After experiences in summer school and now in our second week of the Fall semester, we are reflecting on what best practices *look* like in a totally new world of education. So, taking traditional best practices, what does the look like for the hybrid, parallel instruction model?
*** Note: my school is at 50% capacity. Students are split into two cohorts and attend class either in person or remotely.
|
Best Practice |
What Might
This Look Like? |
|
Encourage student-faculty contact |
·
Exchange contact information ·
Google Classroom “Question”
assignment ·
Ensure students see your face regularly, even
online, through regular check-in videos and virtual office hours |
|
Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students |
·
Create assignments where students F2F need the
students online to complete the work as a strategy for keeping online
students engaged ·
Group work – each member assigned a clear role
and responsibility ·
Student(s) at home are group leader ·
Student in room is in charge of Chat and
ensuring student(s) at home are included ·
Student at home leads discussion/game/activity
in class ·
Students prepare questions prior to class,
then work through them in groups during class |
|
Use active learning techniques |
·
Use synchronous time to maximize interaction
between you and students and among students; if they can watch or consume
content passively, try to assign it outside of synchronous instructional time
·
Create synchronous demonstrations that rely on
participation of both F2F and online students ·
Start lessons with engagement strategies like KWL
charts – what do I know, what I wonder, what I learned or Think-Pair-Share
(at a social distance) ·
Look for opportunities for students to lead
instruction or conversation |
|
Establish clear routines that create predictability and support |
·
Agendas ·
Class routines – every day, same routine ·
Incorporate visible thinking routines like graphic
organizers, guided notes for each period (for ideas, see: https://pz.harvard.edu/thinking-routines) |
|
Give prompt, constructive feedback |
·
GClassroom
rubrics are great for prompt, clear feedback ·
One on One workshop ·
Use audio and video feedback on written
assignments |
|
Emphasize time on task |
·
Each assignment should have an “expected time
to complete” that is shared with students ·
Consider modifying assignment if students
report inability to complete/too fast to complete |
|
Provide a balance of challenge and support |
·
Offer challenge problems or situations (case
studies, challenge practice problems, creation activities) ·
Scaffolded Kahoot!
·
Choice reading at various difficulty and
interest levels ·
Links to more information on topics in
GClassroom |
|
Respect diverse talents and ways of learning |
·
Choice assignments – either in content
(reading or video) or product (written paper or podcast episode) ·
Incorporate technologies like Voicethread which encourage multi-modal
engagement |
|
Use deliberate practice and mastery learning strategies |
·
Quick “Chat” check in for practice ·
Exit ticket for mastery check ·
Formative Assessments in blended manner –
Classroom assignments, quiz assignment or question; EdPuzzle; electronic lab book (example
in OneNote; example
in GDoc) |
|
Elicit active, critical reflection |
·
Questions in GClassroom ·
Survey in GForms ·
Peer evaluation with rubrics ·
Peer evaluation of presentations or products ·
Writers workshops |
Best Practices above created by Chickering and
Gamson (1987), Savory (2006), and McCullom (2010) as found in Evaluating
Online Teaching (2015) by Tobin, Mandernauch, and Taylor. Chapter 1 found https://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/62/11189103/1118910362-4.pdf
