As January winds down and February comes blizzarding into being (yes, I know that's not a word, just go with it), my focus is turning more extensively towards a crazy and hectic month: PETE & C is less than 2 weeks away and there are 2 presentations that I am prepping, my second grad class has started, I am working with new and different teachers in the next 3 weeks, and the Professional Learning Series kicks off this Thursday. THIS.THURSDAY.
The pressure to get this whole Series right is weightier than just my Internship (no offense, YCP). This is literally my day job. I find myself double- and triple-checking everything that I am sending out to the faculty, and I am constantly second-guessing myself with the overall plan and the reasoning for the Professional Learning Series. The kick-off session is almost completely built, and there are some pieces that I am truly excited about. That said, here is the unveiling of the Spring PL Series Kick-Off.
Blended Learning...taught via a Blended Experience
We are starting the entire faculty out in our Present Zone, with nothing in their hands but their district-provided iPads. We want to set them into the mindset of their students, all of whom will have individual iPads next school year. The entire session will focus on a surface look at the 4 Blended Learning Models that will be explored over the course of the Spring Professional Learning Series: Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Individual Rotation, and Flipped Classroom. To explain all of these, we are basically packing the latter 3 into the former; that is, we are teaching lab rotation, individual rotation, and flipped classroom as 3 of the rotations in Station Rotation, utilizing the direct instruction piece of the model to provide overview and context to the practice. Confused? Here's a visual:
The first stage of the session will be a Google Slides presentation with 2 goals: first, to explain the overview of Blended Learning, the WHY of it, and the schedule for the entire session; second, to give examples of real-life use of station rotation in the classroom and to showcase the benefits and downfalls of the model.
Participants will rotate to one of the 3 remaining 'stations':
Flipped Classroom: Participants will be directed to a self-paced Nearpod lesson that will mimic a homework assignment for students. Within the Nearpod is an article about the implementation of Flipped, a video testimonial via Edpuzzle of the model, a Collaborate board for feedback, and a poll.
Lab Rotation: Participants will listen to an explanation to set the time and location of a Lab Rotation. After a lesson is given in the classroom, students would be able to rotate to a simulation/remediation location for work either on an experiment/application of learned material, or a remediation period to work on individualized software.
Individual Rotation: Participants will be provided the link to a HyperDoc template, with embedded comments explaining each step of the 5-E framework. Within this HyperDoc are several choices for experiencing the information, similar to what students would have access to in the classroom.
The rotations will be timed, not only to keep the meeting within contractual time constraints, but also to mimic the flow and function of station rotation within the classroom setting. All of the resources that were presented at the session will be shared out to the faculty so they can continue to learn from the different examples.
At the end of the session, the faculty will be required to choose the Blended Learning Model they are the most interested in working with. These 'teams' will be organized for the next inservice, and locations will be shared out for a meet up. During the morning session of the February 15 inservice, the BLteams (nom, nom) will work together on their next task....which will be explained in the next post!
Fingers crossed for the Kick Off!
Updates will be posted (soon) after the session this Thursday.
Stay warm!!
Emily