Blog 10 - Catlin Tucker's Blog

Blended Learning in a Whole Group with Rotations

I really enjoy this blog because Dr. Tucker not only offers some practical ideas and innovative techniques, but she also is very inspirational! Here's a little inspiration for you; Dr. Tucker encourages us as educators to see ourselves as "architects of learning experiences". She also stresses how important it is for us to be intentional about our lesson design. 

As always, Dr. Tucker is looking out for teachers and she understands that many of us find the idea of blending learning to be a bit daunting. In this case, she suggests trying out the "Whole Group Rotation Model". This may be structured different ways, of course, but Dr. Tucker's suggestion is to follow this routine:

Offline: Hook activity or small-group discussion

Online: Choice Activity (such as "Would You Rather" from an earlier blog); offer at least 3 online choices to present/reinforce content

Offline: Teacher-led activity using the gradual release of responsibility model

Online: Choice Activity; offer online choices, or offline work with a partner

Dr. Tucker advises choosing activities for offline work that will benefit more from interacting with each other and social learning. Online activities should allow students to choose how they want to engage with the learning and help them build agency. Specific ideas and suggestions can be found in her blog. She also has a list of very thought-provoking questions to help teachers be more intentional with our lesson design. With a freebie and lots of helpful graphics, the blog is definitely worth a look!

https://catlintucker.com/2021/03/whole-group-rotation/#comments