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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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Flex Friday Engineering Choice Board Second Grade

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Mrs. DiFiore unveiling her new planting kit.

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Remote Intervisitations
Common Planning w/ Magnet Staff & District Curriculum Specialists every 2 weeks to work on maps and discuss resources

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Amplify Resources (English & Spanish) & Lesson Slides

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Amplify Resources (English & Spanish) & Lesson Slides

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Reading and simulation activities provide excellent opportunities for students to reflect on unit content and to continue to explore concepts independently. To help make these activities doable at home, we have posted PDF articles, Investigation Notebook pages, and copymaster pages (as appropriate) below. Students can also access these resources digitally if a device is available at home.

Note: Both English and Spanish versions of each downloadable home lesson are included in the same PDF. Each file listed below will contain English materials, followed by Spanish versions of these same pages.

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Amplify Science COVID-19 Support - Amplify

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Reading and simulation activities provide excellent opportunities for students to reflect on unit content and to continue to explore concepts independently. To help make these activities doable at home, we have posted PDF articles, Investigation Notebook pages, and copymaster pages (as appropriate) below. Students can also access these resources digitally if a device is available at home.

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Magnet Staff reached out to our District Magnet Curriculum Specialist, D. Cooney, to set-up a PD with staff around what PBL looks like in a remote learning environment.

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Data Says:
Percentage of ELL' s by school Category
53 % Elementary
18 % Middle school
27% High school
* Most ELL's born in US to different language speaking families
* ELL's may fall into 3 educational categories
1. Dual language instruction
2. Transitional instruction
3. ENL instruction
Growth performance without I ready instruction
ELA- +6%
Math- +1%
Growth Performance with I ready instruction
ELA- +46%
Math- +44%
Scaffolds provided by I ready for ELL's
1. Visual support
2.Vocabulary support
3. Audio Clue support
4. Translation of Language support
5. Sentence frame support
6. Graphic organizers

Factors to Consider when teacher an ELL student
1. Language vs. Skill level
2. Who supports the ELL ( ex. service providers)
3. Families
New I ready support
* Lessons can be completed in Spanish for math ( new only to k students this year)
Reports are provided to parents in the Spanish language

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National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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https://www.nctm.org/Coronavirus-and-Pandemics-Math-Resources/

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This will be a series of events, next date TBD - Ms. Clancy

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Ten Ways to Overcome Barriers to Student Engagement Online

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Ten Ways to Overcome Barriers to Student Engagement Online

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Please find enclosed article to support student engagement for remote learning. - Ms. Clancy

http://at.blogs.wm.edu/ten-ways-to-overcome-barriers-to-student-engagement-online/

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District 11 Remote Instructional Plan Companion Guiding Questions

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Instructional Rounds Article

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Instructional Rounds- Miller

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PLANNING FOR ENGAGEMENT: HOSTED BY MS. NIX-MILLER

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District Math Team: Appreciative Inquiry - Ms. Clancy

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District Math Team: Appreciative Inquiry - Ms. Clancy

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This template can be used before a classroom is visited and after for reflection.

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How do we improve our technological practices through various modalities to increase student engagement?

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Voice notes to students in google docs, slides, sheets, and classroom. The voice notes can also be translated into different languages.

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“Teachers who use, “Assessment FOR learning,” involve their students in ongoing self-assessment in ways that reveal to those learners (a) where they are headed in their learning, (b) where they are now in relation to those expectations, and (c) how each student can close the gap between the two.” – Rick Stiggins

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27 Formative Assessment Tools for Your Classroom

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In this post, you will find 27 Formative Assessment Tools for Your Classroom! Formative assessment is such an essential part of the learning process and student success, and many digital tools can help support this process.This list has a wide variety of features and options to help you solidify your formative assessment strategies! Many of the tools below are great for both formative and summative assessments.

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Based on some of the Common Planning sessions, teachers have expressed interest in PD with Deirdre on PEAR DECK AND FLIP GRID.

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For students, parents, and how to facilitate connections between students in a remote classroom

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As university professors and researchers who work closely with K-12 online teachers and learners, we've heard from many newly remote educators who are struggling. Recent class discussions have focused on the difficulties of getting through to students without in-person contact, especially during a time of enormous stress. Some teachers report that their students lack interest and in the worst cases, that students are dropping from classes entirely.

From our experience both in the online classroom and in training teachers to teach online, this is familiar territory and typically happens about six weeks into a new school session. The newness has worn off, the excitement around technology wanes and teachers often struggle finding ways to engage with their students.

The crucial question that has emerged is: how do we engage learners when we are not together physically? It's a complicated question, even in the best of times-one that has been at the forefront of our daily online teaching practice and our research into the online behaviors and interactions that can have the greatest impact on successful learner outcomes. Thankfully, research into online learning can provide us with a starting point to make sure our students continue to be engaged in the process of learning.

There isn't one solution for increasing learner engagement and motivation. Online teachers need to combine multiple strategies to reach learners, such as strengthening relationships with learners, engaging families and helping learners connect with their peers. But building strong relationships online is difficult.

What Is Engagement and Why Is It So Important to the Learning Process?

In its simplest form, engagement is a measure of how much we are attending to a purpose, task or activity. When it comes to learning, engagement is influenced by a learner's level of motivation, focus and cognitive ability as well as online course design and a teacher's decisions regarding facilitation style.

Grounded in the learning sciences, engagement is deepest in environments that support fostering relationships, productive instructional strategies, and social and emotional development. Engaged learners demonstrate stronger satisfaction with learning experiences, stronger achievement in courses and increased graduation rates.

Researchers identify three primary components of learner engagement for in-person and online settings: behavioral, cognitive and emotional. In other words, we know that learners are engaged if they exhibit behaviors, thinking processes or emotions that indicate they are connecting with course materials, with the teacher and with each other.

Measuring these types of engagement is easier said than done, though researchers have settled on some common approaches in traditional classrooms that can easily be translated to the online classroom, where research isn't as far along. Some of these measures will be more difficult for teachers to assess, and some may require teachers to understand and use the analytics capabilities of online tools. Teachers needn't collect data on every single measure, but having familiarity with the following common measurements will allow teachers to determine which factors they can reasonably assess according to the type of engagement they hope to spur.

Types of engagement with common measurements for virtual settings

How can we make the leap from this research to practical application in the remote classroom? The Adolescent Community of Engagement Framework proposed by Jered Borup, Richard West, Charles Graham and Randall Davies gives us one approach. These researchers argue that student engagement is created and enhanced by the involvement of three key players in any K-12 online learning experience: teachers, parents and peers.

Adolescent Community of Engagement Framework: A Lens for Research in K-12 Online Learning Environments hypothesizes that as parent, teacher, and peer engagement increase, student engagement will likely increase until it fills the area indicated by the dotted line. Image credit: Jered Borup, Richard West, Charles Graham and Randall Davies. Used with permission.

How Teachers Can Increase Learner Engagement in a Remote Classroom

One of the most consistent findings in engagement research is that a teacher has an enormous impact on the student's experience, influencing everything from students' perceived learning and self efficacy to their motivation. Being an engaged teacher online means being visible in the class, whether that's through discussion posts, announcements or assignment feedback. Teachers can emphasize their visibility and overall engagement in a remote classroom by implementing these practices:

Post regular announcements: A funny video or meme along with a hello and a weekly reminder of due dates can go a long way in reconnecting learners.

Reply early and often: Students need to feel that teachers are immediately available to help and may feel isolated when educators take a full business day to respond to a request for help. Quick communication builds connection.

Vary communication tools: Teachers should consider the communication preferences of individual students and make sure that their tools are best positioned to respond to students' questions. Phone calls, synchronous video tools, instant messaging or texting are all good options to use in combination, depending on the district's communication policies and student preferences.

Use feedback to build relationships: Providing personalized feedback to let students know their work has been reviewed can strengthen relations. Video feedback is also effective in building a connection with learners.

Physical connections under social distancing: Teacher parades and chalk messages on students' sidewalks are a great example of recent efforts teachers have taken to demonstrate their level of commitment to maintain high levels of engagement with their students. Similar online approaches such as recorded or live book readings and virtual office hours can be just as effective.

How Teachers Can Increase Parent Engagement in a Remote Classroom

Research has shown that the involvement of a responsible adult, typically a parent, is critical to the success of online learners. K-12 learners need the support of a caring adult to build executive functioning, manage their workload and maintain motivation. Teachers can support parents in this role by implementing a few key practices:

Connect with parents: Phone calls, texts and friendly emails help parents feel connected, realizing that the teacher is there to support the entire family.

Provide a schedule: Parents can use a schedule that shows the days and times of synchronous classes and includes what activities students should be working on each day to help keep students on task.

Offer tech support: Teachers can create short videos to help parents understand how to access their online content.

Less is more: Parents can quickly become inundated with well-intentioned emails from various teachers. Keeping emails short and focused is best.

Survey parents: Periodic, brief surveys can help teachers understand what support parents need.

How Teachers Can Facilitate Connections Between Students in a Remote Classroom

Research shows that students who feel connected to other learners are more engaged. In connecting with other learners, students feel that they are part of a classroom community. When motivation for the content itself is lacking, the desire to socialize with other learners can keep a student coming back to the work of a remote classroom. Teachers can improve peer engagement in a virtual setting by implementing these practices:

Use prompts to spark discussion: Discussion boards can be a great space for conversations, especially when teachers use prompts that are open-ended, stir debate or force deeper learning. Prompts can also be used to generate video discussions using a social learning tool like Flipgrid or an online debate tool such as Tricider.

Student talk during synchronous learning: Lectures and focused learning can happen through recorded videos but synchronous sessions offer an opportunity to share and talk to each other as a community. Sessions hosted through Zoom or Google Meet can incorporate traditional classroom activities like jigsaws, small group activities in breakout rooms or discussion protocols.

Group assignments: Learners can create collaborative group projects through a shared Google doc or Google site. For instance, students can collaborate on the creation of an Editor's Toolbox website with grammar tips by assigning groups of students to each page within the site.

Student-led tech support: Students who are exceptionally gifted in technology might troubleshoot or a teacher can create a "Tech Help" forum that students can moderate. Teachers should take care to set up structured guidelines for classroom use.

Carving out time to share: Teachers can allow time and space for students to showcase their expertise, hobbies or projects using a Padlet or Pinterest board.

Figuring out how to effectively engage learners has always been a complex challenge for educators like the ones that we instruct. Identifying ways to motivate students, help them maintain focus and get the most out of learning was difficult when we had physical classrooms and it remains a challenge now that our learning environments are entirely virtual. A savvy educator will employ a variety of strategies to build engagement. By recognizing the critical importance of engaging learners, parents and peers, and selecting the strategies that work for them and their contexts, educators can move toward deeper engagement in online environments.

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How Can Educators Tap Into Research to Increase Engagement During Remote Learning? - EdSurge News

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As university professors and researchers who work closely with K-12 online teachers and learners, we've heard from many newly remote educators who are struggling. Recent class discussions have focused on the difficulties of getting through to students without in-person contact, especially during a time of enormous stress.

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iReady Webinar: Engaging Students Remotely 

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iReady Webinar: Engaging Students Remotely 

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Engagement Strategies List:

1. Poll Everywhere

2. Kahoot

3. Jeopardy

4. Brain Breaks/ Go Noodle

5. Bitmojis (I.e. “Flat Teacher Adventure” Highlighted in The Dish)

6. Memes/ GIFS

7. Use Class Theme

8. Tiny URL

9. Wheel of Names

10. Choice Board (I.e. “Flex Friday” Choice Boards)

11. Virtual Classrooms (I.e. Highlighted in The Dish)

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Include students in the mini-lesson.

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Ms. Miller and Lauren Add Fractions with Unlike Denominators .webm

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Take student interest into consideration.

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This resource can be used to support the display of student work in multiple subject areas.

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Online Instruction Mathematics: May 2020:

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Student Engagement Survey - May, 2020: Ms. Clancy

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Student Engagement Survey - May, 2020: Ms. Clancy

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Online Instruction ELA: May 2020

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I-Ready Online Instruction: Ready - Ms. Clancy

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I-Ready Online Instruction: Ready - Ms. Clancy

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I-Ready Online Instruction: Mathematics - Ms. Clancy

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I-Ready Online Instruction: Mathematics - Ms. Clancy

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This lesson was posted in my math classroom the week of June 1st.

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District Math Team: High Leverage Practices for Remote Math Teaching & Learning - N. Clancy

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District Math Team: High Leverage Practices for Remote Math Teaching & Learning - N. Clancy

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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We’ve compiled an extensive list of 75 digital tools that can help teachers use formative assessment to elicit evidence of student learning.

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Download Assessments and Resources

COVID-19 E-Learning Lessons

Sample Lessons

Assessments
Preschool Assessments: Kindergarten Assessments:
Literacy Resources, Inc. created the 1st grade phonemic awareness Assessments to align to the Phonological Awareness Standards of the Common Core State Standards for 1st grade, and to assess a child's progress with phonemic awareness throughout the school year. The skills are labeled with the Reading Foundations Common Core State Standard for Grade 1. Each phonemic awareness skill that is assessed is part of the daily phonemic awareness lessons written by Dr. Michael Heggerty, founder of Literacy Resources, Inc.

Phonemic awareness is auditory, and should be assessed in this way. Students are not expected to read or write any of the words in the phonemic awareness portion of the assessment; the teacher says the words or sounds aloud and the student responds orally.

Screener Assessment for 2nd Grade and above: The Phonemic Awareness Screener assessment was created to help teachers determine if phonemic awareness should be included as part of a reading intervention plan for a student in 2nd grade and above. Students who struggle to decode words in print or who struggle to encode words when writing may benefit from explicit phonemic awareness instruction. The skills included in this assessment are aligned to the Primary level of the Phonemic Awareness curriculum, written by Dr. Michael Heggerty entitled, Phonemic Awareness: The Skills That They Need to Help Them Succeed ©2020.
Spanish Assessments:
Flashcards

Use with the daily Letter Naming Activity. They can be printed out on heavier stock paper and then cut in half, as each sheet contains two flashcards.

Information on State and National Standards

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Preschool Assessments: Kindergarten Assessments: Literacy Resources, Inc. created the 1st grade phonemic awareness Assessments to align to the Phonological Awareness Standards of the Common Core State Standards for 1st grade, and to assess a child's progress with phonemic awareness throughout the school year.

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Please find enclosed link from our session for 5th and 4th grades on June 4, 2020

https://padlet.com/nclancy5/vc4l20dbjzcn1peb

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ILT - Instructional Rounds with the Problem of Practice

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https://padlet.com/npagan/gdn9bvjpqe5fmuhi

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Sample Split Schedule Considerations 20-21 School Year

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Sample Split Schedule Considerations 20-21 School Year

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Follow Up - Scheduling and Screencasting  Part 3

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Copy of RW-for-English-Language-Learners (1) (1)

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Making content comprehensible through the Read&Write toolbar

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Making content comprehensible through the Read&Write toolbar

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May 11_Summary_Using Read&Write Toolbar to make Content Comprehensible

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Tenatatie Document

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Course Description: Explore the various models of blended learning and the requirements for a successful implementation. We'll discuss learning management systems (LMS), hardware and software needs, and the roles of the teacher, student, administrator, and parents in a blended learning environment.

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Explore the various models of blended learning and the requirements for a successful implementation. Well discuss learning management systems (LMS), hardware and software needs, and the roles of the teacher, student, administrator, and parents in a blended learning environment.

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With virtual teaching wrapping up for the 2020 year, teachers are reflecting on the semester. They are considering what they want to try in the fall and looking at any virtual teaching success stories.

The reality is, all over the country, teachers have been pouring their hearts, souls, and creativity into bringing education into the homes of their students. Sometimes these students rely on those Zoom calls as the highlight of their day. So what have we learned, and what can we use if virtual teaching is a part of the future?

1. Common household materials can turn into STEM learning

What can a teacher do virtually with 6 drinking straws, 5 mailing labels, and 20 marbles? Quite a lot it seems. Megan Skipworth, head librarian at Chapin High School in El Paso, TX asked her students to look for materials to learn how to invent a vehicle.

Skipworth uses TGR EDU: Explore, where challenges are inspired by the TGR program elements like critical thinking. Challenges can be done by anyone in the family using common household items. They also include a 'redesign challenge' to add an extra layer of difficulty. This redesign involves using the existing design and changing up one variable for better results.

2. Choir practice doesn't have to stop from home

Nothing has been as challenging as teaching performance-based electives virtually. Gym, music, and art teachers around the country scrambled for supplies and techniques. And one middle school music/chorus teacher, Tracy Williamson, united her students in song. For the chorus project, students had to record themselves singing a section of the song "Home" by Phillip Phillips. Then, Williamson put together each student's unique track to create the cover song. She surprised students by including a video message from teachers and staff throughout the district. She also put it online for the public to view!

Her students also completed their own version of a Tabata workout song using their own instruments and Soundtrap's online studio's beats and loops. The workout song was used during PE class too-talk about cross-curricular collaboration.

3. The right tools can transform your virtual classroom

Many teachers relied on Google slides, Powerpoint, Prezi, and other presentation tools in their live classroom. But, few transitioned those into their virtual teaching methods like Mr. Jamie Ewing, Science/STEM 5th grade teacher in the Bronx, NY. His Prezi Video about the dying Great Barrier Reef blended the interaction of a top-notch in-person explanation with the clarity of slides kids sometimes need for increased comprehension.

Ewing said in the first few weeks of remote teaching he became "really depressed" because he was sending out lessons that he wouldn't have used in his classroom. "Teaching science and STEM requires high engagement and pushing student thinking in a more inquiry-based way. Sending out docs and slides are absolutely no better than presenting my students with worksheets: digital worksheets," he said. "I needed to find a way to recreate the face to face connection while also integrating an interactive way to deliver content that was more like the explorations we did in the classroom."

His lessons now consist of: a 3 to 5 part series of learning, a read-aloud, a connected learning lesson, and/or a project based learning experience. Even a classmate's four-year-old sibling watched a Prezi read aloud he created, and the parent sent him a picture. "It's small pieces of heart, like this that makes everything I'm doing worth every minute of work..." Watch him work his magic here!

4. Evening Q&As help serve working parents

Some teachers have had to coach families through online learning. This requires more involvement than ever before. Joseph Glatzer, a middle school history teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been zooming not just with students, but with their parents.

"Many parents are feeling overwhelmed right now trying to keep track of all their children's assignments, especially when they have multiple children," he said. So he and a colleague organized evening hours Zoom meetings so working parents could attend.

"They found it very useful and were able to ask us questions ... one parent had made the suggestion that all the teachers put links to their assignments on one page which would be posted on the school website." He shared these suggestions with their admins to make real change in the school.

5. Special guests can be a game changer

What do a Forbes scientist, a two-time Gold Medal Olympian, and a California State Assemblywoman have in common? They've all been featured in Jennifer Cervantes ' virtual classroom as guest speakers. She isn't stopping there. The K-12 public school teacher has even more Zoom plans with military officer, another Olympian, and a movie star in the upcoming weeks.

Her work has been featured in multiple publications already. And she's spreading her techniques through free virtual teaching workshops for other teachers. She plans to teach other teachers in the upcoming weeks.

Cervantes says these topics will cover, "Student engagement (I have almost 100% virtual student attendance and 90% of students show video!), Classroom management and control, How to actually make kids want to watch and listen to the TEACHER over Tik Tok, and strategies to ensure students are engaged in the class and not ghosting!"

She has two daughters under the age of two and hasn't shied away from showing her face, her family, and her stacks of dishes to make herself seem more human to students, in hopes that they will show up for Zoom calls too. Spoiler alert: it's working.

6. Kids (and their parents) might welcome a crash course in adulting

Monica Simpson, a 7th and 8th grade health teacher from Little Rock, Arkansas, gave her students a menu of life skills to try out each week. They just had to pick one, and write about what they learned. Students and parents are enjoying the assignments. "I knew students were tired of basic reading assignments," she says.

Her list of options included: making an "actual" phone call to a friend without texting first, ask your parents to teach you about a bill, cook a recipe from a cookbook, sort laundry after measuring the detergent properly, hunt for an apartment (virtually) with a $1,000 budget, and more. These students are going to be mini-adults post-COVID19.

7. Home visits aren't canceled, just more creative

Dana Darbyshire, one junior high teacher from Cincinnati, OH left the computer screen behind, went for a jog, and just kept on jogging, making her hometown news in the process. She planned visits to pass each student's house. The goal was to check on them to make sure they were "going the distance" with virtual learning. Darbyshire gave students advance notice of when she'd be out front and check on them while maintaining social distance.

She is one of many educators across the country who have voluntarily made home visits a priority, showing the world that face-to-face education will never be replaced by a computer.

8. Tik Tok can be a teaching tool

You know your methods are working when not only current students, but past students, click on your links. Abel Ruiz, a 7th and 8th grade science teacher in Fresno, CA was "skeptical" at first about whether Tik Tok science experiments would reach students as well as other videos he's seen fascinate them.

"I knew that if I really wanted them to remember it I would need to present in a way that they would love to consume," he said. "With that in mind, I created a Tik Tok showing how different variables affect the production of a solar cell; some included the angle the solar cell made with the sun along with the frequency/color of light. This really served as the bases for the rest of the project as they kept referring to it when thinking about solar cells."

9. Forget morning meeting and try a pajama party instead

"Classifying anything as a party for students of all ages definitely helps increase engagement," says Principal Meredith Essalat of Mission Dolores Academy in San Francisco, CA. She participates in calls where a first grade teacher at her school, Rochelle Reid, has been hosting Phonics Pajama parties in the evening.

For 30-40 minutes, the students talk together, and show off their siblings and surroundings. Also, they practice verbal fluency through phonemic awareness activities and work through word problems and estimation games. They even play fun activities like Mad Libs at the end of the sessions. Changing to evening allows parents to be more involved. And parents appreciate the frequency and time of these meetings, which she calls a "celebration of learning, community and friendship."
What are your virtual teaching success stories? Share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group! Also, check out this list of Zoom tips and tricks!5

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9 Virtual Teaching Success Stories We Can All Learn From

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With virtual teaching wrapping up for the 2020 year, teachers are reflecting on the semester. They are considering what they want to try in the fall and looking at any virtual teaching success stories. The reality is, all over the country, teachers have been pouring their hearts, souls, and creativity into bringing education into the homes of their students.

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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We’ve compiled an extensive list of 75 digital tools that can help teachers use formative assessment to elicit evidence of student learning.

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https://www.writable.com/

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Pre-K/ K Common Planning 6.16.2020 Padlet Board

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Pre-K/ K Common Planning 6.16.2020 Padlet Board

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27 TIPS TO SET UP YOUR BLENDED LEARNING CLASSROOM

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27 TIPS TO SET UP YOUR BLENDED LEARNING CLASSROOM

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Blended learning offers amazing benefits to the classroom, with ISTE reporting it meets many of the organization's Standards for Students and Teachers and leads to a "more rigorous, challenging, engaging, and thought-provoking classroom." While true, blending learning has to be implemented correctly to provide engagement and teach classroom lessons.

In its simplest definition, blended learning integrates digital content, like Legends of Learning educational games (edgames), with face-to-face learning. The more technical definition says blended learning integrates digital content with traditional teaching methods; typically requires the physical presence of the teacher and students in a classroom; and gives the student some control over their time, space, and learning path and pace.

27 Blended Learning Tips When Setting Up Your Classroom

To create a blended learning classroom, use some or all of the following 27 tips. The tips can be categorized into three areas: planning, implementation, and improvement. As such, you should find a relevant suggestion for wherever you are in the blended learning journey.

1. Redefine Your Role In The Classroom

You, the teacher, perform a critical part in encouraging deeper learning. However, the role is evolving, particularly in blended learning environments. TNTP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to positive change in public schools, says teachers who employ blended learning should learn to see themselves as people with three distinct responsibilities. These include research and development, integration, and guidance. The three responsibilities may be owned by an individual teacher or shared amongst a team.

2. Start With A Description Of The Curriculum

Writing down what the next two weeks or semester will cover often identifies learning goals, objectives, and outcomes. The description also ensures your familiarity with the curriculum content and helps pinpoint potential digital resources, such as edgames, online quizzes, and videos.

3. Outline Your Goals

Goals strip a curriculum description of the fluff, leaving you with a clear focus and targets to hit.

4. Determine Learning Objectives

Learning objectives quantify goals. Set these so that you can measure classroom and student performance in real time and at the end of a learning block.

5. Define Learning Outcomes

Outcomes define how students will achieve objectives and demonstrate competency in the subject matter. Specific outcomes could include classroom participation, online assignments, oral presentations, et cetera.

6. Choose A Blended Learning Model

Once you have a clear picture of what you want to teach and desire students to achieve, you can choose a blended learning model. The common models number six: face-to-face driver, rotation, flex, online-only, self-blend, and online-driver. Most of the models contain nuances. For example, the rotation model spans rotation stations, lab rotations, and individual rotations. Another common model includes the flipped classroom, in which online content and instruction is delivered online and at home. Students then come to a brick-and-mortar school for in-classroom projects and practice. Some teachers use one or more models to make their classroom content more engaging and rigorous.

7. Explore Different Teaching Methods To Complement The Model

Different models and teaching roles sometimes mean changing up your teaching methods. Some blended learning classrooms, for instance, use team teaching.

8. Use The Right Technology Tools

Software changes often, so it's important to set down the fixed matters first. Goals, learning objectives and outcomes, blended learning models, and instructional methods should dictate the technology choice, not the other way around. In addition, remember that you may need more than one tool. Students learn differently and have unique needs. It's unlikely that one edgame or digital resource will work well for all.

9. Aim For Relevance & Fun, Not One Or The Other

This tip relates to technology in that the tool should be relevant AND fun. That is, the digital content should complement learning objectives and achieve outcomes. If it doesn't, the tool is irrelevant and ineffectual. The tool, though, also needs to be fun. Students won't use a tool they don't like.

10. Design The Classroom As A Blended Learning Environment

Layout and aesthetics affect student morale and the ability to learn. Plus, if you use a specific learning model, you may need to move desks and chairs around. You don't necessarily have to do the work on your own; Mark Philips, a teacher and educational journalist, notes in an Edutopia article that student involvement in classroom design and layout can "empower them, develop community, and increase motivation."

11. Know The Traditional & Online Content

To build trust with students, you need to know the content inside and out. This means revisiting the curriculum content, as well as testing digital content and edgames. You want tools that cement knowledge, lead to application and critical thinking, and motivate learning, not ones that sabotage your efforts or frustrate students.

12. Create Individual & Collective Learning Goals

You established overarching learning goals earlier. Now, combine them with individual learning goals. Students work at different paces and may be on another learning path than another student. Learn to incorporate that information into your blended learning planning to see success with students and the classroom as a whole.

13. Develop A Classroom Culture That Embraces Blended Learning

Esther Wojcicki shares her process for creating a blended learning culture in the book " Moonshots in Education: Launching Blended Learning in the Classroom." She uses the acronym "TRICK," which stands for trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness. With those values embedded in the classroom, students want to learn, grow, and help out their teacher and classmates.

14. Set Expectations

Students achieve when given goals, so set expectations. Let them know how to succeed in the classroom and at home, and they will.

15. Share An Overview Of Classroom Activities, Projects, Playlists & Outside Resources

With overall expectations set, share daily and weekly assignments. The process might not look all that different from standard homework tasks except that they involve online content and opportunities for in-classroom game play. Sharing additional resources for study can be a good idea, too, especially if you claim a couple of high performers or students who need to skip around assignments to stay engaged with the classroom content.

16. Provide Clear Instructions & Routines For Game Play

Students need to know to log out of an application and turn off computers or tablets before moving to a different classroom activity. The specificity is important; students probably don't have to log out at home, so they won't think to do it in the classroom.

17. Give Students Control Over Time, Path, Place & Pace

It can be hard to relinquish control, but students excel when given the chance to direct their learning. They become more engaged with the content because they have a personal stake in their success.

18. Encourage Collaboration In The Classroom & Online

Collaboration gives students the chance to work through complex concepts and to help each other learn. It also offers opportunities for dialogue, which teaches students to position their points with facts and hard evidence. Collaboration should occur in the classroom and online; quieter students, for example, could become extremely vocal online. If you need more reasons to employ collaborative learning, the Global Development Research Center lists 44 of them.

19. Incite Curiosity, Imagination & Critical Thinking

Students start wondering and thinking when you ask, "What if?" You can raise that question through traditional teaching methods and online content. And, the more you ask open-ended and thought-provoking questions, the more students will seek out answers.

20. Challenge Students To Learn & Grow With Authentic, Relevant Tasks

Nothing's worse than busy work, and even a fifth grader has an antenna finely attuned to it. Give students real, curriculum-based, challenging assignments, and they'll complete and compete to finish them.

21. Review Classroom & Online Content Regularly

Online content supplements other teaching tools. As such, you should go over both pieces of content to ensure students' basic comprehension and deeper understanding.

22. Measure Individual & Classroom Progress

Blended learning leads to real impact when it's measured. The work should be fairly easy to do since you already decided on goals, objectives, and outcomes. The Legends of Learning edgame platform simplifies the work further, providing real-time performance reports via an easy-to-use dashboard. Combine its information with your grade book to track and assess progress.

23. Analyze Classroom Impact To Balance Traditional Teaching Time & Student Game Play

Every classroom is different, so take some time to find the right balance of traditional teaching methods and digital media. Many Legends of Learning teachers start with a 50/50 blend and work from there.

24. Identify New Goals & Objectives And Repeat

Once you measure progress and impact, you may discover that learning goals need to change. That's a good thing. Goals should change over time. However, that change means you'll need to continually adjust teaching methods and digital content to see continued success with blended learning.

25. Communicate With Everyone

A blended learning classroom requires communication with everyone-students, professional peers, administrators, and parents. Blending learning works best when everybody shares a belief in the vision for it.

26. Remember The Parents

On a related note, not all of your parents will get technology or edgames. They may work multiple jobs to make ends meet, so they don't have time to learn how the internet works. Help them out with an evening class or individual meetings. By interacting with them on a personal level, you'll see interest, buy-in, and participation grow at home and in the classroom.

27. Be Patient

Finally, remember that it takes time to succeed with blended learning. Don't give up if you don't see the results you want within the next two weeks. Blended learning works if you'll just be patient with it a little while longer.

Try Blended Learning With Our Online Educational Games!

Ready to start your heroic journey into blended learning? Try these 27 tips, then check out what you can do in the classroom with the Legends of Learning platform! Have any tips to add? Please add them in the comments section.
View Our Science & Math Games Learn More About Remote Learning

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27 Tips To Set Up A Blended Learning Classroom | Legends of Learning

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Blended learning offers amazing benefits to the classroom, with ISTE reporting it meets many of the organization's Standards for Students and Teachers and leads to a "more rigorous, challenging, engaging, and thought-provoking classroom." While true, blending learning has to be implemented correctly to provide engagement and teach classroom lessons.

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Virtutal Instructional Rounds: June 24th, 2020 - N. Clancy

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Virtutal Instructional Rounds: June 24th, 2020 - N. Clancy

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Participant 2: Ms. King: 5th Grade Teacher
Subject: ELA

Topic: Spiral Review Point of View: Third Person Limited and Omniscient

1. Loom: https://www.loom.com/share/346d975e74944e8a9dea3094973cd460

2. The Assignment:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zcFn05Eg83D4Sqx0X0qYm52sDY3b79dZzOWiN4mTX9k/edit?usp=sharing

3. For this lesson students would need to know how to  fill in for color and complete the digital maze.(These videos are embedded in the power point as well, but I put them below as well. )

A) Fill in color : ( Loom video for that)

https://www.loom.com/share/0865f9e4f1424acdac8e401aeb692375

B ) Complete the digital Maze--Loom:

https://www.loom.com/share/8e883c15b19d439590187ef64b60bb82

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Virtual Instructional Rounds: June 24th, 2020 - N. Clancy

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Virtual Instructional Rounds: June 24th, 2020 - N. Clancy

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Please find below the first of three lessons that we will be viewing for our first virutal instructional rounds.

Participant 1: Mr. Keidel - Music Teacher:

Here are some activities/lessons that I thought worked well.

In brief, I will call the most helpful platform, for my purposes - "YouTube +"

Here is YouTube + Google Form quiz:

https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/MzExMTcxMjYzMDJa/a/ODA3MDc0NzU5NDla/details

(Note that the video is embedded in the quiz)

Here is YouTube + graphic organizer response form:

https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/MjY1MjQ4MzAzNTZa/a/NzgwNTA4ODU5MDJa/details

(In retrospect, the lesson probably challenged young attention spans as it had too many pieces - videos, song sheets, and all. Also, students had to learn how to fill out the organizer, but it was a useful activity with regards to meeting standards in the domain of responding to and analyzing music).

Here is YouTube + padlet:

https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/NjQ4NDAwODQwMjNa/a/NzU2MDkwNTU5NDVa/details

(This approach worked well with older students who were already familiar with padlet. On the whole I found that students worked best with platforms previously introduced to them by their classroom teachers).

Here is YouTube + comment board response:

https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/NjEyMzk5OTkxOTZa/a/ODQ2Mjk5NjUyODVa/details

(Notice that the video included more than just a song. There were pictures to reinforce the text).

Here is YouTube + movement activity:

https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/NjUzMDk3Mzk4Njda/m/Nzg3ODMzNjMzNTBa/details

You may notice that the lessons above had a 50% - 66 % completion rate, please read to the lower end of that spectrum to account for the lessons that were marked "turned in" but no work was actually submitted. These figures held true across in all of my posted classes, the ones shared above are a fairly representative sample.As it specifically relates to the target group of SWD and ELL, I found that activities that engaged the whole family worked best.

This is not a YouTube project, but I found it well received based on parent & student feedback:

https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/NjEyNDEwMjk4OTZa/m/ODIwMDUxNTg0NTRa/details

(Picking a topic that we can all relate to, certainly helped).

In closing, the lessons shared above might give you a picture of overall student engagement, and you may be able to draw some conclusions regarding the SWD portion of your focus group, but I had a difficult time determining ELL participation. I can't even say for certain that google translate helped at all (translate doesn't always account for cultural variation). As you can see in the sample above, the response comments in the dual language class were written in English.

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Virtual Instructional Rounds: June 24th, 2020 - N. Clancy

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Virtual Instructional Rounds: June 24th, 2020 - N. Clancy

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Participant 3: Ms. Nelson: Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

Loom Video: https://www.loom.com/share/06d9e09c9e7c41d5ac25aedfafa21b71

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Cluster Vertical Planning Padlet - June 16, 2020

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Cluster Vertical Planning Padlet - June 16, 2020

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Please find enclosed Padlet from our vertical planning session on June 16th, 2020

https://padlet.com/nclancy5/can9ubrdzmxuxry0