Game On: Leveling Up The LMS

My children have been playing old-school N64 recently. Our upstairs office has a small TV my son uses to play video games while doing his CF lung treatments. The only purpose of this TV (which also has an attached VHS player) is to play Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, or the occasional multiplayer round of Golden Eye. He looks forward to his treatments and tries to recruit the whole family to join in on the "fun" of treatment time. Playing games with my children brings great nostalgia and joy to what could be a dreaded and mundane task. 

As I've relearned these games' controller functions and tricks, I've also started thinking about their design. I have been impressed with the intuitive nature of these games and the storytelling embedded with levels. The linear nature of these games is in stark contrast to more modern video games, with open worlds and quests to complete before entering the boss level (not unlike Zelda: Ocarina of Time - truly, a game ahead of its time). What amazes me about the design of these now-classic video games is how well my children receive them. Their graphics are outdated, and perhaps some of the skills needed to succeed in these realms are less complex than today's games. Mario Kart isn't terribly difficult to play, but the variables infused into the races keep my children on their toes. 

As I shoot my red shells at Wario, I find myself thinking about how we might provide our students with more intuitive learning management systems that genuinely world-build our curriculum for our students in an engaging manner. When designing our courses for students, it is essential to consider how we might draw our students into our content through the design of our LMS. As we set out to world-build our course, what do we need to consider:

Our LMS pages should be intuitive. 

What'd we do on Friday? This common question plagues our Mondays. When students return to school, they often claim to forget the previous day, and when students are absent, they might as well be Nintendo cartridges needing to be blown on and restarted. 

I use a weekly model in which students can find the date and access the agenda for the week. I break down the learning in my classroom into smaller chunks, which keeps students focused and allows them to look ahead (but not too far ahead that they feel overwhelmed). I began using this organization system during the pandemic and have stayed with it because it creates habits in students. The consistency is easy to follow and gives a rhythm to the course. All work for each week is due on Saturday at 11:59 PM (besides speeches and work that is presented in class). The consistent dates help students to plan ahead, self-pace to an extent, and understand what to access and when. 

Our LMSs should be aesthetically pleasing. 

When I started with Canvas, I was certainly overwhelmed by the possibilities. I needed structure. I needed to create a pathway for my students that allowed them to progress from week to week. Then I realized that my students wanted to click. The act of clicking on a website leads them to learning experiences. If I wanted them to click on important information, it had to be easy to find and access. 

I then fell in love with Canva. This platform made designing buttons and banners easy. Small touches to enhance my homepage, assignments, and resources have gone a long way to making my Canvas course lively and inviting. These buttons are an extension of my personality and teaching style, subtly communicating a message to my students and drawing them in even further. 

We need to tell a story with our LMSs. 

Whether our courses use technology a little or nearly every day, we must ensure that our course designs tell a story. What we craft should communicate clear messages about what is important, what needs to be done, and, most importantly, how students might continue to grow as learners. Our LMSs communicate what we are doing and where we are going and should also showcase what we value. Through careful design and using videos, audio, mindmaps, and other visuals, we can help our students access learning material. We can also challenge them to see the value and recognize how the information they are learning today can level up their experiences tomorrow. 

An LMS is an opportunity to draw our students into our world. These platforms can help students to navigate course content and also learn to tell their own stories. Through the careful design of an LMS, they can better understand who they are as students, what they know, and what they still need to learn. We must help them develop those metacognitive skills, and our course design can do just that. 

I have loved watching my own children take on the world of N64. Watching them and observing my students interacting with screens and platforms, I realize that strong design motivates them to beat the computer-automated Bowser across train tracks and also take on the learning experience. Let's all level up so our students can see just how fun it is to cross the finish line of learning. 

Station Creation: What to Consider When Planning A Station Rotation Lesson

The jingle bells jangled, the snow came and melted, and just like that, the holidays are over. This year, the dates on which Christmas and New Year's fell caused many schools to have different breaks. Many of my friends and family members are teachers in multiple districts. Unfortunately, everyone has had a different break, which has made the coordinating celebrations a little more hectic than usual.  

Once the calendar turns to January 1st, I am ready to pack up the Christmas decor and prepare for a new semester at school. Presents that lingered under the tree must find their place. Organizing gifts and ensuring every new household item has a place is a little stressful. I am innately a minimalist, but with three imaginative and artistic small children, I know I must make concessions and embrace the creative clutter. 

 

In my classroom, I prefer a minimalist setting that allows for flexible movement and organized chaos. I enjoy the busyness of working with people and the learning process, which is why I started using station rotation lessons.

 

Beginning to plan for and implement station rotation in a classroom is overwhelming at the high school level. Station rotation is not linear and does not necessarily have a traditional pattern, which might look like: 1. Class bell-ringer, 2. Mini-lesson, 3. Practice/application and exit slip. The when/how of learning looks different and relies on students driving their instruction. How do we ensure students have the knowledge needed to practice and apply what they've learned? How do we measure mastery in a station-based lesson? These feelings are as overwhelming as getting started for the holidays and imagining what present to buy for whom. 

 

For more info, see the amazing Catlin Tucker's post. 

 

Identify learning goals.

 

First and foremost, start with the end in mind. I have a couple of templates that I use when creating personalized learning paths that might help someone getting started in the process. Backward planning is essential when creating a station rotation. Having clear goals helps to drive the creation of the overall lesson. Once instructors know what students want to accomplish, the pacing and content can be explored and designed further. If the goal is to learn or acquire new knowledge, a lesson may look completely different than if the goal is to review or demonstrate mastery. Strong learning objectives can also unite the lesson and help each station connect to the overall goal. 

 

Determine the size of the groups and the number of stations.

 

Classroom size and group dynamics significantly impact how one designs a station rotation lesson. I like using a chart or organizer to plan my stations, which also helps me keep the end goal in mind. Some elements to consider include:

• Class size.
• Space/resources available.
• Time of the lesson (two to three periods).
• The size of the groups that will most appropriately fit the activities and tasks being asked of my students.
• The strengths and dynamics of the group. 

 

If the course is a blended course, space, and pace may be more flexible and should be considered in the design of the overall learning experience. 

 

I typically have 24-28 high school students in a relatively small classroom, which often drives my instructional design. For me, I like to have students in groups of four to five, which makes groups of six to seven. With approximately six groups, I will allocate 10-15 minutes per station. This lesson will take at least two class periods with some buffer time to finalize learning artifacts, review, and debrief as a class. Once I establish the number of stations and the pacing of a station rotation, I try to keep those stations consistent in subsequent lessons to help establish classroom protocols, norms, and expectations. 

 

Another caveat to consider is who will pick the groups and how those groups will be selected. Are students grouped to diversify the groups, picked to work with peers they work well with, or based on their proficiency with a specific skillset? Group selection should be purposeful and align with the overall goals of the lesson. Based on specific stations or tasks, it might be helpful to have groups of students working together for a particular purpose. 

 

Choose the activities for each station.

 

I always start with planning a teacher-led station for station rotation. I want to work with my students and want that small group time to discuss, assess, and reflect with my students. The activities should support the overarching goal of the lesson. When creating station rotation, my most significant reminder to colleagues is that a station rotation lesson is NOT starting from the ground up. Teachers should use what they already have and adapt to give students more small group time and focus on the learning tasks presented. If a teacher uses a Kahoot to review a skill, the Kahoot becomes a station. If a teacher had initially planned individual writing/reflecting time in a linear lesson, that becomes a station. 

 

So what might those stations look like? I have too many thoughts to keep writing here. Stay tuned for the next entry. Overall, it's important to remember that this learning model is incredibly flexible and can look different in every classroom. 

 

Stations are typically not linear, so considering the background knowledge and skills students need before beginning the station is essential. If they must know a skill or information to work through the stations, consider completing a mini-lesson with students before the stations begin. Also, consider creating a brief video recording to support student learning, review directions, or guide students as they move through the stations. Personalizing each station and using audio/video can make a teacher's guidance present even if the teacher is working with another group of students. 

It's a new year, and while I believe it is always a great time to set a goal or resolution (not just January 1), it could be time to try a new strategy or even just reimagine what classroom learning might look like with stations! 

Getting Started with Station Rotation

As a high school speech teacher, I believe in the benefits of a noisy classroom. Not only do I struggle to sit still myself, but I think my students (Mostly seniors and larger than me) also have difficulty with prolonged periods of sitting at desks. When we moved online due to COVID-19, I tried to incorporate physical or mental movement to allow for brain breaks, increased concentration, and a release of extra energy for deeper learning. As we returned to in-person classrooms, I wanted to continue using these shorter bursts of learning that allow students to acquire knowledge, practice, and demonstrate mastery in various ways.

To do this, I started sharing templates and ideas with colleagues who were also seeking ways to engage students in multiple modalities (online, in-person, whole group, individual, etc.). Through all of the changes related to COVID-19, I realized that I was creating stations for my students. These stations empower students to drive their learning, accommodate different learning styles, and allow me to spend more time with individual students.

Through collaboration with other teachers in my school, I learned more about how stations can enhance classroom learning and how they can be adapted to fit the needs of the students, the lesson, the content, and the context of the learning situation. Stations are flexible and allow teachers to create unique experiences for students and adapt to meet the goals of a particular lesson.

When I started using stations, I felt overwhelmed and thought they would take a lot of time to develop. However, after working through a few mini-station lessons with students, I realized that stations were often just a reimagination of activities and experiences I had already created in the past. I also realized that I needed to train and prepare my students for this learning experience. To help students stay on track and reflect on their learning, I use an accountability sheet (typically digital). This sheet encourages students to evaluate their learning and collect or create artifacts of their learning. These sheets can be used to study for a summative assessment or to support writing an essay later in the unit. The accountability sheets also allow me to assess the effectiveness of the learning experience.

I plan to further explore in 2023:

1. Station creation, 

2. Keeping students accountable during stations,   

3. And turning stations into playlists.

So, why might teachers consider using station rotation in 2023? Station rotation allows for differentiated instruction because activities can be tailored to meet students' needs, abilities, and interests. It also allows for flexible pacing and the opportunity for students to revisit activities or experiences as needed. Stations may include student choice, which leads to even more differentiation.

In addition, station rotation increases engagement because students have multiple activities to complete and a limited amount of time to do so. This can help keep them focused and interested in the various learning experiences they are completing. Station rotation also increases opportunities for collaboration because students are often placed in small groups and asked to work together on tasks. This helps foster teamwork and interpersonal skills.

Finally, station rotation is flexible for both teachers and students. Teachers can craft activities that meet the needs of their students and assess student learning in real time. Students may have flexibility over their pace and place of learning and the opportunity to revisit formative assessments or activities as needed. Station rotation can also be a fun and engaging way for students to learn, leading to increased motivation and retention of information. Overall, station rotation is a useful strategy for teachers looking to engage their students in various learning activities and experiences.

Want to learn more about station rotation? Check out this station rotation PD resource:

Becoming Canvas Certified

My district planned to slowly roll out our new learning management system before the pandemic. Six months later, when the pandemic forced us all to move to online learning, they decided to break the dam, let the waters loose, and dive right into the deep end of the Canvas pool. While the subsequent year was overwhelming and left many teachers feeling like they were barely keeping their heads above water, it was the right decision. 

As the school’s instructional coach, I worked non-stop as I often supported extremely panicked teachers trying to get instruction to remote students during one of the most challenging years of our lives. Ultimately, this experience led to empowered teachers who know Canvas better than they ever could have imagined, progressed our district’s mission, and allowed students to have more access to education from anywhere and at any time. 

To hone my skills even further, the instructional coaches in my district decided to take the Core 1: Foundational Frameworks Course in 2021. While I was familiar with Canvas, taking a course from the student perspective broadened my understanding of the user experience. One of us decided to continue and complete the six-course series to become a Canvas Certified Educator. I paused, overwhelmed with pandemic teaching, but returned to the experience after she finished and won a free course package. 

Being a student and seeking new experiences can always help us grow. Would I recommend this certification for teacher-leaders using Canvas? Yes. Even if you’re familiar with Canvas, the experience can come with unexpected lessons. It took about five months to complete all of the courses, as I took one course at a time, but I found the workload manageable and appropriately paced. 

A person taking these courses may gain valuable insight into our students’ experiences by being a student in the process.

Student view is a helpful feature in Canvas, but it can be limited. Being an actual student allowed me to practice submitting assignments, viewing feedback, and working through a module. I noticed what I liked and would have liked from a course, noted the design features, and observed how the timing of discussions/feedback impacted my learning. During the experience, I also noticed embedded features, including audio and video. I appreciated how these resources affected my learning and started adjusting my courses to improve the student experience. Being a student challenges us to reflect, and I truly appreciated this aspect of taking these courses. 

Exploring and navigating a Canvas course can help us to build more aesthetic and intuitively designed courses. 

Aesthetics impact how much time people spend on a page. The tl;dr of it all can turn students off from using resources. Also, students might shut down or become frustrated if something is hard to find or if there are too many ways to access an assignment. Creating a consistent look and flow to the course homepage, modules, and assignments improves accessibility. Using tools like Canva to beautify or enhance the aesthetics can make pages seem more professional and polished. The better the layout, the more engagement will occur. 

Speaking of engagement, using resources embedded in Canvas pages can spark new ideas about how we might create richer resources for our students. 

I love embedding a Padlet or a Google Slide into Canvas. Creating rich embedded resources that students can explore, reference, and read makes the learning experience more accessible. While taking these courses, I found new ways to share resources with students. Genially is a tool that I had not used before these courses. I appreciated how cleanly it was embedded in the page. I also learned how to create tabs in Canvas, which will take my course design to a new level. I am still working on this feature and exploring how I might use it to share my daily agenda slides, and this feature would only have been on my radar if I had taken these courses. 

While I learned a lot about Canvas from these courses, I was also able to explore instructional design theories beyond a single tech tool. 

In addition to learning more about the LMS, I gained perspective on various instructional strategies. Participating in a self-paced course may encourage Canvas-certified educators to explore blended learning strategies and instructional practices that may not have been used before. I had a choice and voice in what I learned and what I produced to demonstrate mastery. I was able to explore mastery pathways and work at my own pace, and I was able to connect with others asynchronously through Canvas discussions. 

If you’re looking to hone your Canvas skills and are in a teacher-leader position, this certification may be the right fit for you. While, at times, I felt a little isolated working at my own pace, I truly enjoyed the self-reflection process. I also appreciated the aesthetics and course design, which helped me create two Canvas courses for workshops that I led last summer. We can learn from every experience; if you’re seeking to become better acquainted with what might be with Canvas, check out the Canvas Certified Educator courses. 

Amplifying and Celebrating Every Teacher's Voice

 "We rise by lifting others." 

This quote attributed to Robert Ingersoll reminds me that the best leaders know how to empower others to be leaders themselves. We are stronger when we use our strengths to improve a school, organization, or community. One of my goals this school year is to find new ways to amplify and spotlight my colleagues. I teach in a building that is incredibly high achieving and equally humble. From academics to athletics, teachers are leading students to success. While these successes seem easily achieved, they come from hard work, hours of overtime, and a constant desire to learn/grow from our teachers. I am in awe of my colleagues and want to find ways to empower them and make them feel as deeply appreciated as they deserve to feel. I am in awe of the teaching and learning I am surrounded by each day and am excited to see that continue to grow in 2023. 

So how do we showcase the humblest of teachers? Give them a platform. 

This year, with the help of my fantastic assistant principal, I have encouraged a sit-and-snack series that features different teachers who typically do not volunteer or want to be in the limelight. Using blended learning as the core of the six topics that will occur throughout the school year, I have worked with division leaders to find people to feature and encourage them to take on the leadership roles they deserve to experience. So far, we have held three of the six sessions and will continue them next semester. We have covered the following:

• Blended Learning within the Walls

• Station Rotation

• Choice Grids and Playlists

We will continue to explore facets of blended learning with:

• Formative Assessments

• Side-By-Side Grading

• The Flipped Classroom 

  

Teachers from the world language, science, social science, and English departments have shared out strategies and ideas that work in their classrooms. Next semester, we will feature special education, math, English, and social science again. Having different departments share reminds us that impactful instructional strategies can work in any discipline. We can inspire and share regardless of the disciplines we teach. 

After our station rotation sit-and-snack, I had three teachers already trying the strategy in their classrooms the next day. From English discussions about To Kill a Mockingbird to Intro to Business, learning about investments, teachers moved desks, grouped kids up, and stole my number card holders to denote the station numbers. (Note: I prefer the tall ones often seen at weddings. Amazon has a ton of choices!). The application of the strategies and ideas shared at each of the first three sit-and-snacks has been immediate and interdisciplinary, which is exciting to see. 

In addition to our sit-and-snack series, I have found quieter ways to celebrate people. 

Writing cards is one of my favorite pastimes. People often chuckle and tell me that these cards (and often little gifts of appreciation) are unnecessary, but I beg to differ. The energy and gratitude that goes into a card or token of appreciation carry with a person. It gives them the energy and drive to keep going forward. In a time when burnout and anxiety are rampant, these small acts put good into the world and can build a culture of kindness, compassion, and care. 

Celebrate on a larger platform.

The final way I have started to give a platform to others is through a podcast that my friend Cori and I started this semester. Teach in Ten is a podcast that amplifies our district's great teachers and instructional strategies (Listen to our pilot and episode one). So far, we have interviewed five individuals from all of the buildings in the district. Using this experience to connect and communicate with others, we want to continue celebrating great teaching while encouraging others to continue to share their excellent work. 

Amplifying teachers' voices can have several benefits. We hope this podcast can help create community among colleagues across a larger suburban district. Teachers often become silos, focused on our classrooms and to-do lists. Short messages and sharing sessions can bring people together, spark conversation, and remind us how vital collaboration is. It's all in the timing and the way the message is presented. 

By sharing their stories and insights, we can showcase their excellent work and give others a platform to keep those conversations going. Sometimes people need a little extra encouragement to get started in that sharing. We become better when we lift up and celebrate others. I cannot wait to find new ways to amplify and celebrate my colleagues in 2023. 

Spreading Coaching Cheer at the End of the Semester

I  am going on five years of being an instructional coach. During that time, educational technology significantly shifted. Because of the pandemic, teachers adopted new technologies and teaching approaches out of necessity. Many of these teachers might not have ever considered making shifts in their practices but did so to reach students in the room and on Zoom. Also, my district adopted a new learning management system during this time. While this adoption was initially going to be a slow roll-out, COVID changed our plan overnight. 

I spent the final day of the semester sitting by a "roaring fire." In the large faculty commons area, I sat all nestled with cheer in hopes that my colleagues' gradebooks and Canvas close-outs would soon smoothly appear. I projected the fire (and wished the office was warmer) and invited colleagues to stop by to finalize whatever they still had to do. Luckily, I was given only a few challenging problems to solve. What I enjoyed most was chatting with colleagues as they walked by, laughing with division leaders as we tried to tie up the semester with a neat bow, and celebrating the fantastic work of my friends. 

So how do we get to an ending like the one I had for fall 2022? Build strong relationships. 

1. To build relationships,  instructional coaches must be available. 

We all have full plates. This year, our students' needs and our to-do lists have pulled us in many directions. Instructional coaches must appear available regardless of how long the to-do list is. Whether that be hosting drop-in times, walking through the halls at the right moment, or attending meetings - coaches need to be seen and accessible. Visibility promotes trust and more engagement, which ultimately increases the usefulness of any coach. 

2. In addition to availability, communication can build trust. 

Good communication is key to building strong relationships. Coaches should be clear and concise in their communication and listen actively to the needs and concerns of teachers. This semester, I have often reflected on when to communicate and what to share. 

Teachers need to be ready and receptive to hearing certain messages. For example, around Thanksgiving, teachers want to start thinking about wrapping up the semester. One-pagers about summative assessments and formative reviews are more powerful in November than they are in mid-September. 

Bulleted lists, tl;dr statements, and catching one-minute videos are far more palatable than two-page emails, too. 

3. Along with short messages carefully timed, effective coaches anticipate problems or challenges before they arrive.

Recognizing that teachers should check their grade syncing from the LMS to are gradebook of record is critical in December. Publishing short reminders and helpful tips two weeks BEFORE the end of the semester made the last day before the break a whole lot calmer and brighter. Sending out information about a vital tech update or instructional strategy, knowing that significant summatives are looming, can encourage teachers to use resources. Leaning into recency bias can help teachers to use tips at the right time! 

4. Regardless of the message or strategy being shared, instructional coaches know how to make every teacher feel seen, valued, and celebrated. 

People want to feel heard and valued. Sometimes the best coaching sessions start with casual conversations about a person's day or even a little venting, which opens the door to what is being shared. When people feel safe sharing their feelings, they are far more likely to want to collaborate and connect professionally. 

The biggest lesson I've learned as an instructional coach, which I was reminded of on the final day of the semester, is that a good coach recognizes every person's strength and celebrates her colleagues. Troubleshooting a tech tool, brainstorming a new teaching strategy, and preparing for a new semester are all secondary to our shared connections. Laughter, sharing stories, and reflecting together are far more important and forge relationships that create a robust and collaborative school community.

Sitting around a digital fire with friends is the best way to end the semester.