WHITE SNAKE, road markers & classroom procedures

Yeah... this time White Snake is teaching us something about the classroom, folks.  Routines and procedures help any and every lesson run more smoothly.  The more complex the task or pedagogical approach (like blended learning) the more you'll need to establish R&P.

But first, as my kids like to blurt out when they're excited to share some tidbit of information unrelated to anything I'm trying to talk to them about...

It's time for a... 

Did you know that we haven't always had stripes in the middle of our highways and roads?!  In 1911, the first striping of a road was done in Michigan.  A standardized approach placing stripes on roadways wasn't really agree upon by the states until the mid 1970's!  What the what?!  Yep... Before the 1970s, some states had stripes and other's didn't.  Some stripes were wide and some were narrow... Some stripes were yellow and reflective and other stripes were white and non-reflective.  Isn't that crazy?!  I mean... just from an observational perspective... it's kind of weird to think about.

What if you were driving from Michigan to Texas and, as you entered each state, there were missing lines or the lines were different colors or different shapes?  It would be weird.

Interestingly enough , studies have been done to look into how stripes affect driver's safety... and, guess what, butter cup?  Roads with stripes have few wrecks and people tend to stay closer to the speed limit than roads with no stripes. 

Turns out that the hashed lines help drivers gauge how fast they're going.  And the stripes themselves keep drivers on the right side of the road.  

If you don't Belize me (I'm already things about summer vacation, ugh)... then check out these two websites (I did the research for you, so you don't have to...). The first one is an article on the history of road markings and the second is a pretty dry research site on the topic. 

AND

So, what this really boring research does is address White Snake's (and your student's) need for direction.

Without routines and procedures, your assignments and activities may be perfect, in and of themselves.  There may be directions written on the paper or on the board, but what underlying set of elements important to the task have not been addressed?  Can the kids talk to each other? When? To what extent? Can they work on the floor? If they need a brain break, do they wait for you to tell them or can they take one on their own?  What is proper for peer to peer interaction? What is proper for peer to teacher interaction? Are these expectations posted so everyone can see them?  Have they been reviewed and, more importantly, consistently supported by the teacher AND the students?

Read the following lyrics, but from a student's perspective as they are lost in a lesson and looking for those routines and procedures in your classroom: 

Tho' I keep searching for an answer

I never seem to find what I'm looking for

Oh Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on

'Cause I know what it means to walk along the lonely street of dreams

Here I go again on my own

Goin' down the only road I've ever known

Like a drifter I was born to walk alone

An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time

Man...the kid singing those lines above is lost and just needs something small to get back on track. I feel for them :)

So...

What do road stripes have to do with White Snake and routines and procedures?

Small lines on the road help save lives.  For the most part, they don't have to be enforced.  Drivers can gauge their own speeds and stay on the right side of the lines... as long as someone paints the lines and tell them what they mean.

It's the same thing in your classroom.  You don't have to create a giant encyclopedia of routines and procedures to get kids to follow them.  YOU don't have to be the only one to enforce them if you empower students to keep each other in check.  

How many times have you put together what you thought was an incredible lesson only to watch it fall apart in an implosion of confusion or a need for you to over-explain the expectations?  Maybe the lesson really WAS awesome, but the classroom routines and procedures were not.

David Coverdale pleads "Tho' I keep searching for an answer, I never seem to find what I'm looking for."  If he only had  "Ask 3 before me".

Poor, confused David Coverdale

Routines and procedures: not just an elementary need.

Tiny, supported shifts in expectations can do wonders.  This tends to happen more in elementary classrooms.  What we secondary level teachers tend to assume is that our students come to us as civilized  human beings fully equip for our lessons.  Fill in this blank space a story from your class. 

 Yes, we need routines and procedures in secondary as well. 

Resources

What are some resources, Charles?  Glad you asked! 

Though this list isn't exhaustive you will certainly find some food for thought here.   Is there currently an issue in your classroom you can’t solve? Rethink the issue through the routines and procedures lens. 

Mull over R&P for everything from how students interact to how do they turn in assignments to what to do when they have some free time to...

Checklist for R&P

30 routines and procedures to think about (Elementary) 

40 (yes, 40... sorry) things to consider regarding R&P

12 Classroom R&P for secondary ELA

Highschool R&P for several items including substitute teachers 

Helpful tools for R&P: 

• timers
• R and P charts
• colored coded folders for tasks 
• in and out boxes for work
• key words to signal transitions 
• music to signal transition
• Listen to 1980s music to revisit our glory days (this one is mainly for me)

Hey, boo! Don't ghost your students!

If there's something weird

and it don't look good

Who you gonna call?

GhostBusters!

 

Speaking of which (or is it witch?)...

Did y'all hear about the one where a dude picks up a drenched girl off the side of a road? She sits in the back seat and directs him to drive her to her house.  He gets there to drop her off, turns around to tell her they are "home" and she's gone with only a puddle of water where she was sitting.  Curious and confused, he goes to the front door to see if the girl somehow walked into the house without him seeing her.  One of the parents opens the door... he relates his story... and the parent(s) reveal...

THAT WAS MY DAUGHTER, BUT SHE DROWNED 10 YEARS AGO THIS VERY NIGHT!!!!!

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and then we're all like... 

The girl was there and then she wasn't.  It happened without any communication or reason.  The ghost ghosted the guy.  UGH... so traumatic!!!

Ghosting is such a crazy and traumatic event that when someone has been dumped out of the blue with little communication or explanation as to "why"... we call it ghosting.  We expect something that doesn't materialize and, so, we get very very lost and disoriented.

When we expect one event, but are left with a dead end with no communication as to what to expect or do next... you've been ghosted. 

Friedrich Nietzsche once said that human beings need "horizons".  That is, we need boundaries to help limit our expectations and guide our actions. Without "horizons", we don't generally know where to go and what to do.  So we fill in the silence with negativity.  We're lost.  We're "ghosted".  We're annoyed at the lack of guidance in our thoughts and actions. 

In this new online COVID education world there is a need to redouble our efforts to not "ghost" people in our lives, including our students. Here are some suggestions we have to help your students feel more guided and less "ghosted":

• Set up your online course with bread crumbs
• Where do students start?
• Where do they move to the next item or activity?
• Do students have a map in case they get lost? Do they know where they are?
• Do students know how to get back to home-base?
• Where do students end?
• Use more than words to communicate
• Create buttons to navigate your pages
• Use super short videos, GIFs, and images to guide
• Colors and shapes can help guide (think of red octagons and what they mean)
• Bullet points like these help organize a list on a page
• Send out regular communications
• Email or reach out every Monday to let students know what to expect
• Tired of typing emails? Use a video instead.
• Communication can happen via Insta or TikTok... be creative 
• Wrap up your weeks with a summary communicaiton
• LOOP YOUR PARENTS IN AS WELL!!!!
• For every negative email you send... send a positive one (to save your sanity a keep a positive view on what you do every day)
• Answer your students as quickly as possible, but within agreed upon times
• Tell students when you tend to read emails so they know when to expect a reply
• Try to reply within 24-48 hours
• Even if you can't answer them... reach out to say "I got your email.  Give me a moment"
• Fill in that "ghosting" with some sort of information so they don't fill in that silent gap with false assumptions 
• personalize... start the communication with the student's nam
• "Hey MacLamore!  Great to hear from you..."
• DO NOT allow yourself to be accessible 24/7... you'll get burnt out
• By that same token... be accessible when you say you will be accessible
• Reach out to socialize
• Don't be afraid to send images or short comments that help build your culture
• Ex. Hey guys, I went shopping this weekend and this picture I took at the mall reminds me of what Lauri said last week in our discussion!!!
• Need more tips? Check out a previous post concerning the new Educational Land of Confusion world that we live in... and some tips to work around that confusion! 

If there is something weird in your online 'hood 

and it's confusing or don't look good... 

Who are your students gonna call?  

Hopefully, you. 

Solutions: If this, then that.

 If you guys are looking for several practical ways to convert proven face to face activities into an online format, please check out our "If this, then that" page.

In the far left column you'll find face to face actives that many teachers use.  In the center and right columns you'll see online approximations of those activities and how to make them (in the far right column).  

Have fun pursuing through this resource.  If you happen to have an online activity you'd like to share, just reach out to us and we'll add it to the growing list!

2 Things To Do Right Now (Part 2): Start Small

By now I'm sure that everyone is on system overload from all of the digital resources that have been thrown around since this whole COVID-19 stuff began.  It seems that everywhere I looked there was how-to videos, blog posts, Twitter chats and more about all the different digital tools out there.  Honestly, I've been feeling system overload too!  I've talked to so many teachers over the summer as they have come through blended and online learning training sessions, and I think the biggest thing I have heard is how overwhelmed they all feel.  Believe me. I get it!  Many of the teachers I've worked with are trying to learn a new LMS, plan for both online and in person learning as well as figure out how to incorporate digital tools to make learning fun and engaging.  So, you might be wondering - What was my advice to these teachers?  Start small.  

It seems so easy, but it is so true.  Start small.  Don't feel like you have to learn everything in one day or even in one week.  Learn one thing at a time until you get good at it and feel comfortable with it.  Then you can move on to the next thing.  Believe it or not, your students will appreciate this tactic as well.  It's hard for students to constantly be learning to use new technologies, new logins and new procedures every day.  So, take a deep breath and give yourself permission to have the gift of time to learn while you start small.

I know what you are thinking.  Thanks for the advice, but I still feel overwhelmed because I have no idea where to start.  Let's take a look at a few tools that can get you started.  

First, if you are not totally comfortable with the LMS you are using, you should definitely start there.  In

fact, you might even be wondering what does LMS mean.  An LMS is a learning management system. This would be a tool like Canvas.  If you don't even know how to post things in your district LMS, then there is no sense in learning other tools such as Flipgrid, Padlet or some other cool new tool. If you need help getting started with Canvas, Google Classroom or Seesaw, check out our LMS Specific Resources Page for how-to videos and help documents to get you started.

Once you have mastered your chosen LMS, then you can move on to some other tools that can add some additional engagement to your online course work.  A few of my favorites that are easy to master, but can have many uses are Padlet, Vocaroo and Screencasting.  

Padlet is a great tool that is like using sticky notes with an online bulletin board.  There are so many

different ways to configure the board that it makes it so versatile.  The more I use this tool, the more I think of new ways to use it.  A few ways that I have seen it used is as a graphic organizer, a brainstorming board, a way to give feedback, KWHLAQ, a place to post and vote on book trailers, a repository for resources and so much more.  If you are ready to take the plunge and try out Padlet, check out our Padlet how-to video.

Vocaroo may seem like a simple tool, but once again if you think outside the box, there are tons of ways to use it.  Vocaroo is a tool that lets you record audio online.  The thing that makes this tool stand out is that you don't need to create an account and it's so easy to use.  You simply record and save and Vocaroo

generates a link to your audio recording just like that.  This tool is especially useful for early elementary teachers and students who may not be able to read yet.  Teachers can easily create audio directions to go along with any assignment in just a few clicks.  This program is so easy that you could even teach your students as young as kindergarten to use the recording feature in order to make it easier for you to hear students reading or even to collect audio responses for assignments.  Now don't rule this out if you teach older kids because this is always a great tool to use for students that need oral administration of tests or even to add to assignments so you can give some extra context through audio.  If you are interested in learning more about Vocaroo, check out our Vocaroo how-to video.

Finally, let's take a look at one of my favorite things - screencasting.  Screencasting is when you use some type of software to record your screen and your voice at the same time.  Most screencasting tools also allow you to use your webcam and have your own video appear as well. In fact, the how-to videos that are

linked in this blog post were all created with screencasting software.  There are many different types of screencasting software out there - some that are really expensive and others that are free.  Let's take a look at a free tool that I really like.  Screencast-o-matic is a free screencasting tool that you can use to create your own short teaching videos to post online for your students.  All you need to get started is something you want to share on your screen such as a Google Slides, a page in your LMS, an assignment you want to explain or anything else that you might want to use in a lesson and you'll be ready to go.  To learn more about using Screencast-o-matic, check out our Screencast-o-matic how-to video.

Remember to start small.  Choose one tool at a time to focus on and continue to grow your online tool belt each week.

4 tips to avoid the Land of Confusion in the Covid-19 era.

My favorite lines from this song have always been:

Now, this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given

Use them and let's start trying

To make it a place worth fighting for

With the "new normal" of the COVID-19 world, there will likely be times when our daily tasks and routines are disrupted to one degree or another.  Tonight, President Trump suspended flights to and from Europe, the NBA has suspended the season, and there are questionable hoarding practices (toilet paper, really?) by far too many people.

Once the wave of disruption reaches your locality, it will NOT likely be like a bad weather day.  The disruption probably won't be corrected later in the school year using one or two predetermined "make up" days.  This coming front will be decidedly different than our last cold front.

IF... that's a strong IF... you have to start considering your own personal classroom contingency plan, consider the following:

1.  Take care of yourself & your loved ones: If you're not ok, then you won't be of any educational help to your students. This includes maintaining communication and connection with fellow teachers and staff.  Your campus is NOT simply the physical brick and mortar.  The cultural fabric of your school is made of relationships which can continue and gain strength in moments like this.

2. Reach out: Use tech resources like Remind, Zoom, Flipgrid, or even emails to check in on your students.  They need normalcy and you can provide that for them by simply checking in.  Make sure to reach out to parents as well to let them know what you are offering and when.  Make parents a part of the process if at all possible.

3.  Stay positive: It's a scary enough world already for most of our students and the "coolness" of sitting at home will wear off quickly enough.  Student's parents may be experiencing lay offs, a variety of material shortages, and/or a surplus of anxiety.  Act like a hero even if you have to fake it.  Model for your students that teaching isn't just a "job", it's a calling.

4. Be a rock: Move your teaching to an online format.  Teaching online means offering a predictable schedule/routine that your students can rely on and look forward to.  If you can keep your school schedule in place, then do so.  If you need to move somethings around, then do so.  But try to be available the same time each day and the same days each week.  It's times like these where you are literally the foundation of civilization by doing that thing you do.

4. Keep teaching: Whether you're an online expert, a blended guru, or something else, your lessons can serve as an appreciated addition to the "new normal".  Try using well thought out, high Bloom's discussion boards.  Learn or experiment with Canvas, Google Classroom, or some other tech LMS vehicle.  Create a "home base" for your lessons. As long as you keep the relationship in focus, keep pushing kids to think.  Keep engaging students with rigorous content/questions.  Keep putting yourself out there for your students. Model for them that the world hasn't shut down, it just look a little differently for a little while.

Don't ask:

Oh, Superman, where are you now?
When every thing's gone wrong somehow?

Rather, be that light that shines in the dark that cannot be extinguished by the dark. 

Who do you think you are, dreaming about being a big star? Equity and Fear

"Kids were laughing in my classes
While I was scheming for the masses
Who do you think you are?
Dreaming 'bout being a big star" 

Goals/dreams are always impossible and nearly invisible things that hang perpetually in our future.  They wait.  They're silent. They almost seem to run away from us.  But goals and dreams, like mile markers on a highway, let us know where we are going and give context to whether we're headed in the "right" direction or not.  

Uncertainty is this weird unmeasurable thing.  It's empty and intimidating.

Risk, however, is quantifying or taking a bite out of uncertainty.

Many of those new to blended learning will count, among the list of struggles, that there is uncertainty in trying out something new in the classroom.  It's exciting, but also scary at the same time. But if you take a measurable step toward Blended Learning then you are controlling the risks involved with trying something new.  You are giving form to uncertainty and, thereby, controlling it.

Change for the sake of change isn't a good idea most of the time.  Change for the sake of benefitting your students? That's admirable.  But change reveals new horizons and those new horizons show us potentially newer and better changes for our student's betterment. 

Change is going to happen. The sometimes slow but always certain current of change has momentum…tremendous momentum. But it is dumb and unrefined momentum, like an undeniable ocean current. Yes, ocean currents can pull you out to the sea, but they can also be used to navigate that same sea in order to reach incredible destinations.

The calculating acts of shifting your sails or pushing the rudder a certain way are risks that help navigate through uncertainty.

The trick in being a teacher is to see the questions their adult selves will ask & address them in the here and now.  I would then base my calculated risks in class based on both my student's real needs and what I imagined their future selves might ask of me.

Change is happening and you can’t stop it…so lean into change by taking a risk.  Let calculated risks help you, your students, & America's Future (patriotic music and eagle noise in background)!

Here's a slide I like to use in our Blended Learning Academy.  It's one example for how to take baby steps toward blended learning.

Start becoming a Blended Learning teacher by including elements of Blended Learning, even if they are only parts and pieces.  If you use a timer, for example, you will be teaching your students time management skills which are crucial in blended learning environments.

Let your students laugh in your classes, let them scheme for the masses... let them dream about being big stars by building lessons for learning instead of lessons for teaching. The choice to be afraid to try new things hurts your special populations and economically disadvantaged more than main streamed students because personalized learning via blended learning is that "rising tide that lifts all boats".  Main stream students are more likely to have support at home, have a diverse background of experiences (ie. vacations, exposure to adults with a variety of career paths, etc.).   In short, focus on build lessons for learning instead of lessons for teaching via the blended learning lens.

If you can't do it in one lesson then incorporate lesson add-ins like timers, stations, student data folders and so on.

Target Runs & Blended Learning Pathways

The Target Effect

My wonderful wife once got lost in Target.  Like... for real for real lost.

She innocently went in to get some gum.

Gum, as most of us know, can be found in the checkout lines at most grocery stores for your convenience.  As in,  it should have been a quick in-and-out operation.

Because of this fact, I offered to stay in the car and wait for her while I totally dominated level 894 of Candy Crush.  After my five lives were up and I asked my FaceBook friends for help I looked up.  What seemed to be about 4 hours had passed, but there was no wife.  I started wondering if I should call the police and file a missing person's report.

Soon thereafter, my wife came out with half a shopping cart full of "stuff" with a "I dare you to say something" look on her face.  I did not say a word.


Because of this event (and many like it), I got curious and searched the Google-inter-webs to see if this occurrence was a nationwide spousal issue, a genius marketing hypnosis ploy, or just my wife's very cute but very real DTMATS (Decreased Time and Money Awareness at Target Syndrome).

You see... Just like how grocery stores place those impulse-buy products near the register in order for you to see them at the last second and think "I need and can afford this $2 (candy, lighter, soda pop, etc)", Target has a hyper-focus on it's adult consumer experience.  Their stores are tech centered, bright, clean, organized, and well stocked.

So getting hypnotized and distracted is understandable and almost fated no matter how strong willed you are!

To get through a Target store and reach your GOAL without giving into distractions takes strength of character, skills, and a plan. But fret not, Target is organized in such a way that you can use their subversive powers AGAINST them.

The key to getting into and out of a Target in a timely manner is creating a PATHWAY map, at least mentally.

I know... keep laughing.

Creating a map with a pathway to get you into and out of that place while reaching your purchasing goal helps save time, money, and something I like to call marital energy.

Constructing pathways in a Blended Learning lesson is much like constructing a strategy for a Target "run".  In both cases, you must organize experiences so no one gets "LOST" in sections they don't need to be in.


Getting Started With Pathways:

A great first step is to pull out a trusted and loved lesson plan and actually make a physical flowchart.  What happens first? What is the teacher doing? What are the standards? Which question stems are being used?  But most importantly, is every student doing the same thing at the same time?

If your lesson is too linear (ie. only a single pathway for your students to follow & they're all doing the same thing at the same time), try to find a spot in your lesson where you can offer students a choice in how they do the work, learn the content, or express their learning.  Voila!  Just with these additions you have created three different pathways!  Next,  add those different paths to your drawn out flow chart.  If need be, use a game like Chutes and Ladders or Life as your mental (or actual) template.  Whatever you do, create multiple paths for your students as they make their way through the content.  Don't let them suffer from the Target Effect.  Don't let them get distracted by unnecessary facts, activities, lectures, etc. if they don't actually NEED them.

How?


Consider the following:

• Your higher level kids may already know much of the information in a lesson so don't let them get lost in a pointless lecture... give them something else to build upon.  Challenge them either with differentiation in CONTENT, PRODUCT, or PROCESS.  Not all three, necessarily. Heck, let them choose which one to differentiate!
• Your low or ESL students may need more videos and images to more easily fill in their gaps in knowledge. So give them teacher made or Khan Academy made videos.  Expose these students  to images or visuals.  Maybe even have these students express themselves in a medium that speaks to them.
• Your GT kids may need and want more challenging tasks or more open ended tasks.  They'll certainly get distracted by low level expectations, so don't be afraid to raise the bar using tools like Sandra Kaplan's Depth and Complexity sheet. 

Construct the learning experiences for each of the groups in a way that they won't want to wonder away from their sections.  You could begin constructing pathways by surveying your students past experiences with that particular content.  Make those gaps visible somehow and then build around them.  Further, get to know their learning styles, not just their favorite summer memory.  Get to know them as learners and you will, in fact, get to know them in a deep way.

Your role, after your pathways are constructed, will be to facilitate the learning instead of pushing the kids to learn.

If your students only need to get "gum" in an upcoming lesson, don't make them go through the clothing and house keeping sections.  They'll get bored, pull out their phones, and become discipline issues. 

Fight the Target Effect in the classroom. 

And pray for me and my wife the next time we go to Target.  We usually go in for one thing and end up in a situation that looks a lot like the following video...

Don't let your lessons be like this... add pathways!

The Hero's Journey: Failure

Failure and the Hero

Spider-Man, Into the Spider-verse is a wonderful little offshoot of the Marvel Universe.  Miles Morales is bit by a crazy radioactive spider and sort of reluctantly becomes his universe's new Spider-Man after the original dies.  (Those aren't really spoilers).

When this new teen hero comes of age in the movie, a song can be a herd in the background: What's up danger?  The hero, Miles, comes to terms with the fact that a great power has been thrust upon him and he can't simply sit back and let other's take on challenges that are now his by right.

So the song, What's up danger, is indicative of that choice to meet "danger" head on instead of hoping that things just "turn out well".  The line "What's up danger? Don't be a stranger" underpins Mile's decision to welcome the challenges that are inevitable.  That's not to say he goes looking for danger unnecessarily, he simply doesn't shy away from challenges that present themselves as he works toward the common good.

In so many ways, teachers that invest themselves in other people's kids are heroes in the making.  I use the term "in the making" because a hero's journey happens without a final arrival.  Being a hero is an active journey, not a destination.

As educators, we will have a variety of students with a variety of needs who all want to take a variety of pathways in life to reach their various goals. It seems like a herculean task IF we assume that all of this variety must be owned and planned for ONLY by the individual teacher.

THAT IS THE OLD WAY OF TEACHING AND THINKING!

Your task is NOT to take on your student's present and future on your back and think and act for them.  Your task is to develop learning experiences that allow for a multitude of expressions and growth on the part of your students. 

You get bored when you go to PD that is cookie cutter and doesn't speak to who you are.  So do your students!  Variety, differentiation, and individualized learning are a moral imperative in education.

So how do we start this difficult and seemingly complex new calling in our classrooms?

Start small and celebrate the small victories.  You can't know how to hit towering home runs until you understand the nuances of swinging your hips, not dropping your shoulder as you swing, the need for strong wrists, and keeping your eye on the ball.  The small things add up to the big things.

The Hero's Journey

So, whether you are starting off with Blended Learning, Project Based Learning, or some other new fancy pants way to prepare for learning... you gotta start small, celebrate small, and progress incrementally.

As you an see in the image to the right in "The Hero's Journey" image, failure is part of the success.  Odysseus, Hercules, and other great heroes of the past went through very similar trials and tribulations before their ascension.  The journey, though, looks very similar to the many struggles we face and humans beings, demigods or not.  The small victories add up to the big ones. 

How to fail better

1) Break down large tasks into small tasks - the big stuff doesn't happen unless the small stuff happens.  Focus on the small stuff first.  Make sure it's in order.  Make sure you complete small step #1 before worrying about or moving on to step #2, and so on... Small failures are learning opportunities.

2) Keep track of your victories - All habits were originally a choice.  Keep track of your small choices and small victories.  Act on the small victories repetitively until they become good habits.  Document your past failures and how you overcame them.

3) Celebrate - Don't be afraid to "self promote".  Students, parents, administrators are saying things about you (likely good things!).  It wouldn't hurt to add your own voice to the chorus.  Be your own PR director.  Celebrate what you do well and send those celebrations out into the ether! Use instagram to give parents a window into your classroom.  Join twitter chats and share your lessons.  Join FB pages and ask for ideas to make your great lessons better.  Read books.  Celebrate your failures and lessons learned with others. 

4) What's up danger? - When a baby begins to walk and then falls down, you don't see parents chastising and bemoaning the baby's "failure".  We would NEVER learn to walk LOL. We support failing baby walkers until we are celebrating walking baby walkers.  Meeting your "danger" head on. Get ahead of the curve.  Anticipate your challenges.  Don't fret.  You WILL fail at some point.  That's a given.  What isn't a given is how you react.  The hero will never arrive at their destination.  The hero can only be a hero within the context of their journey and struggle.  Be a hero for your students. Meet your challenges and struggle in front of them and continue your journey... preferably with a smile.  Take on your failures head on and make them your friend. 

5) Blended Learning - If your mindset is ready.  NOW go reread our blog posts, attend our Blended Learning Academy sessions, read Blended Learning books... Fail for your students sake. 

How to Become A Man (or Woman) With a Plan

     I know what many of you are thinking... All this theory and explanation is great, but seriously just give me a lesson plan template to fill in and I'll be on my way.  It's okay, you can admit it.  I'm a realist.  This is what we kept hearing from teachers, so Charles and I both researched different templates for blended learning, but let me just tell you, the results were not good.  They looked like a regular lesson plan and included things such as objectives, digital tools used, in-person components, etc.  The problem is that it was just a list of items going down the page.  Blended learning is not a linear list.  It's fluid and sometimes circular, sometimes not.  Sometimes it heads in a million different directions and sometimes it all converges into one.
     In our quest to make all of our teachers happy, we continued looking for the perfect way to lesson plan.  One day Charles came upon the image to the right that can be found at this link.  We shared this image with one of our administrator groups about a year ago and got good feedback.  We realized that showing these icons helped them to understand what blended learning could look like and also to make the connection that it still uses pieces that we have always used such as assessment, small groups and independent work.
     We decided to take this idea to the next level and create icons that our teachers could use as hands-on pieces to see how their lessons transform from traditional at the beginning of the academy to blended by the end.  We created our own cards and added a few more icons so that teachers had some manipulatives to use.  You can access our cards, here.  These cards are used to plan different iterations of blended learning lessons as well as lessons done using different models.  Once you lay the cards out in the way that you want your blended learning lessons to look, then you can simply fill in the details that go along with each of the cards.  Let's look at a couple examples of lessons that teachers have mapped out using the cards in our academy. (More examples are included in the icon card file)

     As you can see in the images above, blended learning does not fit in linear boxes down a page.  So, if you want to be a man (or woman) with a plan for blended learning, then I suggest that you print out a set of our blended learning icon cards and start laying out your blended learning lesson.  If you want to try to create these blended learning maps digitally, try using this template that I created.

     Have fun planning and please be sure to tweet out a picture of your blended learning map to us! @MrsShawGTT and @Thrasymacus

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto: Relationships and Data in a Blended Learning Experience

There's a line in the song Mr. Roboto... 


🎶 The problem's plain to see
Too much technology
Machines to save our lives
Machines, de-humanize 🎶

Many of us, including myself, once derided cold data's "over use" because it seemed to dehumanize the student.  My son, Charlie, for example, is more than his STAAR score or IQ or whatever... Grades are incredibly subjective by nature, especially if you consider what gets weighted more and what gets weighted less.

Which is a TRUER indicator of student learning: homework grades, test grades, standardized tests, conversations, exit tickets???  Further, how do we weigh those assessments so that the final number is a true indicator of the student's actual understanding???  UGH!!!

But... the aforementioned data CAN help refine a process to help scaffold learning to push my son to achievement more than he is currently.  Data can help teachers create personalized learning experiences that create greater engagement and frame the learning.

Data is a tool for learning, not the goal of learning.

As you've read through these blog posts, we certainly hope that you've picked up on a concept that some supporters of blended learning under emphasize.  Namely, at the core of the personalized learning experience that blended learning affords is the duality that data tracking and conversations can inform and build relationships and relationships help guide student achievement via data analysis.

The benefits to implementing blended learning lessons, those that incorporate student/teacher analysis of data in order to personalize the learning experience via flexibility in pace, place, path, time are aplenty.  Did I just use the 1930's farmer term "aplenty" in a blended learning blog?  You betcha buttons I did!

Those benefits, which include higher student engagement on tasks, higher student achievement, further development of future ready skills, and so on, are rooted in how teachers prepare for student learning via breakdown of data.  The data, formative or summative, can take on the guise of exit tickets, quizzes, exams, discussions, and other assessments.  In our Blended Learning Academy, we work with teachers on the idea that none of their old quizzes or exams need to be thrown out when blended.  They simply need to be re-purposed.  The exam, for example, can now be used as both a pre-assessment and post-assessment to gauge growth in a blended lesson.

In one of our recent Blended Learning Academies for administrators, Shelly and I did an immersive activity.  Our participants were immersed in a blended lesson that focused on federalism.  We gave them a pre-test on the topic with 5 fairly basic questions.  Used the responses to group our participants.  Each group was then put at one of three stations.  Station 1 was with me, the government teacher where I would walk them through the concept of federalism, introduce relevant topics, and assess via high level questions all the way through.  Station 2 had participants researching five Supreme Court cases that dealt with federalism disputes between the state and national governments.  They were asked on an instruction card to look for patterns and talk about those patterns.  Station 3 had students discussing in small groups what a future federalism court case or issue might be.  They had to talk about the future possibilities and come to a consensus on the topic and how the Supreme Court might rule.

Each group's size was determined by the participants performance on the pre-assessment (the session average was a 65).  The participants who scored higher on the assessment were given more autonomy, the middle group had a scaffolded exercise to guide them, and the lower group was with me, the teacher.  We also rotated.  The first rotation was longer since I wanted to the lower scorers to stay with me a bit longer.  The second rotation was a little shorter. The third rotation was about as long as the second.

We then pulled the group back together after the rotations and had them take the post test.  The session average at that point was a 95 with the lowest grade being a 60 and the next lowest being an 80 and every else scoring a 100.

We then all debriefed, first, about federalism and the lessons we had learned.  Second, we talked about the station rotation model that we used and how it could be co-opted into a variety of classes and resource rich or poor circumstances.

All of these conversations were centered around the particular types of data we had collected.  Pre quiz, post quiz, conversations, peer to peer reflections, and even body language.

At the end of the day, participants stayed behind to talk and the conversations tended to gravitate to that lesson and how the data drove the experience and the experience was a social one where learning occurred at high level.  The participants were very friendly with me, the teacher, and we all felt social connections, but to be honest I didn't ask them at any point about their favorite color or food or where they grew up.  Our social bond presented itself as a tangent to the data break down and my scaffolding of their learning experience.  They learned something new and seemed exhilarated by the experience and felt a social connection to me... but that social connection was steeped in the content and data.  I hope that makes sense.

The data in essence gave the context to a rich learning experience that allowed us to bond over the discovery of surprising facts about federalism.

So in the blended learning environment, data is not an end in and of itself.  The data is used to personalize the learning experience for each student so that they can achieve greater heights in F2F and online modalities.  The two worlds blend better together when data informs what needs to be online and what needs to be face to face.  Relationships grow because student's dendrites are being excited by experiencing success that is hand crafted (by their own hands hopefully) especially for them.  The analysis of data answers the question how should I teach, what should I teach, what should go online, what should be small group, what should be whole group, and so on.

Me gusta data. 🤖❤️

Engaging Online Assignments Not Another Brick In The Wall

The online pieces to your Blended Learning lessons should cary all the personality and excitement that your face to face pieces have.  Online learning portions shouldn't simply be another brick in the wall of a boring virtual structure (see what I did there?!).

One of the difficulties in designing blended learning experiences has to do with your attitude.

Maybe I should say, it has to do more with your personality and how you project that personality into a virtual or online environment.

Since helping to develop Region 11's Blended Learning Academy with Shelly Shaw and teaching some hybrid college government courses on the side, I have wrestled with the concept of portraying my dry, but lovable, personality online.

In a face to face environment, it's easy.  I just tell all of my old jokes always careful to keep timing in mind.  I read my audience to see how far I can take my sarcasm.  I insert analogies or metaphors for the concepts that need scaffolding.  I make sure my body language is supporting the atmosphere, whether it be serious or joking.  Etc, etc, etc.

In blended learning, however, you're not always there when the student is working on your assignment.  If you drop in a joke or sarcastic remark in an assignment like a discussion post, students will not hear your tone or see the body language that you might have been attempting to deliver.  Misunderstandings or, worse, missed punch lines may occur.

So we have a choice, either have a robotic online environment and risk disengaging students at home OR  find a way to convey our classroom culture and our personalities in a way that translates effectively online.

If you simply want to have a robotic online environment, stop here.  You have no need for the rest of this post.

Ok, glad they're gone.

Robotic online environments can be said to be 2D.  Flat might be another word.

In our efforts to create a deeper online experience, a 3D one, we have to really dig into our emotive experiences in the classroom and try to find ways to replicate those experiences online.  That is not to say that telling the same joke in the same way will suffice.

It means we have to find ways to design learning in a way that our personality traits might be felt or duplicated online to keep those emotional classroom connections alive.

For example, in my online discussion posts I want students to think deeply but not be threatened by the possibility of getting a "wrong" answer when they spend their time and energy on a discussion prompt.  To alleviate the tension, I look for meme's or videos that accentuate the questions prompt and ADD to the content as opposed to simply being static. unproductive, or passive side items.  I also ask opinion and value questions, but ask them to support their thinking with citations or other people who think the way they do.  There is NO right answer, but there is a right process.

When discussing federalism in my hybrid college course I ask students to dive into Federalist 51, the Federalism chapter in their textbook  and answer the question "Is federalism still relevant in today's world? Please support your opinion.".

In order to answer this question, students have to a) understand the concept of federalism b) understand what the Founders wrote about it in Federalist 51 c) understand how it works in today's world d) judge whether it is still a viable system.

That's pretty dry.

To import my personality, I don't tell a joke or a funny story.  I find a video that IMPLIES my sense of humor but also adds depth to the discussion post and the content.  In the following clip, I also ask students to explain what the clip has to do with the federalism prompt (answer: Mr. Burns is the US government and the bugs are the states... they are both selfish and interdependent which allows for a stable environment to exist, for the most part.  The door frame can be seen the US Constitution or Congress).

So the video conveys my humor, the content, and furthers the question prompt.

In many cases, asking students to make connections between their experiences and your content is good enough to carry your personality and make an assignment 3D.  Using analogies, metaphors, memes, jokes that lie within the scope of your content is the best place to start.  You can also use lensing activities in this same way.  For example, you can ask students "What would George Washington say if he were a part of this book... or listening to this conversation... or in charge of so and so?"

Creating opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding of content via interactions or reflections with you or peers is also useful.  For example, you can post a question in a Padlet and have students reply with images or videos that you leave comments on would be a great way to carry that classroom culture into the outside world.

Creating a hashtag for students to post Instagram images to would be a similar 3D experience as long as you are actively engaging with their artifacts at some point.

Even though it isn't directly your personality that is being projected, the above examples project THROUGH your personality and help develop a better online environment.  

Video Killed The Radio Star: The Buggles and Blended Learning

Sometimes small and innocuous changes in the way we do things leads to revolutions that aren't seen until they are directly on top of us.

Case in point... Go ahead, hit play and listen. :)

Especially the line "and now I understand the problems, you can see. I met your children, what did you tell them?"

  

When the Buggles, a name derivative from mixing the words bugs and The Beatles, released this video and MTv played it as their first ever video, the world was in the throws of change.  During the radio age, all that mattered was the voice and the music.  The Buggles, as implied in the album's name, "Age of Plastic," predicted that the advent of video and VCRs effectively killed the older radio stars.  Now, because of the advent of new technologies, a new generation of artists would synthesize music, technology, and aesthetics (note the oversized sunglasses are meant to portray a "bug's" eyes) to produce the NEW stars.  Stars like Madonna and Prince and stations like MTv and VH1 were now not only possible, but fated.

Video allowed the artist to fully flesh out their vision and music beyond lyrics and sounds.  Their thinking became visible.

Sure... Radio continued, but radio as the main and only medium through which music was sold and consumed was over. Eventually, MTv gave way to CDs, MP3s, and finally Spotify and Pandora.  The consumer's need for personalized access to music, when and where and how they wanted it, could not be ignored or denied.

Video killed the radio star and we ALL celebrated it.

In a very similar fashion, a better understanding of the brain, technology leaps, and the push for equity for ALL students has placed an unyielding amount of pressure on the old "sit and git" and "sage on the stage" way to teach.  I might argue that YouTube killed the old way to teach.

Notice, I did not use the word learn.  Students are learning under the old regime, but in a way that can be characterized as the "soft bigotry of low expectations" kind of way.  In "sit and git" classrooms, when students ARE inspired and excited to learn something new, unfortunately, they are likely self-medicating by turning to an instructor who personalizes their learning: YouTube.

There is a tension in many classrooms between the advancement of the personalization of learning happening all around us and the master of the content who still wants to lecture or show off what they learned about Texas History fro their 1980's college days.  In so many cases, Google and YouTube are better teachers in a fact based, low Bloom's environment.

Blended learning with its emphasis on flexibility, student empowerment, and a nod toward the outside-the-classroom world is the Buggles of today.  "Teaching" is now more about guiding students to not need us (empowerment), because in many cases they really don't need us.

In previous posts we talked about the umbrella visual's portrayal of flexibility in place, pace, path, and time as it is driven by data to create personalized learning experiences for students.  So what are the benefits?

Student Benefits:

• Ownership over their own learning goals
• Learning that happens inside and outside the classroom
• A greater reliance on peer to peer feedback and refinement practices
• An end to the view that the teacher is the "master" of the student's learning and success
• A stronger community fabric with peers and the teacher
• Greater ability to express their knowledge in a variety of ways to authentic audiences
• More retention because the learning is personally authentic 

Teacher Benefits:

• Students are better engaged and less discipline issues
• Students are afforded more leadership opportunities and are less of a discipline issue
• After the front loading of planning, more T.I.M.E.
• more time to guide
• more time to reflect
• more time to build relationships
• more time to become better at letting go
• more time seeing that investing trust in students pays off
• more time to evaluate because students are helping in the grading/evaluating
• Pride in helping to create independent learners
• Inspiration brought on by students who creatively display their knowledge
• Getting help from students in planning lessons and/or integrating technology
• A new way to breath life into old lessons
• Contributing to a skill set that will help small human beings grow up to be successful larger human beings
• Parents will see at home what you are doing in class and they will be thankful for the view

Like all things worth while, becoming a Blended Learning teacher takes time and effort.  Start off small, find what works for you and your students, and build around successes.

The difference between the song and the video Video Killed the Radio Star is a small tweak in delivery and an acknowledgment and incorporation of the new ways.  The Buggles became both radios stars and the harbingers of the demise of radio stars by moving in a new-ish direction.  They carried what worked in the old system and married it to the new system.  You can do the same and your students will thank you for it.