Ever wish you had an easy-to-follow checklist when designing learning for students? I know I have…often. Some of my colleagues effortlessly design amazing lessons, but I have to plod through each point. But lesson design is something that is critical to ultimate success in the classroom for each student. That’s why I’d like to take a moment to share my latest version of the outline I use. At the end, you will find a custom GPT you can use to get an AI spin on ALDO.
You can also explore this choice board organized with the outline in mind:
As you work through this list, ask yourself, “What schema or plan do I follow?” If you show me your district’s mandated lesson plan format, well, that may not get the job done. At the end of this blog entry, I’ll share a heuristic, a Google Doc, that you can use. I like it because it combines many resources in one place and works to help you more efficiently plan your lesson design.
For now, let’s work through the major components of my Amazing Lesson Design Outline (ALDO). Ready? Let’s get started.
Did You Know?
Robert M. Gagne’s Theory of Instruction (1965) offers some suggestions worth revisiting. He divides instruction into nine events. Those events include 1) Gaining attention; 2) Informing learners of objectives; 3) Stimulating recall of prior learning; 4) Presenting the stimulus; 5) Providing learning guidance; 6) Eliciting performance; 7) Providing feedback; 8) Assessing performance; and, 9) Enhancing retention and transfer. You might also enjoy Mike Schmoker’s Focus: Elevating the Essentials visual or Madeline Hunter’s version. Some prefer the Gradual Release Model. When considering amazing lesson design, it’s important to remember this is well-traveled ground. Find what inspires you.
1 – Relationships First: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Connections
“Teachers must place a strong emphasis on rigor, relevance, but most of all, on developing relationships with children,” says Dr. Asa Hiliard, former Director of Urban Studies at Georgia State University. I’ve seen this firsthand. Let me share that with you.
Watching my wife, a masterful second grade teacher, you’d never guess she had an outline. Her lesson design first includes building powerful relationships with her students. It has her finding out what TV shows they like, what they like to eat, their life story, and building connections through an ongoing conversation with her class. She focuses in to connect academic content to specific students. Her approach leaves me in awe. When she asks her students to get to work, they do. When it’s time to behave, they do.
The first part of my lesson design outline? It’s build relationships. As Dr. James Comer (Yale University) says:
No significant learning can occur without a significant relationships of mutual respect, teacher to student.
“Brain-based learning can positively impact student motivation, attitudes and academic achievement,” say researchers. Without relationships, students won’t trust what you have to say. Absent powerful relationships between students, you have no community. And that would be a tragedy because of the next step.
2 – Assessment
As coaches and teachers, we have to, as Dr. John Hattie says, “Know our impact.” If you don’t know where students are, you will be unable to give them feedback on future growth. Worse, students won’t be able to self-regulate their own learning when given feedback. Students have to be clear on what they are to know and do. They have to know where they stand in their own learning relevant to growth.
To gauge where students are in their learning, you need to assess them before, during, and after. And those assessments can be low-stakes. They can tie into a wide variety of strategies that are proven to work, including retrieval practice and spaced vs massed practice. They can also rely on a wide variety of digital tools designed for that purpose.
Tip: You may want to use the SOLO Taxonomy to chart student growth. Learn more about SOLO via this blog entry.
3 – Teaching and Learning
The first step for those savvy with brain-based learning research is to engage students. Once you have figured how to best engage students, give thought to another question.
“What high-impact approaches align to the learning intention?” That’s a question that kept me up and reading. How can we align effective, evidence-based strategies to students’ learning needs? You can find a variety of evidence-based, high-effect size strategies that you can use at the best time.
Remember, only rely on one strategy at a time. For example, don’t try to put in place two teaching strategies like direct instruction and flipped classroom. Pick one. The same for students. Avoid trying to teach students to do concept mapping and outlining at the same time. Focus on one until you and your students can do it really well.
Social Media Response to ALDO
Thanks to those of you on social media who have shared ALDO with others. Here’s what some of you are saying:
Fantastic visual representation of the stages of learning and using a critical lense when creating lesson experiences! I can’t wait to use this with our new Ts as they continue to deepen their thinking abt. teaching/learning. Thx!via Meg Burke
Thank you for this wonderful resource! I’m definitely sharing it with my teachers! After having a coaching conversation this morning with a teacher about her PBL lessons, this is a great resource for deep and transfer teaching/learning with intentional design. TYvia Myla Lee
The “Amazing Lesson Design Outline” (ALDO) created by Miguel Guhlin @mguhlin for @TCEA features mountains of terrific teaching strategies intuitively organized. Wow! https://bit.ly/3A99v6M via Todd Finley
Get a guided introduction to Hattie’s work via the TCEA Strategies That Workcourses. What’s more, you get powerful videos, a $49 TCEA membership, and CPE hours for the same or less than buying a book. You have fifteen courses to choose from, including the latest Evidence-Based Teaching course.
The Evidence-Based Teaching course provides a detailed walkthrough of the Amazing Lesson Design Outline (ALDO), including the research underpinnings. It’s the perfect way to introduce your instructional coaches, teachers, and administrators to research that works. Participants earn 12 CPE hours, a digital badge, and certificate upon completion.
4 – Assess and Gauge Progress
As you did in Step Two, take a moment to re-assess students. Discover where they are in relation to the learning objective(s). You can rely on existing goals.
A Cry for Help: I Can’t Form an Online Community
An email request for help came in the other day. My diagnosis? The teachers had not put in place (yet) what they needed to create a sense of community. As a result, it made everything they tried to do difficult. My prescription? Intensify relationship-building efforts with teachers and students. Also, put into place the following tips:
2- Set up criteria, such as a rubric, not as a staff assessment but, for a self-assessment checklist teachers can use when planning lessons. That checklist is the Amazing Learning Design Outline (ALDO) that appears later in this blog entry.
4-Implement coaching for results. I like Diane Sweeney’s model and suggest you explore the Coaching for Results series (Parts Three, Four, and Five are relevant here). Diane Sweeney has a handy one-pager that is designed to assist coaches with teacher work. It incorporates formative assessments, including entry/exit tickets.
5 – Reflect
Make sure to take some time to reflect on what worked and what did not for both you and your students. What role did technology play in enhancing teaching and learning? You might also ask yourself, What could I do differently next time? How can I assist students in becoming more metacognitive about their own learning experience?
Remember that reflection isn’t only for you as the teacher. It is also for students to engage in.
Get ALDO, the Amazing Lesson Design Outline
Ready to get the ALDO? Keep it by your side as you are planning a lesson or preparing activities. The links to digital tools and resources will soon become gateways to new ideas.
Let’s take a moment to walk through the creation of the prompt via video:
Update 2/5/2025: Please note that ALDO has been updated with the latest effect sizes from the Visible Learning MetaX database, and converted to Canva format (Canva is free for educators). Feel free to make copies and share widely so long as credit is given as indicated and original authors (cited in bibliography on page one) remain included.
We have closed the door on 2021 and have just opened the door to 2022. For myself, 2021 was an improvement from 2020, but it was still filled with lots of new situations to navigate. I can say that I am excited to see what 2022 will bring all of us. One can only hope that we are moving onward and upward!
But before we fully say goodbye to 2021, I still want to recognize what the team at TCEA has accomplished this year. Along with creating new online learningopportunities for you, they were busy pumping out useful resources and tools that you can use and sharing their thoughts on the latest research. They were able to tackle writing more than 275 ed tech blog posts this year. Bravo! Here are the top 20 ed tech blog posts that mattered the most to you and the rest of the world this year. Let the countdown begin!
20.Frayer Model Template for Word Analysis. Need a quick way to introduce students to tough vocabulary? In this follow-up to “Semantic Maps Made Easy,” see and download Frayer Model templates.
18.Five Fantastic Browser-Based Digital Tools. Here are a few browser-based digital tools you didn’t know you needed, but that can save you time and effort. And they work on any device.
15.The EV3 Robot Retires. What’s the future of LEGO robotics with the announcement of the EV3 being phased out? Here are all the answers and recommendations for you.
14.The Power of Post-It Note Teaching. The lowly Post-It note can be a powerful teaching tool. Learn how to print things on it and about an app that is Post-It fantastic!
13.Easy End-of-the-Year Activities. In this post, we’ve collected activities for both in-person and remote learning that can help you end the school year with some fun.
11.Choice Boards for Elementary Learners. Take your elementary classroom to the next level with these choice board examples and templates. Your students will thank you.
10.Pineapple Charts: Learning from Your Peers. Pineapple charts help educators easily learn from each other. Using pineapple charts makes scheduling that learning simple and convenient and doesn’t cost a dime.
9.Assessment-Based Feedback Tool: Blooket. Dig into another game-based system you can use to enhance blended learning, formative assessment, and practice testing. The free tool? Blooket.
5.Free Classroom Posters to Engage Students. The classroom posters in this blog can be used for special months of celebration or hung all year long. Take a look — they’re all free!
3.2000+ Lesson Plan Templates and Ideas for K12. Discover a wealth of lesson plan template resources and treasures in this searchable collection for grades K-12 in all subject areas.
2.Digital Math Tools. Get your students excited about math with these digital math tools and resources, all of them free and ready to use!
If you’re needing to bring people together in a new situation, then ice breakers are one way to do that. If you’re wanting to encourage self-assessment and reflection, entry and exit tickets can work wonders. But a different type of icebreaker and reflection tool can also be handy: the dicebreaker and the dice debrief.
The process for setting up a dicebreaker is simple:
Since the printed dot count ranges from one to six, assign each number of dots an activity or question for a total of six.
Pass out or share a die with each group of students. If using stations, you can place a die at each station, then have students roll that die upon arriving.
When students roll a number, they share their coordinating response with others at the station or in the group.
Want a list of digital dice? Be sure to read Peggy Reimers’ Try Your Luck with Five Free Virtual Diceblog entry. Dice can be used for many activities and games in the classroom. Discover five virtual dice options you can use with your students today.
I’ve taken the liberty of remaking it with modifications.
You can use dice debriefing activities as entry or exit tickets, for example, to engage students in self-judgement and reflection. Known as self-judgment, research has shown its importance as it enjoys an effect size of 0.75 (as of John Hattie’s latest research). Self-judgement and reflection have the potential to “considerably accelerate” student achievement. It is proven effective when students self-assess knowledge before learning and then reflect and self-evaluate for understanding post-learning.
Connect with Elizabeth Vanderveen Heinrich. Inside-Outside Circle twist on the @TCEA Dicebreaker warm-up activity. Transitions back from holiday break and getting everyone talking is a win. Special thanks to teacher Elizabeth Vanderveen Heinrich – Source: https://tinyurl.com/tceadbe1
There are several strategies you can take advantage of in the classroom. Each can make self-judgement and reflection a daily occurrence, even routine, and you can use dice debrief activities to engage students this way.
4th graders learning more about each other and kicking off fitness class with “dicebreakers.” Special thanks to OJR Elementary Health and PE. Source: https://tinyurl.com/tceadbe2
Need More Inspiration?
You may have found these templates useful, but there are many more online. A Roll and Respond list of questions caught my eye. It included questions such as:
What are you looking forward to?
What are you looking forward to doing?
If you could spend an hour with someone, who would it be?
If you could have something to help, what would it be?
How would you describe this idea to an alien from outer space?
How is this the same or different?
Find some more ideas in this Wakelet collection, Dicey Learning.
You can also use dice to incite and guide creative writing. Create your own Roll a Story like the one below:
Why don’t you give making your own dicebreakers or dice debriefs a go? Do you have any other ideas or ways you’ve used dice in your classroom? Please share with us in the comments, and if you try any of the activities mentioned today, let me know how it goes.
The header graphic was made with Sketchpad. Get the Sketchpadfile via this link, save, and open via the Sketchpad website.
But, Wait, There’s More!
Several of you have taken the DiceBreakers/Debrief templates and made your own. Below, you will find a few that have been shared:
Research has shown that multitasking is impractical and leads to lower quality results for projects completed concurrently. We sympathize with the multitude of tasks you’re responsible for on a daily basis, beyond your typical (shall I say pre-COVID) tasks, and those were already overwhelming. Everybody needs more time to do more things…to do ALL the things. How can TCEA 2022 help? Well, we can help maximize your convention planning, so you get the most out of your time. And, in this post, we’ll share some resources from two of our online Thought Leaders that can help you out in your day-to-day work.
TCEA 2022 Convention Badges
With the leadership of TCEA’s Board, Convention Chair Mindi Vandagriff, and the intentional planning of the Convention Advisory Panel, TCEA has curated its upcoming event to serve the needs of those 1) who are up for the challenge of a jam-packed conference, 2) who are strapped for time, or 3) who are on the fence about what to do.
1. Up for a jam-packed conference?
If you’re up for the challenge of filling your professional learning toolbox to the brim and your bag full of swag, and joining all the special events in between, you probably want to go for the TCEA 2022 Full Conference badge. This is an all-in-one solution that includes full access to in-person sessions and both of the available online packages (Bridging the Learning Gap and Social-Emotional Learning). You’ll have access to 30 days of self-paced learning for a potential of 50 extra credit hours, in addition to in-person attendance! Pack your schedule by checking out the mock schedules curated by your peers, viewing the full session listing and handpicking sessions, or visiting the Attendee Services desk to get the help of a veteran attendee.
2. Strapped for time?
No problem. You can choose a combination of TCEA 2022 registration badges. We’ve got you covered. For example, attend using the one-day badge, then add on one or both online packages. Or attend the exhibit hall and add an online package. Make a combination that works best for your availability. If you need flexibility, online packages and one-day or Exhibit Hall badges may be just what you’re looking for.
3. On the fence?
On the fence of what you can or should do? Uncertain of travel? Not sure whether you can get coverage over the dates of the event? No worries. Dive into two specialized TCEA 2022 online packages. Whether you purchase one or both, you will have access to livestreamed presentations, on-demand sessions, and all content available at your own pace for 30 days.
Jennifer Gonzalez Provides a Gallery of Solutions
For those unfamiliar with Jennifer or her Cult of Pedagogy resources, you are missing out! We’re sharing just one of many videos, resources, and blog articles Jennifer has provided, but this one takes the cake. The entire concept is to stop pushing the easy button on teaching. It’s something we revert to when things get tough, but Jennifer brings you some ways to revise and retool to improve your lesson plans without adding to your plate.
Check out this synopsis, then dive deep into her ideas to further improve here. Additionally, you can learn more from Jennifer Gonzalez next February by being a part of either of the two TCEA 2022 online packages.
Jorge Valenzuela Shares Where to Start
Do you want to focus on well being and social-emotional opportunities for yourself, your students, your campus, and your district, but don’t know where to start? Learn from Jorge and his guest podcasters who dive into how it takes true teamwork to make SEL possible and successful.
Jorge’s SEL in Actionpodcast examines many of the facets of the SEL framework and how to gradually make this a part of your teaching. You can alsolearn from Jorge during his in-person sessions at TCEA 2022 or in the Social-Emotional Learning online package.
You should also check out a multitude of articles showcasing time-saving tips and tricks here on our TechNotes blog. And let us know if you need more ideas; TCEA is here to support you!
Maybe you’ve heard the saying that whoever is talking is the person learning. Or, the teacher should do less talking in the classroom than the students. Both of those sayings have truth to them. With that in mind, let’s see if there are benefits to student-generated podcasts.
How Does Podcasting Benefit Students?
Through discussion, discourse, and debate, students can gain a deeper understanding of content and language and grammar skills. Research indicates that students who create podcasts show improved language, speaking, and grammar knowledge. They are also more confident in using academic vocabulary in context. The podcast creation process incorporates high student engagement, which increases the likelihood that it may also positively impact student achievement. And using student-generated podcasts can be a strategy for learning in early elementary up through college. Be sure to check out thisResearch for Student-Created Podcasts Wakelet collection for specific and deeper study.
A Simple Podcasting Process
That all may sound good. But many teachers feel that having students create podcasts will have a high learning curve; it could end up more like herding cats. No worries! We’ve got you taken care of with a template for you to use and a drop-dead simple process. Let’s take all the technical mumbo jumbo out of it! To make it easy to go through, we’ll share the who, what, when, where, and how you and your students can take learning to the next level with podcasting.
Remember the KISS – Keep It Super Simple (or something like that). Keep the process as simple as possible– at least initially. As the students become more comfortable and skilled, then you can add more expectations. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is no “one right process” to go by for a great podcast. I recommend checking out the following rubrics for ideas on defining the roles and teamwork necessary for each group. Having the rubrics will also help your students self assess (and peer assess) between group meeting times with you. A few rubrics to check out for ideas include:
University of Missouri Podcast Rubric – This is a slightly older rubric; however, you will find that many of the sections are still very relevant and usable.
ReadWriteThink Podcast Rubric – This rubric is most relevant for a high school English or science class as it refers to a podcast addressing a thesis argument.
Pacific Lutheran University Podcast Rubric – This one is nice in that it fits on one page, but addresses pretty much everything. Depending on the age of your students, you may want to tweak some of the wording.
University of Northern Iowa Podcast Rubric – Though unclear as to the author, this rubric does an excellent job of identifying the different details and criteria for creating a podcast. Consider using this one when identifying roles and steps in the process. Older students will do well with this, but it’s too complicated for younger learners.
Kathy Schrock’s Podcast Rubrics – Kathy has compiled six different rubrics for you to consider. Click on the link given and then scroll to the Multimedia and Apps Rubrics section.
Step 2: Explore and Choose Tools for Podcasting
Screenshot by author
If your students have cell phones, then they all can record audio. But they may need to check to see that their apps can save and share the files in an MP3 format. Or you may be using school-issued devices such as Chromebooks or iPads. Below are a few of the tools and apps you might consider during your planning and producing stages.
Having students create podcasts is a great learning strategy, but it is best implemented once you understand your students and how they work. Decide on how many class sessions they will have to produce the podcast. You will also need to determine if the students are to work on the podcast outside of class or if they will record during class time. Initially, review the rubric that you will be using with your students, go over the process for recording, and outline the pacing of the project.
TIP: Podcast Recording Environment
It might be that students can only work on the podcast while in your class. If this is the case, it might be necessary to allow students to step out into the halls to record or to visit the library to record briefly. You may have the benefit of being in a larger room so that groups can spread out. If your school encourages “bring your own device” (BYOD), students may find that they can easily record on their phones outside of class and use class time to piece it together and post it.
Unless you are trying to compete in a student podcast competition (such as theAnnual New York Times Student Podcast Competition or NPR’sStudent Podcast Challenge), realize that perfection may be nice, but is not realistic. It’s okay if there is background noise, as long as the student speakers can still be heard. Make the learning fun. Be creative with where students can record and with your expectations of what is acceptable.
Step 4: Practice Podcasting as a Class
While some tasks work well for individuals, podcasting is definitely not one of them. With project-based learning, students are more successful when they have clearly defined roles, working together to accomplish the task.
You may want to initially have just one large group, the whole class, as you create the first podcast or two. This will allow everyone to get familiar with the process and expectations. It will also allow students to explore the different roles, how they interact, and understand how each role is critical for the project’s success. Yes, initially, it will be teacher-assigned, but you are working towards having students take ownership of the grouping and even the roles over time.
Step 5: Group Students for the Podcasting Project
Once the process is understood, at least in theory, break students into groups, assign roles, and, initially have them all work on the same podcast. Consider grouping students as you would for other assignments in which each group has a good mix of academic levels. There should be the same roles within groups, and it will be important to scaffold the grouping process over time.
Steps 6 and 7: Assign Podcast Topics and Start Recording
Initially, you may consider having students work on the same topic as they learn the process. Yes, that means that if you have six groups, you will have six podcasts on the same information. Each group may address it in their way, but they will all be using the same information. For example, they may podcast about chapter three of their textbook or chapter five of the class novel. Having the students listen to the other groups’ final projections will spark some ideas on how they can enhance their next podcast.
Once student groups have a podcast or two under their belt, start varying the topic or perhaps have student groups each record an episode related to a subtopic of a broader topic. This allows students to become experts on sections of information. These podcasts can end up replacing your lecture or enhancing it, giving students ownership in their learning. Though each group will be creating a podcast for a particular portion of the content, they are all accountable for all the information. This means they should both understand it and be able to apply it in different situations. (This is similar to the Jigsaw approach in teaching.)
Step 8: Check in Regularly
Just like you attend regularly-scheduled staff and faculty meetings, it will be helpful to schedule regular, though short, meetings with each group. This will give students the opportunity to report on their progress, challenges, solutions, and next steps in their process. As such, you will be mentoring them on how to manage themselves and other group members. The goal is for students to be successful and accountable for their learning. As you have students add to the podcasts, you can begin using them as a review for quizzes and exams. This will hold students accountable to make sure they have all the needed information in their episode(s).
Step 9: Publish the Podcasts with a Template
For simplicity’s sake, here is aGoogle Slide template to use for publishing your podcasts. Google Slides isn’t considered the typical method of publishing/hosting podcasts. But it does offer a bit more security over who has access to the podcasts. Once a student group has completed their podcast, have them upload it as an MP3 file into their Google Drive and share it. They should then copy the link to the file and add it to the appropriate slide in the template along with the title, episode number (if used), description, and show notes.
TIP: Publishing the Google Slide Deck
Screenshot of template
If the podcast’s content is intended for a real audience outside the classroom, consider publishing the slide deck. This will make it much easier for everyone to access it in presentation mode and listen. To publish the slide deck, click on FILE –> Publish To The Web. Leave the defaults so that the slide deck does NOT advance on its own; this will allow your listeners to click on the appropriate links to go to the intended slides.View the published template here so you can see how a published podcast slide deck appears. If your podcasts are only to be accessed from within your school’s domain, be sure to click on the Published Content and Settings link and then tick the box for your school’s domain.
Step 10: Review and Revise the Process
After your podcasting project, take time to review and reflect with your students. Assess the number of class sessions used for the project. Was it enough time, too much, too little? What about the tools used? Did they work well? How could the process be improved moving forward?
Pass the Mic
So, I’m now passing the mic to you. How will you do podcasting in your classroom? What are some ideas you have for implementing student-generated podcasts? If you’ve already had students create podcasts, what is one tip you would share with others who are thinking about doing the same? Leave your comment below so you can be heard loud and clear! You can also take a look at other posts on podcastinghere.
Putting evidence-based research into practice can be tough. One of the challenges I encountered was shedding my own flawed beliefs. For example, I had a vague idea of specific strategies that would work in the classroom, which made classroom implementation an ongoing experiment of what worked and what didn’t. In this blog entry, let’s connect an evidence-based research strategy with a digital tool to accelerate student growth.
Strategies
Of course, you already know the value of formative assessment in the classroom. As I mentioned in this blog entry, formative assessment provides feedback that teachers can use to adjust ongoing teaching and learning with one goal: to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes.
As a K-12 student, I hated quizzes. I came to see them as a poor means of formative assessment. Pop quizzes did review the material, but made me live in fear of the words, “Pop quiz!” Of course, the underlying evidence-based strategy is one you may well be familiar with. But entry and exit tickets, for example, take advantage of Rehearsal Strategy as well as RetrievalPractice (d=0.46):
Also known as “practice testing,” this involves frequent testing. The research is in and it’s positive about “the testing effect.” Flashcards, practice problems, and writing prompts can improve learning. Learn more here.
Here’s a quick video that introduces you to Retrieval Practice:
You can see how I’ve explored this strategy in other blog entries. Different strategies are often introduced along with Retrieval Practice, and these other strategies include spaced vs. mass practice and interleaving:
Spaced vs Mass Practice (d=0.65) involves spacing out the intervals of study over a longer period of time.
Interleaved Practice (d=0.44) includes a schedule of practice or study where many subjects or topics are mixed to improve learning. Contrast it with “blocked practice,” which has students studying one topic in depth, mastering this topic before moving on to another (source).
Have questions about retrieval practice? Read these frequently asked questions (FAQ). Setting up students to answer questions improves learning. Now that you know that, you’re ready to adapt technologies to match the strategy.
We could choose a wide variety of technologies to match up to retrieval practice. But you’re better off if you pick one digital tool to match one evidence-based strategy. In that way, both you and your students can become proficient at each.
Digital Tool: Introducing Podsie
With increased digital access, teachers can now use a wide variety of strategies and tools to create fresh learning experiences. To add to your toolbox, consider giving Podsie, a free tool for both middle and high school students and teachers, a try. It offers great features at no cost to individual teachers (see school/district pricing).
Podsie combines several research-backed learning strategies. These include retrieval practice, spacing vs massed practice, and interleaving. It relies on customized mastery data of each individual student to enhance learning (source).
As a teacher, create your no-cost Podsie account with a Google or Microsoft account. That’s great because you won’t have to remember another username and password. Once you create your login, you will identify your school from a drop-down list.
Benefits of Podsie
Podsie automates some of the tasks, and I’ve included several embedded links to explanatory videos that appear in the feature list below.
Podsie:
Creates automated, personalized reviews of content aligned to evidence-based practices
Relies on a Personal Deck that offers students an ongoing, differentiated review experience
Produces realtime data on how students are doing as they review content
As Weston Kieschnick suggests, make every effort to map out what you will be doing in a lesson. Also, make sure you know exactly how students will be relying on technology to learn. Follow his five action steps to master the art of successfully blending strategies with technology.
My collection of cool websites and resources for ed tech enthusiasts is bursting. So it must be time for another issue of this blog series. Get ready to be wowed!
Math Virtual Manipulative Collection
Help your students master critical math concepts using this wonderful collection of free virtual math manipulatives. It’s been put together by Julie Smith, the Techie Teacher, and can be shared with students in Google Classroom, Seesaw, Canvas, or any other LMS you’re using with this link: https://bit.ly/TechieTeacherMath.
Small Shifts in Teacher Talk Make a Big Difference
How we phrase things everyday to students makes a big difference in whether they are excited to learn or just wishing the activity was already over with. As this article from ASCD emphasizes: “Do you tend to emphasize student or teacher ownership? Does your language emphasize engagement or compliance?” Check out the table below and then take a look at how you are talking to students.
Learning Styles Is a Myth
Jennifer Fritschi gets it. As she tweeted out: “Data from an analysis of over 15,000 educators showed that over 85% still believe in learning styles. This article explores why this myth is so widespread in education, and how to change it.” Yep, there is no such thing as learning styles.
Free, Online, Interactive Courses in STEM for High School Students
If you are looking for ways to help better engage those difficult high school students in complex content, look no further than Brilliant. They provide free access to more than 60 different courses after the teacher completes an online application. Each courses focuses on stimulating student curiosity through problem solving and interactivity. Students will have access up to six courses at a time and Daily Challenges for free. You can add, remove, and change courses as much as you’d like throughout the year. Some of the courses include:
Mathematical Fundamentals
Number Theory
Joy of Problem Solving
Algebra Fundamentals, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2
Geometry Fundamentals, Geometry 1, Geometry 2, and 3D Geometry
Waves and Light
Classical Mechanics
Electricity and Magnetism
Solar Energy
Computer Science Fundamentals
Cryptocurrency
Machine Learning
Removing Shading from Copied Text
Have you ever copied some text from the web to use (and cite, of course) in a lesson or handout, but the text, when pasted, was shaded and you couldn’t remove the shading? That happens to me all of the time. Tiffany Carey shares that highlighting the copied text while holding down the CTRL key and the space bar will remove the shading.
Computer Science, Coding, and Robotics Unplugged
If you teach a STEM subject, you will want to follow Erik Murray on Twitter; he has some great resources. He recently lost power in his classroom and had to teach his tech subjects anyway. So he came up with this choice board of coding and robotics activities for his students to choose from.
Use Immersive Reader on Websites with the Chrome Browser
Immersive Reader from Microsoft is an absolutely amazing tool for students that improves comprehension and encourages independent reading. And it’s free add-on for OneNote and works in the Edge browser. But what if you’re not using OneNote or Edge? Here’s a free extension that adds Immersive Reader’s functionality to the Chrome browser. It can read any open page in the browser as well as PDF files in Canvas, emails, and more.
Having students reflect on their learning is critical to ensuring that the learning is sustained. One teacher shares his “Give One, Get One” strategy for accomplishing this, along with some templates and ideas for doing this if you have to go virtual.
I hope that you discovered at least one new resource in today’s blog. You can catch up on past Tidbits blogs here.
School is underway and you are probably busy once again! You juggle a hectic school schedule along with family activities while trying to maintain some semblance of sanity. To assist you, we have some clarification and ideas to help with your teaching. In this post, we’ll be identifying several critical terms that all educators should know. We will also share a few ideas and strategies to help you with them. Additionally, just to make the reading more fun, we have a quiz for you down below to check how well you know the difference between accommodations, modifications, and interventions. You may also have some ideas that we didn’t include, so please scroll down to the comment section and share them with our audience!
Accommodation
An accommodation is a change in the environment, curriculum format, or equipment. Students use accommodation to gain access to the content and to complete the work or meet expectations. Though the format of the curriculum might be altered, the curriculum or content itself is not. As a result, the work expectation and skill acquisition of the student with the accommodation is the same as other students who do not have accommodation. In essence, the adaptation lies in how the information is presented, how the student demonstrates mastery, the learning environment, expectations regarding time, scheduling, or utilizing strategies to assist with organization.
Here are a few examples of common accommodations:
Respond orally instead of writing the response on paper (response accommodation)
Use large-text print version of text (presentation accommodation)
Have instructions read aloud (presentation accommodation)
Allow the student to sit where he/she feels they learn best (setting accommodation)
Extended time for task or testing (time accommodation)
Take a test over several shorter periods and possibly over several days (scheduling accommodation)
Use a timer to help with time management (organization accommodation)
Take the test in a small group setting (setting accommodation)
Use a calculator, dictionary, or word processor (response accommodation)
Get an outline of a lesson (presentation accommodation)
Modification
On the other hand, modifications do not address how the student learns, but what the student learns. In this case, modifications to the curriculum or assignments are in place so that the student is not expected to learn the same material. For example, students who are not able to understand all of the content or concepts being taught should have modifications. As a result, assessments may cover less material or have fewer questions. The student is still expected to learn and demonstrate mastery, but the content is changed according to the plan designed for that particular child. In addition, the child can have curriculum modifications, assignment modifications, or both.
Here are a few examples of common modifications:
Different questions on a text are given to a student (assignment modification).
Different/alternative projects are assigned (assignment modification).
A different grading scale is used to assess the student (curriculum modification).
The student learns different content than other students, possibly from another grade level (curriculum modification).
Accommodations are for ALL students. Modifications are only for those with an Individualized Education Program.
Intervention
An intervention is a strategy that is implemented for a student to learn a new skill or concept that he may be struggling with. The purpose of the intervention is for the student to master the expected skill or concept taught to the class. As a result, interventions help students make progress towards the expectations or standards. They utilize assessment, planning, and monitoring of student progress.
Some interventions may include:
A student is provided time/access to a state-approved reading fluency program to improve decoding skills.
One student attends an afterschool (or Saturday) session to learn helpful math strategies for solving division problems.
A student participates in a small group for 30 minutes, twice a week, to improve reading comprehension skills
Particular students receive instruction in study skills so they can better learn the content and master academic goals.
Scenarios and a Quiz
Below are several scenarios. After reading each one, decide if it is detailing an accommodation, modification, or intervention. Last but not least, check your answer! If you’re on a laptop or desktop, hover your mouse over the top left corner of the “?” icon to the left of each scenario to see the answer.
Mrs. Miller is a fourth grade reading teacher. They are starting to read “Wonder”by R. J. Palacio. To help one particular student, Jackson, Mrs. Miller has allowed him to listen to the book on tape instead of reading the book like his peers.
Mr. Moore seems to be the favorite teacher of all his tenth grade students. He enjoys teaching chemistry and makes learning fun. He has three students in fifth period that get a shortened version of the test for each chapter. Instead of 25 questions like all the other students recieve, these few students have only ten questions.
Ms. Williams teaches eighth grade science. They are about to do a unit on light and sound waves and how they interact with different materials. Each year, her students say this is their favorite unit. She anticipates that even Irene, who has a different grading scale than her peers, will enjoy this unit.
Professor Jones teaches at the community college. He also teaches a dual credit class for the local high school. Fortunately, he is a master at teaching accounting to both college and high school students. Last week, he noticed that some of his students struggled when applying auditing concepts to evaluate the conformity of financial statements. He was able to pull those students aside and review Auditing Standard No. 15 with them. This was a standard they should have learned about in a prerequisite course.
Dr. Taylor is the principal at Crockett Junior High. As she was doing a walkthrough, she noticed that one of the students wasn’t able to finish an assignment within the class period. Dr. Taylor noted that the student had the same assignment as the other students. She suggested that the teacher provide extra time for the student to finish the assignment.
Suggest Helpful Accommodations, Modifications, and Interventions
What are some accommodations, modifications, and interventions that you have found helpful with your students? We would love for you to share with us, but be sure to use a fake name for your student(s). Also, if you have a great website to share that lists strategies and ways to accommodate, modify, and intervene, our readers would appreciate you sharing it. Just jump to the comment section below and pay it forward.
Find other TechNotes posts on accommodation, modification, and intervention here.
We all know the main reason to attend school is to gain the skills and education needed to live a successful and productive life. But in my opinion, it is not just about reading, writing, and arithmetic; it’s also about creating a fun, safe, and comfortable classroom. The classroom environment means as much to students as it does to teachers, especially these days. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is the focus on self-care, emotional well-being, and social-emotional learning (SEL). Luckily, there are many ways to infuse these three elements into the classroom. I’ve got a few templates and activities to share with you today, and here are a few additional ideas to help everyone bond and have a good time:
Playing classroom games
Giving students voice and choice
Making lessons interactive
Playing a Kahoot
Sending students on a Goose Chase
Solving a breakout
Taking virtual field trips
Below you will find four fabulous pre-made activities to use as bell ringers, ice breakers, or warm-up activities in your classroom. I had a great time designing these for Zoom, Meet, and Teams virtual meetings. However, you could easily modify the activities for in-person learning.
Make a copy of each linked slide deck and check out the speaker notes for directions.
This is a super easy activity with no planning. All you need to do is “find” an object. And you can also throw in adjectives to spot items by using color, size, or type. I pre-made four different scenes: the park, school supplies, ocean animals, and black/white. Start by checking out the speaker notes for directions.
Thanks to LEGO Robotics with Mr. Hino, I incorporated a little twist on Mr. Hino’s Three for Speed activity. This outside-the-box-thinking game is centered on a theme which has several topics given out by the instructor, followed by students typing their responses in the chat. Then, points are awarded to the first three students who have three different answers. For example, the theme is food, and the first topic is “pizza toppings.” Responses are entered in the chat feature, and you award points before the next topic is announced. Topics could include utensils, citrus fruit, foods that are green, etc. Four themes with eight topics are found in the slide deck.
Simply put, these are just numbers on a background. Students count the numbers on the slide and enter the answer in the chat. I thought this was an interesting spin on having students count. You can change the activity by having one of the numbers in a different color be subtracted. Also, to switch this up, I would encourage students to find interesting backgrounds throughPixabay or insert images through Google Slides to create their own 1-2-3 Addition slides. I have created eight slides to get you counting.
The instructor says a word or a phrase, for example, chopsticks, and then asks, “Are you in or out?” Glitter, are you in or out? Roller coasters, are you in or out? Students type “in” or “out” in the chat. Then, conversations or questions can be a good follow-up. I have included a lengthy list to use with everyone and a teacher-oriented list.
Need More Ideas
Looking for more templates and fun activities? Be sure to take a peek at these:
Wishing you the best for the 2021-22 school year. If you have any questions on these activities, please feel free to contact me at preimers@tcea.org. AND, I am always looking to share ideas with as many educators as possible, so if you have an activity, please share it in the comments below.
I am a high school teacher. Do you know of a good plagiarism software for checking high school students’ writing? Thank you.
Minerva
Dear Minerva:
Thanks so much for taking the time to write and ask this important question. Before I offer a few solutions for your consideration, allow me to share some thoughts.
Plagiarism
When students find it easy to steal other’s work and use it as their own for an assignment, it may indicate that the assignment is too easy. That is, teachers have assigned the work so often that many other students have previously completed it. With my background as an Abydos-trained educator, I have a few suggestions that you may find helpful.
Some tips for creating assignments that result in unique and original work from students:
Track student pre-writing assignments, such as concept maps, note-taking, and outlines. This enables you to see students’ growth over time.
Rely on real-life situations and life experiences to inform writing assignments.
Ask students to apply a critical thinking framework when writing. This could include theRED Model. It might also involve students analyzing a text via aclassroom discussion model. My favorites include the Talk-Read, Talk-Write, or TQE (Thoughts, Questions, or Epiphanies) models.
Of course, it’s not always possible to deviate from tried-and-true assignments, and sometimes, curriculum requirements may not allow for it. You will have to decide whether you have the flexibility and time to do so.
How Plagiarism Checking Tools Work
These tools involve you coping and pasting content into a website. After a few moments, the plagiarism checker will provide you with results. They all work much the same, although Turn It In has more features for a paid service. Some have word or character limits. Grammarly’s Plagiarism Checker has a limit of 25,000 characters, for example.
“Toot your own horn,” my dad often advised me. “The squeaky gate gets the oil.” The advice to self-aggrandize often went against my shy nature. As a campus leader, don’t let your shyness stop you from sharing successful campus stories, especially those that include the use of academic technology. In this blog entry, we’ll explore five ways you can promote and share successful campus ed tech success.
The results are about the same for each of the services I list below.
Plagiarism Checkers
There are a variety of tools you can use to check for stolen writing. These involve complex algorithms to search the web or a database of written pieces. It may also involve a company working to maintain a database of student writing.
Here is a short list of services:
Grammarly’s Plagiarism Checker: Grammarly’s free plan includes a basic review of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. But in order to check for plagiarism, you are required to purchase a premium account. Here is some information on different plans offered by Grammarly.
Google’s Originality Reports: You can upload up to five originality reports per class for free, but teachers with Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Plus licenses have unlimited reports.
Plagiarism Checker: You can check up to 1,000 words for free if you are not registered with PrePostSEO and up to 1,500 words if you are registered for a free account. You can choose between four premium plans which offer between 5,000 words and unlimited words.
Plagiarism Detector: With this service, you can check up to 1,000 words for free and 540,000+ words with one of their “pro” accounts. They also offer customizable accounts.
SmallSEOTools: Check up to 1,000 words for free and 510,000+ with a “pro” account. Like Plagiarism Detector, you can customize your account with more or fewer features and words.
TurnItIn service: You can contact the sales teamat TurnItIn for information about their pricing and product options. As of right now, TurnItIn does not offer a free service.
These services offer some great features. For example, my quoted text appeared in two online articles. Several checkers discovered the source for those. Isn’t that amazing?
A Cry for Help: I Can’t Form an Online Community
