Supporting Teachers in Blended Learning

Supporting Teachers in
Blended Learning
Environments
Pat Errico, Asbury Park Instructional Technology Specialist
Heather Hay, Imagine Learning NJ APM
Today’s Topics
1.
Defining blended
learning
2.
Creating the foundation
3.
Differentiating PD
4.
Integrating the data
- Clayton Christensen Institute
for Disruptive Innovation,
Blended Learning Model
Definitions
Benefits of Blended Learning
Increased student confidence
Greater student access to
high quality content
Increased equity through
instructional scaffolding
Restructuring of face-to-face time
for higher order thinking
Embedded 21st century skills
Access to real-time student data
High levels of student engagement
Personalized learning for all students
Access to flexible groupings and more
opportunities for individualized
instruction
Additional opportunities
for teacher collaboration
Increase teacher efficacy
- National Center on Time & Learning, Supporting Student Success through
Time and Technology
“…efforts are in vain if they are
aimed at providing an even better
way for students to do something
that they were never trying to do
in the first place.”
-Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker
Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to
Improve Schools
Creating a Strong
Foundation
“Very few people or companies can
clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT
they do. By WHY I mean your purpose,
cause or belief - WHY does your
company exist? WHY do you get out of
bed every morning? And WHY should
anyone care?”
-Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great
Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
• Why does your district/ school/
classroom exist?
• Ideally, what would you like to
offer that isn’t offered now?
• Why is blended learning a good
solution for your school?
Given the competing demands on
teachers, effective implementation
requires that teachers understand
how leveraging technology will
support their current efforts and
better the needs of their students.
-National Center on Time & Learning,
Supporting Student Success through Time
and Technology (p 49)
Mindset and Pedagogical Shifts
•
•
•
•
Whole-group to small-group
Teacher ownership to student ownership of learning
Equal instruction in basics vs. increase in higher order thinking
Consistently adapting teaching practice based on data
- Education Elements and iNACOL, Understanding and
Supporting Blended Learning Teaching Practices (pp 7,8)
- Supporting Student Success through Time and Technology, National Center on
Time & Learning
School
Administrators
Technology
Department
Parents
Aides
Teacher
Leaders/ Tech
Advocates
Planning for
Thoughtful Training
and Professional
Development
Self-Assessment for Professional Development
Topics Resulting from Rubric-Based Reflection
Project-based learning
Building purposeful,
quality stations
Guiding student goal setting
Creating/ changing flexible
groups
Skill-strand strategies
Sharing blended learning with
parents
Encouraging student reflection
Classroom management for
small groups
RtI
Empowering students with
technology skills/ knowledge
Developing quality HOT
questions and conversations
Integrating the
Data
“…Teachers are more likely to
think about differentiating
instruction when provided with
individual student-level data
broken down by concept.”
-US Dept. of Education, Teachers’ Ability to Use Data to Inform
Instruction: Challenges and Supports, 2011.
Possibilities for Planning
• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
• Ongoing coaching (master teachers and instructional
specialists)
• Ongoing training sessions (after school, lunch and
learn, early dismissal)
• Common planning data deconstruction
Proactively Supporting Progress
• Measurement Tools
• Specific walk-through & observation criteria
• Adapted lesson plan evaluation criteria
Kerr and colleagues (2006) found that district leaders communicate
sincerity about the constructive intent of walk-throughs in several
ways. One way is to focus walk-throughs on areas where teachers and
site leaders have ample professional development opportunities and
support to implement changes. … Leaders can also communicate
good intentions by using high-quality data-collection instruments and
training walk-through observers in their use.”
- Jane L. David, What Research Says
About…/ Classroom Walk-Throughs
Proactively Supporting Progress
• Master classroom observations
• Voluntary coaching
• Professional collaboration
• Ongoing coaching (master teachers and instructional
specialists) with increased observation
• Feedback opportunities
Collecting Feedback
What Support Looks Like