts in a unit.

Depending on the maturity of your students and their readiness to comprehend levels of analysis, customize your maps based on need and effectiveness. Some maps include a bar graph with percentages where students can track their progress by coloring in progress as they grow. Another effective component of mastery mapping is allowing the student to reflect on their performance.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of data-driven instruction, personalized learning, student agency, rigor, and relevance.

3. Provide pre- and post-testing with real-time feedback. Providing a pre- or post-test with real-time feedback can be as simple as a Google Form using the feedback feature after every question; the student will see a canned response indicating if they were correct or not. More-sophisticated assessment platforms, such as Raz-Kids or DreamBox, can provide real-time feedback through adaptive software, which offers a customized learning pathway.

The power to address misconceptions immediately is ideal, albeit rare and sometimes expensive. Pre- and post-assessment allows teachers to identify specific needs and prioritize each student's instructional time. Educators who teach the same content and grade level from year to year have insight into the challenging skills within each unit. When coupled with individual data that pertains to current comprehension, lesson design is even more informed. Online tools give students and teachers immediate feedback.

Real-time, specific, and accurate feedback helps teachers identify and reteach needs and allows students to own their learning by tracking their progress and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. The pre- and post-assessment strategy combined with standards mastery mapping and goal setting creates a trifecta of powerful teaching. Start with one and add another deliberately and strategically.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of data-driven instruction, personalized learning, and student agency.

4. Introduce choice boards and menus. Essential considerations for choice boards and menus are tasks that students can choose from or paths they can take to arrive at a similar destination as all other classmates. They may or may not be digital and should include online and offline activities. Based on the outcomes you want your students to produce, the choice board should take a unique form to enable differentiation and personalization for all levels of mastery.

Choice boards and menus allow teachers to organize instructional materials for students to access at any time or place and have some control over their path and pace. The distinguishing feature of choice boards is the flexibility to engage in learning tasks satisfying students' interests and readiness. Some tasks may be required, while others may be optional or extension activities.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of personalized learning, student agency, rigor, and relevance.

5. Establish peer tutoring. When students verbalize, they internalize. In the right classroom conditions, peer tutoring is an effective teaching practice. Considerations for successful peer tutorials include protocols, explicit expectations, and potentially modeling what an effective tutoring session is.

Also, teachers must strategically pair students based on several key variables, such as personality, mastery level, and readiness to participate and contribute. This strategy has the potential to support a variety of student needs that can lead to a high degree of success and growth, but it can also be a source of extreme frustration if not planned and implemented correctly.

Some benefits of peer tutoring include reinforcing concepts, providing leadership opportunities, and building confidence. Recipient students may learn new ways of solving problems from peers. Students benefit from pragmatic language and social interactions.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of student agency and relationships.

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Blended learning allows teachers to use data to personalize instruction while supporting student agency. 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 pace.

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Emotional Engagement Using Interactive Digital Content: Social Stories

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Emotional Engagement Using Interactive Digital Content: Social Stories

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ntroduce classroom norms, expectations, and routines/procedures in a visual format

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Using Social Stories to Establish New Routines

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Orienting very young students to virtual learning can be a challenge-a social story that clearly lays out norms and expectations can help.

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Emotional Engagement Using Collaborative Activities: Virtual Field Trip

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Emotional Engagement Using Collaborative Activities: Virtual Field Trip

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Sparks curiosity and emotional engagement by connecting lessons to real-world experiences

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5 Tips for Creating an Effective Virtual Field Trip

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Students can connect what’s happening in the classroom to real-world locations by using digital tools to gain new perspectives.

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Encourages critical thinking, communication, and learner’s mindset in compassionate manner.

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Using Discussion as a Summative Assessment

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Verbal participation in discussions is a tried-and-true formative assessment, but it can also be rubric-based and summative.

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Cognitive Engagement Using Interactive Digital Content: Interactive Online Quizzes

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Cognitive Engagement Using Interactive Digital Content: Interactive Online Quizzes

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Promotes cognitive engagement through immediate feedback and friendly competition

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Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software - Canva

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Emotional Engagement Using Collaborative Activities: Peer Teaching

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Emotional Engagement Using Collaborative Activities: Peer Teaching

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Empowers students and builds confidence while reinforcing their own understanding

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Blended learning allows teachers to use data to personalize instruction while supporting student agency.

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 pace. Students should also learn in part within a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home, where each student's learning path within a course or subject is connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

The blended learning model contains pillars focusing on the design or creation of learning environments and lessons. Pillars include but are not limited to data-driven instruction, personalized learning, student agency, relationships, rigor, and relevance. Each subsequent strategy supports at least one or more of the pillars.

Using models like backward design, a teacher can easily identify the appropriate structure of a blended learning lesson. Teachers should identify the desired results, determine acceptable evidence, and then plan the learning experience. Not every strategy aligns with the outcomes you seek, so choose carefully. Also, remember that the learning task may necessitate some prerequisite skills for students to succeed. Use caution when estimating the readiness of your students to complete a task independently.

5 Powerful Blended Learning Strategies

1. Utilize goal setting. When goals are cocreated with students, they are more likely to commit and achieve success. Students who set goals, identify specific actions to reach them, and track their progress toward those goals have greater agency and will have the skills to help them succeed throughout life. Teachers who plan regular cycles of one-to-one conferences with students to monitor progress and goal achievement are highly successful.

A best practice for goal setting is focusing on one or two goals at a time so that students and teachers can manage them easily. A well-written goal is specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant, and has an element of time length.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of personalized learning, student agency, relationships, rigor, and relevance.

2. Apply standards mastery mapping. Standards mastery mapping is closely tied to goal setting, and student benefits are maximized when they are used together. For example, when discussing with individual students about their progress, a visual representation is a powerful tool to see if they are progressing in a skill area or need to redouble their efforts in another. Similar to an "I can" tracker but organized by standard, this strategy can be digital or on paper.

Allowing students to take part in maintaining the map is a way to support accountability and agency. Standards mapping can take on a variety of scopes, such as a range of individual micro skills out to the broader concepts in a unit.

Depending on the maturity of your students and their readiness to comprehend levels of analysis, customize your maps based on need and effectiveness. Some maps include a bar graph with percentages where students can track their progress by coloring in progress as they grow. Another effective component of mastery mapping is allowing the student to reflect on their performance.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of data-driven instruction, personalized learning, student agency, rigor, and relevance.

3. Provide pre- and post-testing with real-time feedback. Providing a pre- or post-test with real-time feedback can be as simple as a Google Form using the feedback feature after every question; the student will see a canned response indicating if they were correct or not. More-sophisticated assessment platforms, such as Raz-Kids or DreamBox, can provide real-time feedback through adaptive software, which offers a customized learning pathway.

The power to address misconceptions immediately is ideal, albeit rare and sometimes expensive. Pre- and post-assessment allows teachers to identify specific needs and prioritize each student's instructional time. Educators who teach the same content and grade level from year to year have insight into the challenging skills within each unit. When coupled with individual data that pertains to current comprehension, lesson design is even more informed. Online tools give students and teachers immediate feedback.

Real-time, specific, and accurate feedback helps teachers identify and reteach needs and allows students to own their learning by tracking their progress and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. The pre- and post-assessment strategy combined with standards mastery mapping and goal setting creates a trifecta of powerful teaching. Start with one and add another deliberately and strategically.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of data-driven instruction, personalized learning, and student agency.

4. Introduce choice boards and menus. Essential considerations for choice boards and menus are tasks that students can choose from or paths they can take to arrive at a similar destination as all other classmates. They may or may not be digital and should include online and offline activities. Based on the outcomes you want your students to produce, the choice board should take a unique form to enable differentiation and personalization for all levels of mastery.

Choice boards and menus allow teachers to organize instructional materials for students to access at any time or place and have some control over their path and pace. The distinguishing feature of choice boards is the flexibility to engage in learning tasks satisfying students' interests and readiness. Some tasks may be required, while others may be optional or extension activities.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of personalized learning, student agency, rigor, and relevance.

5. Establish peer tutoring. When students verbalize, they internalize. In the right classroom conditions, peer tutoring is an effective teaching practice. Considerations for successful peer tutorials include protocols, explicit expectations, and potentially modeling what an effective tutoring session is.

Also, teachers must strategically pair students based on several key variables, such as personality, mastery level, and readiness to participate and contribute. This strategy has the potential to support a variety of student needs that can lead to a high degree of success and growth, but it can also be a source of extreme frustration if not planned and implemented correctly.

Some benefits of peer tutoring include reinforcing concepts, providing leadership opportunities, and building confidence. Recipient students may learn new ways of solving problems from peers. Students benefit from pragmatic language and social interactions.

This strategy supports the blended learning pillars of student agency and relationships.

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Blended learning allows teachers to use data to personalize instruction while supporting student agency. 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 pace.

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Cognitive Engagement Using Personalized Learning: Must Do/May Do Playlist

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Cognitive Engagement Using Personalized Learning: Must Do/May Do Playlist

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Increases motivation by allowing students to pursue topics or  activities they are interested in

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Resources & Guidance from The Learning Accelerator

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Context

Cisco Junior High School created a simple pacing system to help keep students on track, and monitor and make sufficient progress on their personalized playlists. It also helps ensure students are working on content aligned to their needs and interests, and at a sufficient level of rigor. To provide structure for students to help them better manage their time, teachers separate playlist content into "must do" and "may do" categories. This pacing system guides students towards making informed choices about their learning activities and allows them to practice making thoughtful decisions as they exercise student ownership skills.

"Must do" tasks are exactly what they sound like: instructional activities that the student must complete before moving on to the next playlist (usually by the end of the week). "Must do" tasks are most directly aligned with learning goals and might include working through content in an online textbook, independent practice, or DreamBox. While students have to finish all of these assignments to complete a playlist, they can generally choose the order in which they do them. Students struggling with certain content can use their Extension class to help them complete "must do" tasks in a timely fashion. Students can also test out of certain "must do" tasks through MAP and pretests. Students who finish "must do" tasks early can move on to "may do" tasks.

"May do" tasks are a variety of instructional activities, including content review, deeper learning, and longer-term projects. For example, students may reinforce what they've learned in the "must do" tasks with certain math games or online content, as well as content that challenges them further within that specific learning goal. Some teachers also assign longer-term assignments that students need to complete over several weeks. Once they finish the "must do" section of their playlist, they can choose which of these assignments they want to work on. This system helps ensure students can work at their own pace while still having choice in their learning and accountability for finishing their work in a reasonable amount of time.

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Providing Pacing Guidance with "Must Do" and "May Do" Tasks

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Students work through playlists, which provide guidance as to which learning activities they must complete, and which ones they can choose to work on.

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Designed by Catlin Tucker

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The Math Viking: Elementary Math Exploration

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Math Playlists Facilitate Small Groups » The Math Viking: Elementary Math Exploration

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The most important question to consider when choosing a structure for your math block, is: While I personally use rotations sometimes, I find that a math playlist (a posted or shared agenda with some choices) is much more forgiving! It