Blended learning

When educators examine the rigor of an activity or when they look for ways to introduce rigor into their lesson plans, they often consult one of two models: Bloom’s Taxonomy—originally developed by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom in 1956—or Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK)—developed in 1991 by Norman L. Webb, a senior research scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. But because Bloom’s Taxonomy is so prevalent and well-known, most educators will begin and end their lesson planning with Bloom’s model alone.

Sharing what you know, or asking someone else to share what they know, may not seem like such a big deal, but peer knowledge sharing can be a powerful tool to help educators teach more effectively in the blended classroom. This often overlooked strategy is one of the best ways to uncover problems, discover best practices, and find new or better resources for teaching.

What many school districts have already discovered and what many more have yet to learn is that by partnering with neighboring districts that have already implemented blended learning programs, schools can reap huge rewards. When it comes to funding, implementation, and professional development, cross-district collaboration with other districts, big or small, may hold more answers than you realize.

An effective Response to Intervention (RTI) program should allow educators to quickly differentiate between students who are at-risk or struggling and those who genuinely have special needs. However, many RTI models have come under criticism for not making this distinction fast enough, lengthening the time it takes for special needs students to get the support they need.

The choice to use social media in the classroom can be an intimidating prospect, but you may find it to be well worth the effort when you consider the multifaceted benefit of engaging with students in a format that is already familiar to them. Social media is an integral communication tool for many of today’s youth, and as students transition into their adult lives, proper social media etiquette as well as knowledge of how to use social media effectively could even have an impact on how successful they are in their future careers.

Since President Barak Obama’s announcement on January 12 that he would propose legislation aimed at protecting student privacy, the issue of how student information is being used outside of the classroom has taken center stage in a national discussion about data and technology. But what makes this issue so important?

While President Obama has taken steps to create stronger federal protections for students’ online privacy with the Student Digital Privacy Act, some schools and districts are looking for ways to get out in front of the issue. At the same time, parents and guardians are seeking outlets to address their own concerns about how schools are using their students’ personal information.

Common Core State Standards were implemented in schools across the country beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. And with its implementation, schools also rolled out two new standardized tests designed to assess the effectiveness of the new standards.

English language learners (ELLs) represent one of the fastest growing student populations today, but educators still have a lot of questions about the best strategies for helping these students excel academically. Although this diverse group faces unique academic challenges, they are expected to master more advanced concepts than ever before.

Educators are often so focused on getting technology into the classroom that once it’s there, they’re not sure what to do with it. This TED article by Laura Moorhead offers eight ways that teachers can think about using technology in the classroom to make it more effective as a tool for learning.