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Cognitive Rigor Matrix - Reaching Gifted Students with Higher-Order Thinking:  DOK and Bloom's Matrices

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Cognitive Rigor Matrix - Reaching Gifted Students with Higher-Order Thinking:  DOK and Bloom's Matrices

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Instructional Tools and Resources for Teachers to Reach DOK Levels 1-4

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Instructional Tools and Resources for Teachers to Reach DOK Levels 1-4

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Differentiating Curriculum for Gifted Students Article

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Differentiating Curriculum for Gifted Students Article

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Article Title:  Enable, Enhance, and Transform

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Article Title:  Enable, Enhance, and Transform

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How Can Technology Increase Rigor in the Classroom?  Article

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How Can Technology Increase Rigor in the Classroom?  Article

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Playlists - Giving Gifted Students Choice, Tiered Assignments, and Flexibility

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Playlists - Giving Gifted Students Choice, Tiered Assignments, and Flexibility

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Listen to my interview with Tracy Enos or read the transcript here.
In our never-ending quest to find better ways to differentiate and personalize instruction for students, we have plenty of options. I covered a lot of the basics in my Differentiation Starter Kit. Then last year we learned how math teacher Natalie McCutchen manages a self-paced classroom. And for ESL students, there are the Can-Do Descriptors.

Now, Rhode Island teacher Tracy Enos shares her system for customizing instruction to meet the needs of every student. She calls it a playlist, an individualized digital assignment chart that students work through at their own pace.

First, consider what we usually do: When planning a typical unit of instruction, teachers map out a series of lessons to deliver, assignments for students to complete, and some kind of final assessment at the end. They might share this plan with students, but then the execution is done by the teacher: The teacher delivers the lessons, tells students when to do the assignments, and guides students toward the final assessment.

With playlists, the responsibility for executing the learning plan shifts: Students are given the unit plan, including access to all the lessons (in text or video form), ahead of time. With the learning plan in hand, students work through the lessons and assignments at their own pace. And because each student has her own digital copy of the playlist (delivered through a system like Google Classroom), the teacher can customize the list to meet each student's needs.

"A playlist is basically like a road map," Enos explains. "I started using them in my classroom when I looked at my room full of 26 students and I saw the variety in their abilities. I knew I needed something different so that I could meet the needs of each one of those kids. Instead of just saying, 'OK, everybody, we're going to work on this lesson today,' I needed to individualize it so that different kids are working on things that they needed."

The term playlist, by the way, was coined by one of Enos' colleagues, math teacher Jason Appel.

Here are screenshots of three sample playlists from Enos's class. If you click on each one, you'll be taken to the full version to view in Google Docs. Although these examples come from a language arts class, Enos feels strongly that the playlist concept could be used in any content area.

Argument Writing Playlist

The first playlist is for a unit on argument writing. What you see here is just the first few tasks; there are 19 on the full playlist.

In the first column, Enos simply names the task. The second column provides specific instructions for the task. The third column is set up for students to record any notes they have about the task, and the fourth is where students record the date they completed the task.

Although much of the playlist will be exactly the same for each student, especially for the first few tasks, individual tasks can be customized to meet individual needs. Because the playlist is stored in digital form, the teacher can go into each student's playlist at any time and make adjustments as needed.

In addition to adjusting certain tasks, Enos also builds space in each playlist for purely individualized tasks. If we look further down her playlist, we see that tasks #14 and #15 have been left open for individualized focus revision activities, to be determined after the student has written her draft:

Enos does place occasional hard deadlines into her playlists; item 13 above has a date assigned to it. Although students are allowed to complete the work before the deadline, having this task pinned to a specific date helps prevent students from getting too far off track from each other.

Parts of Speech Playlist

This next one is from a unit designed to review the parts of speech. Notice that some of the tasks are quite simple and quick: Students just need to log on to a certain platform, create an account, or join an online group. This makes the playlist a practical tool as well as a good instructional vehicle: One place to keep learning tasks AND the kinds of housekeeping items that accompany most units. And breaking units into smaller tasks gives students a feeling of accomplishment as they move through each item.

To see the full version of this playlist, click the image below:

Again, the "Directions" column allows for maximum flexibility. The teacher can add tech tips, reminders, or any other information that might help student complete the task more smoothly. And if this is done in digital form, the teacher can easily add tips, links, or other comments at any time, making the playlist a living document.

Book Club Playlist

The final example is a playlist created for a unit on dystopian fiction, in which students participated in book clubs.

Notice that the playlist also includes checkpoints, where students must touch base with their teacher before moving on. These can be built in at any point for any reason, such as making sure students have completed key housekeeping tasks (like in the example above) or having the teacher review a draft for quality.

Many of the tasks in the playlist will ultimately result in the student submitting work through Google Classroom, or they might require a paper submission in a class that hasn't gone quite so digital. In fact, the whole system could be done on paper-one look at how student learning is managed in a Montessori classroom and you'll see how that can work. What's key is that students work through the list on their own, which frees the teacher up to spend more time working one-on-one with students.

If students are truly working at their own pace, wouldn't that mean some are way ahead, even finished with a unit, while others drag way behind? Setting a few hard deadlines (as shown in the argument writing playlist) can help keep the pacing from spiraling too far out of whack, but if our goal is true individualization, then we shouldn't want everyone to be too closely aligned.

This can be managed on a day-to-day basis. Students who are taking longer to master key tasks will likely get more one-on-one assistance from the teacher or be placed in groups to help them. Those who finish the required material quickly can be given enrichment tasks that take the learning to more advanced levels.

Homework also takes on a different role in a class that uses playlists: Because students work through the playlists on their own, they decide whether they get homework or not. If a student is moving through a playlist quickly, they may not have a need to spend extra time on the work at home. Conversely, if a student finds he needs extra help in class, he may decide to catch up on a few videos at home.

For a more in-depth exploration of playlists, listen to my podcast interview with Tracy Enos using the player above or by listening on iTunes or Stitcher (for Android). If you have questions, ask them in the comments below and I'll have Tracy come over and answer them. And if you have used a system that's similar to playlists, please share your experiences in the comments so we can all learn together.♦

There's a lot more where this came from.
Join the Cult of Pedagogy mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to my members-only library of free downloadable resources, including my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, which has helped thousands of teachers spend less time grading. If you are already a subscriber and want this resource, just check your most recent email for a link to the Members-Only Library-it's in there!

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Using Playlists to Differentiate Instruction

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Listen to my interview with Tracy Enos or read the transcript here. In our never-ending quest to find better ways to differentiate and personalize instruction for students, we have plenty of options. I covered a lot of the basics in my Differentiation Starter Kit.

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Finding the Right Digital Tool to Use in Your Classroom

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Finding the Right Digital Tool to Use in Your Classroom

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DOK Teacher and Student Directives and Activities

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DOK Teacher and Student Directives and Activities

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Examples of Applying the SAMR Model can Help Teachers Understand and Embrace it

The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model provides a technique for moving through degrees of technology adoption to find more meaningful uses of technology in teaching and move away from simply using edtech for tech's sake.

We recently discussed the SAMR model during an Academic Technology Work Group meeting at The College of Westchester. We examined the video, SAMR in 120 Seconds. One thing that really struck me is how much the example helped, so I made it a point to gather and/or create some more examples.

Following are 8 examples of the SAMR process, each taking an example of a typical classroom exercise that does not use technology and walking it through each phase of SAMR. For half of these, I searched and borrowed from examples that teachers had written about online (original sources are provided - in some cases I tweaked the example a bit). I also created examples of my own. In working through this, it became apparent to me that while Substitution and Augmentation can be relatively straightforward conceptually, there is even more room for interpretation when it comes to Modification and Redefinition.

The goal of this exercise was to help me (and readers) better understand the SAMR model, and to really see how lessons and assessments can be transformed while considering the benefits of evolving them through these stages. I find it particularly interesting to see the vast difference between the original lesson and the redefined lesson - there is often a much wider range of skills required in the latter stages, and lessons can become much more engaging and collaborative when modified or redefined.

Lesson: Writing a Short Paper
Taken from: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/08/samr-model-explained-through-examples.html. A modification of an idea found at https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples. Taken from: https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples and modified. Idea taken from: https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model and slightly modified. In this example, we take a simple form of assessment and evolve it into a collaborative group project.
Original Assignment: A hand written paper.

Lesson: Geography & Travel

Original Assignment: An overview of a location consisting of hand written content supplemented with compiled cut-and-pasted magazine clippings.

Lesson: Understanding Shakespeare

Original Assignment: Read a Shakespeare play in traditional printed format.

An Assessment Exercise
Original Assignment: Show understanding of fractions on a worksheet by coloring in blocks.
Original Assignment: Take a quiz, answers handwritten in a printed form.

Following are some example lessons, evolved through the SAMR model, that I have tried my hand at creating.It's easy to get caught up in worrying about how effectively an approach constitutes "modification" or "redefinition", but that's not the point of the exercise. To my way of thinking, it's more about understanding the difference between a just replacing or augmenting a "paper" lesson with a "digital" one and actually evolving it in a beneficial way and exploring new possibilities.

Lesson: Art/Painting
Creative Commons license image source.
Original Assignment: Drawing a picture using traditional brush, paint, paper. Of course, there is a a big difference between doing this by hand in the traditional manner and doing it digitally. Digitally is by no means better, it is just different and opens up some interesting possibilities.

Substitution: Use a digital drawing/painting program (like MS Paint) to draw/paint a picture.

Augmentation: Use a tool that allows the creation of your masterpiece to be layed back (like Educreations, for example).

Modification: Pull a background image to use as a canvas. You could even scan something hand drawn and use that.

Redefinition: Create Artwork Collaboratively using a Collaborative Online Whiteboard (like Twiddla or one of these other tools).

Lesson: Email Etiquette

Original lesson: Review printed copies of Email Etiquette concepts and guidelines.

Lesson: Learning Fractions

Substitution: Use an Excel Worksheet to let students color in the blocks.

Augmentation: Use Google Sheets to let students color in the blocks, where the teacher can offer feedback directly on Google Sheets.

Modification: Use Google Sheets and direct students to online examples and supplementary learning materials for areas that they might struggle with.

Redefinition: Use a Fractions App instead (here are a handful of examples for iOS devices).

Lesson: Phys Ed - Learning To Hit a Baseball Well

Original Assignment: Learning how to hit a baseball by watching and listening to a Coach or Phys Ed instructor show you and then trying it yourself.

Hopefully these example of lessons modified through the SAMR cycle help to encourage you to think about how you leverage technology to make some of your lessons more interactive, collaborative, and engaging with some of the many great technology tools available today! Here is a set of tools that may be helpful when working to evolve your lessons: 10 of the Most Engaging Uses of Instructional Technology (with Dozens of Resources and Tools).

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8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle - Emerging Education Technologies

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Examples of Applying the SAMR Model can Help Teachers Understand and Embrace it The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition.

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Glossary | Awards & Comments | Estate of Peder Jensen | Carla Christine Jensen's Information for her Attorney |The White Star Line |Second Officer Lightoller's |Memo to the White Star's Lawyer |Mauritz Hakan Bjornstrom-Steffansson's Letter to White Star Line Counsel | Plaintiff's Exhibit I | Teacher's Guide to Jensen v.

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What is the SAMR Model and what does it look like in schools?

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How to Apply the SAMR Model with Ruben Puentedura

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Watch Dr. Ruben Puentedura, creator of the SAMR Model, explain how teachers can apply the model's concepts to reflect on how they're using educational technology in their teaching.

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The SAMR Model is a way for teachers to evaluate how they integrate technology into their teaching. Is it an act of substitution? Augmentation? Modification? Or redefinition?

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Digital Resources that Support DOK, Bloom's, SAMR in the Classroom PPT with Links

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Digital Resources that Support DOK, Bloom's, SAMR in the Classroom PPT with Links

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8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom Graphic

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8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom Graphic

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8 Things to Look For in Today's Classroom

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As I think that leaders should be able to describe what they are looking for in schools I have thought of eight things that I really want to see in today's classroom. I really believe that c...

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8 Things to Look For in Today’s Classroom

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Add project-based learning components to these Minecraft lesson plans and see learning and engagement soar in your classroom.

Embarking on a fantastic voyage of learning with Minecraft? Let's review the building blocks of project-based learning success. Minecraft Global Mentor, Benjamin Kelly (@BBTNB), starts us off with this project, Minecraft Musical Chairs:

Anatomy of a Project

Texas educators may want to add a few more components to Ben's project task card:

SWBAT statement

TEKS and ELPS

Engaging scenario

Formative assessment activities.

Let's take a closer look at these building blocks.

Block #1 : Student Will Be Able To (SWBAT)

Jared Dees writes "SWBAT stands for "Students Will Be Able To...." Use SWBAT to focus a lesson plan on what the students learn by doing. Ask yourself "How do these verbs Jared includes align to what students do in Minecraft?"

Block #2: Relevant TEKS and ELPS

Learning happens on the messy journey from problem to solution. Aside from using The TEKS Resource System, hook students with a problem scenario. Match the grade level TEKS to a core content-embedded scenario.

In Ben's example, students show how they can work together. They construct a 3D physical representation of their learning by first developing construction criteria together and then adding their own positive improvements. In this way, student-architect teams achieve constructions they could not do alone.

Block #3: Fantastic Voyage

In the Project Task Card above, I adapted Lynne Telfer's (@lynnetelfer | blog) lesson, Create Fred The Human Body! from the Minecraft: Education Edition website. In The TEKS Resource System, this science lesson for grade 7 students helps them grasp the key concept that individual components combine to perform functions as a system.

During this unit, students study human body systems for the first time...They identify the main functions of the systems of the human organism.

Block #4: Assessment

Adapt an existing assessment, (e.g. rubric) from an existing one, such as this one offered on The TEKS Resource System. To gain maximum credit, modify the rubric as shown.

The 3D model of the human body is highly detailed, accurate. The model reflects the selected system with a high degree of accuracy. Each component is clearly labeled. Signs and Non-Player Character (NPC) provide functional details. Critical fluid flow is accurate and possible. Specific information on how size, scale, properties, and materials are included. 3D human body modeling is evident, analyzed, and explained.

Conclusion

While you can teach this lesson the old-fashioned way , using Minecraft: Education Edition makes students architects of their own learning in 3D virtual environments. Research shows this is a growing future work trend ( source).

Be sure to check out these links to additional lesson ideas.

Leave a comment

comments

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Fantastic Voyage: Minecraft Lesson Planning - TechNotes Blog - TCEA

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Add project-based learning components to these Minecraft lesson plans and see learning and engagement soar in your classroom. Embarking on a fantastic voyage of learning with Minecraft? Let's review the building blocks of project-based learning success.

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The feedback we've received about the PBL Project has been tremendous, and we thought it would be nice to share a sampling of those comments. All of the testimonials shown below were unsolicited, and have been included with permission:

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I'm always on the lookout for products created by students through project based learning experiences. I'd rather see what students create to express their answer to a driving question than just read a summary of the project. I can find loads project ideas and descriptions online, but it's much harder to find quality end products by students.

I've spent quite some time searching all over the internet for end products. I think these samples can be used as inspiration for your own projects. And, critiquing these samples can help students think of ways to make their own productions better.
What I look for in projects:

The project answers a driving question.

The production is made by students or documents students' learning.

The production is made for an audience.

The project is open-ended, so each end production is different.

The product is hosted publicly online.

Read more about project based learning.

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A Collection of Project Based Learning End Products

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I'm always on the lookout for products created by students through project based learning experiences. I'd rather see what students create to express their answer to a driving question than just read a summary of the project. I can find loads project ideas and descriptions online, but it's much harder to find quality end products by students.

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Featured Projects

Are GMOs the way to go?

How can we keep our communities safe and prepared for natural hazards?

How can we support younger students through the transition to middle school?

Featured Resources

The Buck Institute has created this short video to help explain the Project Based Teaching Practices in our model for Gold Standard PBL.. Learn more

How to create and use norms in your classroom to build, positive, productive culture. Learn more

Sample: Explaining PBL and giving project details. Learn more

Announcements

Online Course: Becoming a PBL Teacher

Register for our 8-week course Becoming a PBL Teacher. You will learn how to use the Project Based Teaching Practices for Gold Standard PBL to benefit your students.

Course Dates:
Fall: September 11 - November 6, 2023
Learn more about the course

ISTEU: Leading Project-Based Learning With Technology Course

Interested in learning more about how to combine PBL with technology? This course is designed to increase your capacity to implement Gold Standard Project-Based Learning with technology so that you can engage and empower students through meaningful, academically rigorous learning experiences. Enroll in a self paced, 5 hour course for $49. Learn more about our ISTE course here .

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Your gateway to the very best in Project Based Learning, no matter where you are in your PBL journey. Here, you will find a growing set of resources to help you design and implement powerful learning in your classroom.

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"Project-Based Learning:  Start Here" Blog

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"Project-Based Learning:  Start Here" Blog

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Project Based Learning: Start Here | Cult of Pedagogy

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Maybe you’ve always wanted to try PBL, but you just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Here’s a set of beginner-level resources to get you started.

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Edutopia:  Project-Based Learning Articles

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Edutopia:  Project-Based Learning Articles

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson

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12 Principles of Brain-Based Learning Infographic

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12 Principles of Brain-Based Learning Infographic

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Multiple Intelligences as it Relates to Gifted Students Article

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Multiple Intelligences as it Relates to Gifted Students Article

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We all learn in different ways. Research by Howard Gardener has demonstrated that there are 8 distinct ways to approach and integrate learning, with schools mostly exploring 7 of these (you will...

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Project Based Learning by digitalsandbox1

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TOUCH this image to discover its story. Image tagging powered by ThingLink

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STEAM projects for kids are at the core of this blog. And it's not because STEAM is the latest educational trend, but because I personally believe in the power of cross-disciplinary learning.

If you are new to the idea of STEAM the acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and started as simply STEM, without the A for Art. STEM and STEAM based learning has become a huge educational movement in the US in recent years. It began because of the noticeable lack of candidates entering the fields of engineering and science here in the US compared to other countries. Whether or not you agree with the focus on the disciplines highlighted by its acronym, the basic model of STEAM based education is to teach kids to bridge subjects and problem solve, and this is the aspect of it that has resonated with me.

As a designer, I have spent most of my education and career in "the studio," working on projects that require putting on both creative and analytical hats to solve problems. What I love about the design profession is the opportunity to look at a problem from many angles, test out different ideas, and ultimately decide on a solution. And that's what a STEAM based projects do. They teach kids to make connections between the subjects they are studying rather than explore them in isolation.

So if you are curious or interested in trying STEAM based projects with your kids, I rounded up 25 of my favorite cross-disciplinary projects right here. I hope these projects will introduce you and your children to the power of creative exploration and problem solving.

Now let's get making!

Cardboard City

A great group project made with make building tools

Even STEAM projects:

If you are looking to incorporate more STEAM ideas into your family's creative day check out our STEAM Kids Book

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STEAM projects for kids are at the core of this blog. And it's not because STEAM is the latest educational trend, but because I personally believe in the power of cross-disciplinary learning. If you are new to the idea of STEAM the acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and started as simply STEM, without the A for Art.

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More information about studying a stream can be found in DCNR's Watershed Education Curriculum. This curriculum can only be obtained by attending a Watershed Education Teacher Workshop.

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Creative Learning Spaces for Creative Children on Pinterest

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Creative Learning Spaces for Creative Children on Pinterest

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Learning Spaces ~ Classroom Design ~ Flexible Learning Environments

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Differentiation for All Learners Concept Map Guide

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Differentiation for All Learners Concept Map Guide

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Tomlinson-What is Differentiated Instruction? by Lisa Enrique

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TOUCH this image to discover its story. Image tagging powered by ThingLink

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What is Differentiated Instruction?  Scholastic 

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What is Differentiated Instruction?  Scholastic 

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Edutopia Blog Articles on Differentiation

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Edutopia Blog Articles on Differentiation

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Differentiating Instruction Slideshare with Examples of Strategies for Gifted Students

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Differentiating Instruction Slideshare with Examples of Strategies for Gifted Students

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This is a differentiated instruction presentation from Computer Using Educators of British Columbia.