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Power Up Blended Learning
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Power Up Blended Learning
A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change

First Edition


August 2018 | 192 pages | Corwin

Take Blended Learning to the Next Level by Building an Effective Professional Learning Community!

Technology is permeating classrooms and offering teachers and students opportunities to reimagine teaching and learning. Many schools and districts are shifting from traditional teacher-led instruction to blended learning with the goal of placing students at the center of learning. It’s time to power up your approach to professional learning to ensure teachers feel inspired and supported as they make this shift and embrace technology. This book provides an effective and actionable framework for school leaders looking to implement a long-term professional learning plan that extends professional development beyond a handful of days each year to create “coaching culture” that supports teachers as they move toward blended learning.

Blended Learning expert Catlin Tucker provides a clear path for professional learning that is embedded in the school’s culture, blending targeted training (the “spark”), 1:1 coaching, and professional learning communities. This comprehensive approach to professional learning ensures that teachers in a blended environment work continually to improve learning outcomes for students, stay up-to-date on current technology, and learn with their colleagues. This text is full of concrete resources and strategies for leaders and blended learning coaches. It includes

  • Coaching protocols
  • Virtual coaching strategies
  • Templates for feedback
  • Lesson planning resources for designing blended lessons
  • Rubrics for evaluation
  • Stories and tips from blended learning coaches
  • Vignettes from teachers who have successfully shifted to a blended learning model
  • Reflection questions for leading book studies

This book provides the tools and tips you’ll need to support teachers as they move toward blended learning. From articulating the why behind a shift to blended learning, to creating and implementing an actionable roadmap for building a professional learning infrastructure, this must-have resource will take your PD plans to the next level!

 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Chapter 1: Articulate the WHY
Introduction

 
WHY Blended Learning?

 
Getting Teachers On Board With the WHY

 
The HOW: Best Practices

 
The WHAT: Branding the Shift to Blended Learning

 
Eight Ways to Strengthen Your School Community

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 2: A Roadmap for Building a Professional Learning Infrastructure
Introduction

 
Blended Learning Demands a New Approach to Professional Learning

 
Professional Development: Defining the Scope

 
The Spark: On-Site Targeted Training Led by an Expert

 
One-on-One Coaching

 
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 3: Blended Learning Requires Effective Professional Development
Introduction

 
Traditional Professional Development Is Largely Ineffective

 
Elements of Effective Professional Development

 
Leaders Must Lean In

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 4: The Blended Learning Coach
Introduction

 
Coaching in a Blended Learning Context

 
Elements of Effective Coaching

 
Blended Learning Coaches Continue the Learning

 
Redefining Teacher and Student Roles in a Blended Learning Environment

 
A Quick Review of Blended Learning Models

 
Blended Learning: Establish a Clear Plan

 
Challenges Facing the Creation of a Coaching Culture

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 5: Coaching: Initial Conversation and Goal Setting
Introduction

 
The Power of Dialogic Interviews

 
SMART Goal Setting

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 6: Coaching: Initial Observation and Debrief
Introduction

 
Coaching Must Be a Partnership

 
What’s the Goal of the Initial Observation?

 
Communicating With Students

 
The Debrief

 
Revisit SMART Goals

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 7: Coaching: Co-lesson Planning
Introduction

 
Communicate With the Teacher Ahead of Time

 
Meet Outside of the Classroom

 
Identify the Goals

 
Keep the Lesson Manageable: Think Big, but Start Small

 
Provide Templates to Help Teachers Design Blended Lessons

 
Don’t Just Plan the Lesson, Create It

 
Reflect on the Role of Technology in the Lesson

 
Dealing With Details

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 8: Coaching: Real-Time Coaching
Introduction

 
Pre-lesson Chat: Review Lesson and Establish Norms for Real-Time Coaching

 
Real-Time Coaching: “Pause, Discuss, Adjust”

 
Document the Parts of the Lesson

 
Written Feedback Using a Blended Learning Rubric

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 9: Coaching: Model Lessons and Co-teaching
Introduction

 
Designing and Teaching a Model Lesson

 
Model Lesson Checklist

 
Co-teaching

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 10: Coaching: Documenting, Reflecting, and Revisiting
Introduction

 
Dedicating Time, Energy, and Space to Reflection

 
Becoming a Reflective Practitioner

 
Reflect Using Documentation

 
Using Digital Tools to Reflect

 
Revisit SMART Goals

 
Next Steps: Developing an Action Plan

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 11: Virtual Coaching
Introduction

 
Real-Time Coaching: Challenges of Scale

 
Blended Offline and Online Coaching in Large Districts

 
Benefits and Limitations of Virtual Coaching

 
Virtual Spin on the Coaching Cycle

 
Technology Toolbox for Virtual Coaching

 
Staying Organized With Google Calendar

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 12: Professional Learning Communities
Introduction

 
What Is a Professional Learning Community?

 
The PLC Process

 
Organizing the Teacher Teams Within a PLC

 
Wrap Up

 
Book Study Questions

 
 
References
 
Index

Sample Materials & Chapters

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 2


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ISBN: 9781506396767
£31.99