What is it?Definition: students rotate at fixed points

in time between different learning stations, at least one of which is an online learning station.Other stations might include activities such

as small-group or full-class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil-and-paper assignments..

Challenges Teachers need to learn new skills, such as how to

plan the right small groups for face-to-face time in response to the data that the online-learning station is generating.

Classrooms need a robust learning management system to help fit each student to the right online content and to generate actionable reports for teachers. PISD is using Schoology

The online-learning station needs to be easy for students to do on their own with minimal adult intervention.

Benefits Not new to education. The new element is that

online learning was not included.

Allows teachers to work with smaller groups of students. (RtI, PIE time, student behavior is more manageable with less students)

Students are engaged because of the frequency in rotating stations.

Facilitates the use of project-based learning.

The intent is to inspire students to obtain a deeper understanding of the subjects they are studying.

Setting up Blended and the Rotation

Model As with any instructional program, there must be a

balance of positive classroom culture, effective instruction, procedures, and management.

Blended Learning is introduced at the beginning of the year, along with routines and classroom culture building. Student independence is key to the blended learning model, and it needs to be explicitly taught.

In order for the small group instruction to be meaningful and uninterrupted, students will have to be experts in being on-task during their independent work. These routines should be practiced before students work independently.

Training Students: Logging In

Students will amaze you with their pre-existing knowledge of how to use computers, and how to problem solve. You will want to discuss what to do if an error message comes up. In most situations, clicking OK or the “x” in the upper corner, are good solutions.

The teacher will want to explicitly teach how to sign in and out of programs. The teacher may even ask students to time how long it takes to sign out after the signal has been given to rotate, in order to promote efficient rotations.

Discuss with your campus administrators and/or team as to how and when you would like to train students.  

Training Students : Rotating

What will it look like when students rotate?• Students quickly signing out of

computers

• Students cleaning up independent activities

• Students standing behind chairs

• Students looking at the teacher

• Students walking to next rotation

• Students starting work right away

What will it sound like when students rotate?• Quiet voices

• Quiet feet walking

• Fingers typing

• Pencils writing

• Students reading

What will it feel like when students rotate?• Calm

• Focused

• Safe

• Responsible

Planning with for Small Group

DataUse data from recent

assessments, exit tickets, and assignments to reteach specific and personalized SE’s

Introduce a topicUse your small group to

introduce a concept in a small setting to gauge understanding

Build relationships

Instant Interventions Can instantly see students

who have misconceptions, address them, instantly

Special PopulationsA small group setting can

build confidence with your LEP/ELL students, special education/504 students by allowing them to use academic language in a nonthreatening situation

This was a lab over the same content as the digital lesson but this time we used colors to build elements and compounds so they could visually see one was made of the same thing and one was not- I used this to asses where they were in the concepts- if they struggled I was able to instantly address misconceptions

SMALL GROUP

Planning for Collaborative Time

Project based learning

Group sortVocabulary

review

Differentiated Choice board

Peer tutoringMatching

Doing a periodic table sort- using the pervious days foldable to help identify and sort metals, nonmetals, metal moods - worked in partners

Collaborative

Planning with TechnologyPick 1 and do it well!

Ideas for Implementing Technology

SchoologyA LMS

BlendspaceEmbed Powerpoints,

videos, documents, links, etc in an organized way on 1 website

EdPuzzleselect a video and

customize it by editing, cropping, recording audio, and adding questions

KahootGame based

questioning

Watching a digital lesson and completed a "digital lesson companion" aka a fill in the blank that asked questions based in mastery of each slide/video - from the digital textbook over elements and compounds

Independent