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)

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.

2 Things to Do Right Now (Part 1)

Who would have ever thought at this time last year that we would be living in a completely different world that we could have ever imagined.  We've been working on moving towards blended and online scenarios in our classrooms, but suddenly last March we were thrust into a completely virtual teaching and learning environment.  Teachers are flexible, resilient and hard workers so we banded together and we all survived the spring of 2020.  I know as May drew near, we all had high hopes of being able to return to a more normal version of school this fall, but it does not appear that will happen.  Here in Texas most teachers are being tasked with teaching both in person while at the same time providing asynchronous learning for their at-home learners.  On top of that, many schools have decided to start out completely virtual while others could end up remote at any moment if COVID-19 rears its ugly head on their campus.  Right now fear and anxiety are running rampant making it hard to figure out just where to get started. 

Over the next couple days, let's take a look at 2 things you can be doing right now to set yourself up for success when schools starts no matter how that may look.  We'll start with the first one today.

A top priority no matter how school looks should always be creating strong relationships with both your students and their families.  In this day of COVID, having that strong relationships and support from families will be such a benefit.  The problem is, how do you make this happen when you might not have an opportunity to meet your students and parents in person.  One easy solution for this is to create an introductory video of yourself.  In the video, tell them any pertinent information about yourself that you want to share, information about your class and how to contact you.  Your video can be as simple as using your phone to record yourself or you can make it more complex by showing some accompanying slides on your screen and recording a screencast video with your picture in it.  

Check out our tutorial on Screencast-O-Matic to learn more about screencasting. 

If you want to take this up one more notch, consider using a tool such as Flipgrid.  By using Flipgrid, you can add your introductory video to the grid and also have your students add their own introductory videos to the grid.  This will help everyone put a face and a voice with a name and help to start building that online community.  You can even continue to use Flipgrid on a regular basis by asking a question of the week so that students are getting a steady dose of interactions with others where they get to see a face and hear a voice.  To learn more about getting started with Flipgrid, check out their Getting Started page.

You can also add in some synchronous activities such as a virtual Meet the Teacher time where you could invite parents and students to log in to Zoom or Google Meet to speak with you live.  This would be a great time to share expectations, give students and parents a tour of your LMS and answer any questions.  If you have families who are not able to join live, you can also record your session so that they can watch it later.  This is even helpful for families who were there live in case they wanted to rewatch a portion later to help answer a question.

Once school gets started and students start their online learning, a great way to help foster that relationship is by always trying to insert yourself into the online course as much as possible.  For example, when providing instructions for an assignment, consider adding in a video of yourself where you explain the directions to the students.  This will help students who are struggling to read, but it also helps students to see your face, hear your voice and get a deeper understanding of what they are supposed to do.  Another idea is to offer live office hours via Zoom or Google Meet a couple of times per week.  This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions or even just spend some time talking with you.

Even though it is more difficult to build relationships in the online environment, it is definitely possible.  Continue to think of ways that you can make connections with your students as you navigate the online world together.

What are some ways that you are going to be creating relationships in the online classroom?  Leave us a comment below.

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

 
     It's been a little while since my last post.  Since then it seems the world has been turned upside down.  We all have a new normal that we're trying to get used to.  I, myself, have been working from home since the middle of March.  Suddenly I went from a job where I was always on the go, driving to different campuses all over our region to work with teachers and visit classrooms to sitting at a desk staring at a computer for 8 hours every day.  I was doing several webinars per day over Zoom for the teachers of my region as well as others who joined us from all over the country.  This new way of teaching and learning was new for all of us.
     Even though I know this has been a super hard transition on everyone from teachers to students to parents, I think that we should take a moment to reflect on the good that has come out of this situation.  We should look at this as a learning experience and reflect on it so that we can continue to utilize effective teaching practices that have surfaced through all of this.
     First, this has forced so many to step out of their comfort zone to try new things.  It might be just trying to get on a Zoom meeting or trying to get started in a new LMS.  Although it seemed scary at first and maybe overwhelming, what I see is a whole new culture of learning and helping each other.  If you look on Twitter or Facebook, some teachers are creating help videos and posting them in order to help other teachers.  Other teachers are creating lessons, hyperdocs and fun templates in Google
Docs and freely sharing them with other teachers around the country through social media.  Through this pandemic, it has allowed the walls of our classrooms to come down and instead of millions of individual classrooms with their doors closed, we now have giant open spaces where we are all free to share ideas and resources while learning from each other.  This is the way it should be.  We are not competing against each other.  We all have the same goal - yes, every teacher at every school in America has the same goal - to educate our students.
     Although this situation has been hard on many students and families, other students have really been able to thrive in this environment.  Am I suggesting that we continue sheltering in place forever?  Of course not, but what we can take a look at is what was it about this situation that has allowed some students to thrive.  I have heard teachers say that their quiet/shy students are participating much more in their online discussion boards.  I've heard others say that students that were given choice boards were really excited and did their work without even being told to do it.  Still others have said that the flexible schedules have allowed their students to be more productive.  Let's think about these things.  The quiet/shy students are quiet in normal classrooms.  Why is that?  Maybe they are scared to speak in front of others or maybe they need more time to process before giving an answer.  Given the online learning space, these students can have the time they need to process their answers and post asynchronously whenever they want.  They also don't
have to speak up in front of 30 other kids.  That can be intimidating to anyone.  Can we continue to offer online discussion forums, Flipgrid and other ways to interact online when we return to face-to-face school?  Absolutely!  We've also seen a lot of choice boards or playlists being assigned to students.  Students are really enjoying the freedom to choose what they do instead of being told and having everyone do the exact same assignment.  I mean, who doesn't like choices?  This is another easy thing that we can take back to our traditional classrooms.  Finally, many students are now able to choose their schedules each day.  Am I a morning person?  I can get up early and start working.  Night owl?  I'll do my work after everyone else goes to sleep.  Maybe I can only sit still for 30 minutes at a time.  Now I can take as many breaks as I want.  I know what you are thinking.  No, I'm not crazy and I know that kids can't just go to school whenever they want when we return to the classroom, but we should take some of these things into consideration.  Think about offering more choices on when, where and how students get to learn while offering flexible times and spaces in which to do it.  Why do we all have to sit in desks in rows?  What if I work better laying on the floor?  What if I need more frequent breaks while my neighbor wants to just plow through and get everything done without stopping.  Why can't we have it both ways?
     During this time, I have heard from teachers and read several articles that talked about how blended learning classrooms are faring during this time of remote learning.  Although blended learning by definition must include at least some instruction in a face-to-face setting, (so they are no longer in a blended learning environment) blended learning teachers and students seem to be faring better through this situation that others.  Why is that?  I think one lesson we can take from them is that they already have the systems and procedures in place for digital learning.  Blended learning teachers already use an LMS such as Google Classroom or Canvas with their students.  They already use many digital tools such as Flipgrid, Quizizz, Kahoot and possibly even online learning software such as Imagine Learning, IXL or Lexia.  All of this translates into a much easier transition from the face-to-face world to the digital world.  Blended learning teachers are still using playlists and have small group meetings with their students only now they are doing it through Zoom.  Students are still moving forward in their learning because they know how to own their own data and how to track their learning goals.  So, do I think that remote learning will last forever? No.  But, I do think that it would be in a teacher's best interest to learn more about blended learning so that they can take advantage of these systems and processes, but also because it is an effective way to personalize learning for all students.  Just think about how many gaps your students will have in their learning when school starts again in the fall and unfortunately all of their gaps will be different.  The ONLY way to meet all of these needs in the fall is going to be through personalized learning.
     Once again, teachers are the heroes that they always have been.  We've become good at making lemons out of lemonade.  Just because things return to normal doesn't mean we have to throw out the lemonade!

If you are interested in learning more about Planning for the Win with Blended Learning, check out our website for live Zoom sessions, recorded sessions and resources.  Feel free to reach out to us and schedule a live training session or brainstorming session.