Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Using "Teacher Video Selfies": A Free Resource from Harvard University

I recently returned home from China where I conducted teacher training on phonics strategies and activities for English teachers. Below is my super-professional selfie that I took with the teachers on the last day of the training.


Believe me. I don't usually take selfies with the teachers I work with. But I posted this photo because of the relevance to a concept from Harvard University's Center for Education Policy Research: Teacher video selfies to analyze evidence of your teaching and your teacher performance. The resource, entitled "Teacher Video Selfie: A self-guided module for analyzing videos of your own instruction", can be accessed here. Essentially, teachers record two 10-15 minute teaching segments, and then teachers watch their videos to analyze their performance and self-direct adjustments to their instruction. While watching their videos, teachers write notes about what they notice. Then teachers analyze their notes with guidance from the module/toolkit to learn how to effectively conduct self-observations and set goals for improvement. See the link to view the step-by-step procedure.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Characteristics of a Good (Implementation) Coach...and Educator

When you think of a "coach", what comes to mind? I think of an athletic coach. But what about coaches in context of literacy instruction or fidelity of implementation? This past week, I participated in training new implementation coaches who were recently hired to oversee schools implementing the Reading Horizons program. At the beginning of the training, we discussed the implementation coach vision by identifying characteristics of a good coach. Note how these characteristics apply to both athletic coaches and implementation coaches in educational contexts.


Characteristics of a Good Coach

A good coach…

…takes you back to the basics. A good coach knows that the best way to learn and improve is by doing.

…knows that if you want to get better at something, it takes practice…a lot of it.

…breaks the process into steps, and then pinpoints specific areas needing work.

…focuses on proper form early on to ensure the development of good habits.

…helps you master one thing at a time.


Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Online Learning Guidebook

A colleague invited me to post a link to a new Online Schools Guidebook. This resource provides information about popular online resources, including Khan Academy and MIT Open CourseWare, as well as provides helpful guidance when considering various online programs.

The introduction paragraph provides a good synopsis of the value of the resource:
"Online education has come to an interesting point in its over three-decade-long lifespan. No longer seen as a passing fad or novelty, it has gained widespread acceptance and credibility, not only by the general public, but from those in the field of education as well. As attitudes have favorably changed over the years, so too has the state of educational options online; thanks to this widespread acceptance, there are more choices than ever before for potential students. That’s where this guidebook comes in: we analyze the current state of online education, where it stands and where it’s heading. We’ll take an in-depth look at the benefits and experience of an online education; choosing an online school or program; the methods, technologies and resources employed by schools in program and course delivery; online learning and students with disabilities; tips for student success; and many others. You’ll also find helpful observations and advice from online education professionals."

The guidbook can be accessed for free here

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Blended Learning Resources

Blended learning employs an appropriate balance between—and implementation of— technology and face-to-face teacher/student interaction to maximize a student’s learning experience. Blended learning is generating interest and gaining increased attention in K-12 and higher ed contexts. Although blended learning is gaining popularity in classrooms across the country, there are still many teachers who are just beginning their quest to learn what blended learning is and how to best implement it in their classrooms. There are several resources available to assist with meeting this objective, some of which are listed below.

Resources Available to Learn About Blended Learning:

Khan Academy, the Clayton Christensen Institute, and Silicon Schools have teamed up to provide a Blended Learning 101 course, which shares a myriad of resources to promote and implement blended learning. The course takes participants through a five part course with resource guides and over 40 videos that teach different models and how to select resources. View the course here.

The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation is a non-profit striving to solve problems related to health care and education through research. Learn more about blended learning on their website here.

The Blended Learning Universe (BLU) provides several resources to inform and instruct on blended learning implementation, including videos, guides, and a directory of blended learning sites world-wide.

Aspire Public Schools has produced a Blended Learning 101 Handbook to guide teachers through the orientation and implementation of blended learning.

I recommend reading the book Blended, which provides a practical overview of the what, why, and how of blended learning.

I recently wrote a white paper on blended learning that explains what blended learning is and the models associated with Blended Learning.

My colleague, Tasi Young, recently conducted a webinar on blended learning. The recording can be viewed here. Tasi is also featured on a recently-produced blended learning video which can be viewed here.

Dr. Charles Graham, professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University, has published several articles on blended learning. Video demonstrations of blended learning are available here. In addition, Dr. Graham discusses the six P's of blended learning, which can be viewed in the video here.