Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education

Catlin Tucker on Blended Learning

Episode Summary

Catlin Tucker is the goddess of Blended Learning! She is a best selling author, Google Certified Innovator, international trainer, frequent Edtech speaker, and a former teacher of the year. In this episode we discuss blended learning basics, station rotations, student self-assessment, and much more!

Episode Notes

Connect with Catlin Tucker
Twitter: @catlin_tucker | Website: catlintucker.com

Connect with Vrain Waves
Twitter: @VrainWaves | Becky Twitter: @BeckyEPeters | Ben Twitter: @mrkalb

Links & Show Notes

• Out of Our Heads and Into the Classroom:
  • Timesaving hack: Ctrl + Cmd + Shift + 4 = copy screenshot to clipboard instead of desktop
  • The Box of Awesome
  • Metaphorical Fashion - another great one from Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom - Design us a t-shirt!!
• Catlin Tucker - Power Up Blended Learning (06:52)
  • Christensen Institute on Blended Learning (07:31)
• Catlin’s definition of Blended learning: active, engaged learning in the classroom + active, engaged learning online; + more control over time, place, pace, and path of their learning experience; shift of control from teacher to student
• Catlin’s journey to blended learning (08:40)
• Fear of amount of time taken to move into blended learning (10:26)
  • “Everybody is experimenting, taking risks, and learning [in a classroom].” (10:44)
• Students handling the extra work (13:17)
  • More challenging to be a student in a student-centered classroom, but the decision-making / agency trade off pays off
• Assessment for learning (15:38)
  • Grades as a carrot & carrots don’t work (+ our interview with Daniel Pink)
  • Any assessment score can be reassessed in Catlin’s class
  • Ongoing self-assessment station (18:04) & more info here
• Her latest book: Power Up Blended Learning
  • 10 learning targets per unit (21:34)
• Station Rotations (22:49)
  • Working with students during the day (26:18) instead of giving feedback at home at night
  • Examples of stations (28:20)
• Hosting Online discussions (31:04)
  • Bringing the momentum from online discussions back into the classroom (36:12)
  • Schoology online discussions
  • Backchannelchat as a replacement for Today’s Meet
  • Four Corner Conversations routine (37:25)
• Shifting role of the teacher in the classroom (39:52)
  • Students bring the meaning to the activities that she designs / then she is the coach
• Planning horizontally = turn your vertical agenda horizontal and break it into station rotations (41:43) (presentation, video)
  • Vocabulary.com / noredink.com
• Tucker Time (46:33) = teacher-led station
• Power Up Blended Learning (47:35)
  • Sustainable Infrastructure for Professional Learning
  • Coaching / modeling / co-teaching / small Professional Learning Communities in buildings
  • Catlin’s requests to leaders (55:40)
• Wrap Up (56:32)