A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 9, 2021

Many difficult lessons were learned during the pandemic, and a few more are sure to materialize over the next couple of months. Remote and hybrid learning at scale was never meant for K-12 education, but the fact remains that each has been a catalyst for some exciting changes that have long been overdue.

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Catlin Tucker

JUNE 5, 2023

While initially, it’s beneficial to have a clear roadmap to follow when implementing a new curriculum; as teachers gain confidence using it, they will desire to exercise their creativity to tailor the learning experience to the unique needs of their students. Which learning activities would benefit from variable time on task?

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 21, 2020

The pandemic shuttered schools across the globe, and lessons, some of which were very hard, were learned. As re-entry planning either begins or continues in earnest, the priority must be to transform learning in ways that provide kids with the best experience possible while ensuring the safety of all.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 26, 2020

With little to no training or preparation, they have stepped up to keep learning going. A recent eSchool News article highlighted that most teachers don’t feel fully prepared for remote learning. teachers in mid-March to collect and share best practices, ideas, and common approaches to remote learning. My favorites at bit.ly

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 2, 2020

Time is of the essence to get it right so that all kids can benefit from a quality learning experience that pushes them to think while limiting learning loss and achievement gaps. Balance Remote learning does not mean piling on excessive amounts of work on our learners. We can ill-afford not to address this fact.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 18, 2020

After some time, we have seen an initial move to all remote learning, depending on where you live, a shift to some sort of hybrid model. A spike in cases has led to buildings being closed again and a resumption of remote learning in some locations. Below are some topics where vital lessons have been learned.

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Catlin Tucker

APRIL 4, 2020

Teachers are scrambling to move their offline courses online to ensure that students continue learning for the remainder of the school year. Understandably, the focus is on online learning as that is a new and unfamiliar learning landscape for a lot of educators. What did they learn? ChoiceBoardLearnOffline.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 30, 2020

For virtually every school that is, or will be, implementing some sort of remote or hybrid learning model, you can bet that videoconference tools will play an enormous role. While it is excellent that educators now have a variety of options at their disposal, there is a growing concern that has to be addressed if learning is the goal.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 13, 2022

So many important lessons were learned during the pandemic that can be used to not only improve our practice but also to pave the way for a brighter future. One important lesson learned was that face-to-face learning does not meet the needs of every child. Breakout Rooms The social aspect of learning should never be undervalued.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 15, 2020

As of late, I have been working with quite a few districts on personalization through a variety of blended learning strategies. I can honestly say that I have learned so much from them over the years as to what pedagogically-sound blended learning really is, and, in my mind, they are a global exemplar for others to emulate.

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Catlin Tucker

JULY 3, 2020

What I want to avoid is a situation where teachers are presented with an alternative schedule in August and given a handful of professional development days to figure out how to adjust a semester’s worth of curriculum for a hybrid schedule. This schedule reserves Wednesdays for teacher preparation and deep cleaning.

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EdTech Magazine

APRIL 11, 2019

How K–12 Schools Should Define and Act on Digital Learning. To be honest, I hate the term blended learning. Let me explain why: In today’s world of education, blended learning gets thrown around for any type of new education involving technology. . What Does Blended Learning Mean for K–12?

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A Principal's Reflections

JULY 26, 2020

Will kids go back to school or continue to learn remotely? How will educators get the professional learning support they so desperately need? One minute, schools are being given guidance to open up for face-to-face instruction, and the next, they inform the masses that they are starting the school year with remote learning.

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A Principal's Reflections

JULY 28, 2019

Do you remember the classrooms that you learned in as a child? The issue, however, was that the conditions under which learning was supposed to take place were not conducive to the process at all. The key is to create the conditions for our learners where we, as the adults, would want to learn. Here is the rub.

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The CoolCatTeacher

JUNE 15, 2020

But the reality is also that we’re going to have to prepare for a fall that – whatever it looks like – will include an online learning component. Even if we go back to face-to-face learning, we will all have to be prepared to teach online, and the best way to do this is to first educate ourselves with research and pedagogy.

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A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 16, 2023

The rapid shift to virtual learning was a necessity and, like always, educators rose to the occasion like they always do even though training in this area didn’t really exist at scale. A few years later, we are beginning to get an idea of the most pressing issue at hand, which is learning recovery.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 19, 2020

It goes without saying that our teachers have done an incredible job when it comes to adapting to a remote learning world. Now more time is being spent refining plans as lessons are learned and, in some cases, are prepared for schools to be closed the remained of the year. The bottom line is there is no easy solution here.

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A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 1, 2020

The fact remains that there was no professional learning to prepare for the reality that everyone is facing nor a plan for something like COVID19. I always like to focus on the small wins when I am facilitating professional learning with schools and districts.

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A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

In Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms , I honed in on research-based strategies that have withstood the test of time in addition to emerging strategies such as personalized learning. A straightforward way to set this stage is to unpack the standard(s) into a learning target. What will I be able to do when I’ve finished this lesson?

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EdTech Magazine

MAY 6, 2019

3 Key Findings on the State of Digital Learning in K–12. But what is the actual state of digital learning when it comes to accessibility, implementation and effectiveness? Schoology recently released a report on the 2018-2019 state of digital learning in K–12 schools. Professional Development Is in Need of an Upgrade.

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A Principal's Reflections

MAY 17, 2020

Hard lessons have been learned as countries have shut down their economies. Both the lessons learned and tolls from the pandemic serve as reminders that we need to be thinking critically about what schools will need to focus on as they re-open in the near future. The chances of many things going back to the way they were are slim.

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EdTech Magazine

APRIL 3, 2018

Personalized Learning and Digital Tools Weave Strong Fabric for Student Success. According to Project Tomorrow’s 2017 Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning , 56 percent of parents of school-aged children are concerned that their child isn’t learning the right skills in school to be successful in college or a future job.

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A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

One of the best parts about job-embedded, on-going work with school districts is facilitating a variety of professional learning opportunities. Recently the district asked me to be a part of their professional development day, which consisted of seven different learning strands specific to the needs and interests of their teachers.

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A Principal's Reflections

MAY 10, 2020

In the case of schools, there has been a dramatic shift to remote learning that has allowed all of us to reflect on where we are, but more importantly, where we want and need to be in the near future. Below I will address these through a new lens from which we can begin to transform teaching, learning, and leadership in a post-COVID19 world.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 25, 2020

Prioritize standards It is unrealistic to try to cover the entire curriculum as educators are implementing hybrid models for the first time, and increasing COVID cases is forcing some schools back to remote learning. In the end, more manageable conditions are created for teachers.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 4, 2020

At first glance, this post's title might be perceived that hybrid learning is not working in many districts and schools. For virtually everyone, hybrid learning represents a monumental shift from what has been done in schools. Move to blended strategies Another way to get back some time is to look at how it is being used.

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A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 13, 2020

It took some self-reflection and honest feedback from my students to move away from being the sage on the stage and more of a facilitator of learning. Differentiated instruction and cooperative learning strategies became embedded in some form during each lesson. For more remote and hybrid learning resources click HERE.

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Catlin Tucker

APRIL 11, 2021

” I hope educators and educational institutions use this year and the lessons learned to reimagine “school” and how we design and facilitate learning. Much of that time has been focused on how to teach in online or blended learning environments. Learning happens in classrooms.

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Edsurge

AUGUST 24, 2017

Three years ago, with the help of the education agency the Grant Wood Area Education Agency (GWAEA), Iowa rolled out its initiative to implement blended learning as a model for the state. In a competency based system, students advance upon proficiency and receive rapid differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.

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Catlin Tucker

MARCH 16, 2020

In this episode of The Balance , I talk with Jason Green , co-author of Blended Learning in Action and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of LINC. Jason has helped hundreds of schools and districts reimagine and implement 21st-century teaching and learning. Jason Green has dedicated his career to creating positive change in education.

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Catlin Tucker

MAY 27, 2020

This mini-episode of The Balance focuses on the tangible things teachers can do in these final weeks to provide students with closure, collect feedback, and embrace a fun routine that will keep them learning this summer. I suggest teachers use their final weeks with students to collect feedback about their experiences learning online.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 1, 2020

It should be noted that in both examples above, direct instruction was followed by some sort of student-centered learning activity. In many cases, every classroom is outfitted, as well as conference rooms and professional learning spaces. Times have changed since I began teaching. Herein lies the point of my post.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 29, 2017

Practices such as BYOD, 1:1, blended learning, personalized learning, classroom and school redesign, branding, makerspaces, professional learning, etc. The DPA creates the context for our work with leaders and teachers, providing authentic baseline data to support personalized professional learning.

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Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

As advocates of blended learning, Tiffany and I explore both the pitfalls and potential of integrating technology into classrooms. If you are part of a professional learning community, the questions below are designed to facilitate a conversation–in person or online–about the issues discussed in this episode of The Balance.

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A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 5, 2021

While this is undoubtedly important, it is also vital to gather input on professional learning and resources that are needed— more of this down the road. Personalized learning sounds great in theory, but from a practical standpoint, it takes some time to plan when implementing for the first time.

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Shake Up Learning

MARCH 16, 2021

The post Blended Learning with Google Toolkit for Teachers – SULS0101 appeared first on Shake Up Learning. In this episode, I share The Blended Learning with Google Toolkit, a free download to help teachers create dynamic, blended learning experiences for students with Google tools.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 28, 2020

The concept of leadership hasn’t changed, although the conditions under which leaders work and learn sure have. In the end, though, scalable change resulting in a transformation of teaching, learning, and leadership was more of an exception as opposed to the rule. The world of work was being disrupted right before our eyes.

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