Catlin Tucker

MAY 11, 2020

Is there instruction or modeling students need to navigate a task or assignment? Can teachers pair those resources with an online discussion prompt to encourage conversation and collaborative meaning-making? Do students need to engage with texts or podcasts? PlanOnlineLesson.

Distance Learning 546

Distance Learning Assignments Coaching Activities 546

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 19, 2020

So, the question many teachers are asking is, “How should I spend my limited time with students in the classroom or in video conferencing sessions? Students work independently to complete assignments and tasks. Students have access to teacher and peer support while completing assignments and tasks.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Learning Assignments Activities 546

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 12, 2023

auditory processing, attention deficit, lack of background knowledge or vocabulary, absences), teachers record video instruction and assign those videos for homework. The benefit of assigning video instruction for homework is that students can control the time, place, and pace of the learning experience when they watch the video at home.

Blended Learning 465

Blended Learning Students Assignments Lecturing 465

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 29, 2020

Breakout rooms provide a synchronous virtual space for students to connect, discuss, collaborate, and share. Give students a straightforward task with step-by-step directions to minimize confusion and questions when kids are in the breakout rooms. Zoom or Google Meet Breakout Rooms. for a unit or text.

Learning Spaces 545

Learning Spaces Student Engagement Learning Students 545

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 24, 2018

I want them reading, thinking about, and discussing hot topics that impact their lives; however, engaging students around online articles hasn’t always been easy. I decided to use InsertLearning to add highlights, notes, questions, and discussion prompts to the article. Click the question mark icon to insert a question.

Discussions 419

Discussions Critical Thinking Reading Assignments 419

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

As I’ve said in previous blog posts, teaching in a concurrent classroom is the most challenging teaching assignment I can imagine. What questions or suggestions do they have? Teachers can create a simple Google Form to collect quick formative assessment data and create an avenue for students to ask questions or request help.

Evaluation 546

Evaluation Feedback Writing Assignments 546

Edsurge

MARCH 15, 2024

This fall, after a restless night overthinking an assignment for my upcoming class and drinking three cups of not-strong-enough coffee, I added the final touch on my latest assignment for students in my World History II class. I like to think of this shift as a transition from content-based to issues-based curriculum.

Assignments 199

Assignments Essay History Social Studies 199

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 18, 2023

However, I often hear the question, “Can I use the flipped classroom if I don’t assign homework?” Some teachers do not assign homework. Despite these potential pitfalls, flipped instruction retains its value even when videos are not assigned for homework. This encourages brainstorming and prediction.

Lecturing 431

Lecturing Knowledge Assignments Writing 431

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 24, 2021

Students who generally struggle to read at grade level could engage with this assignment in ways equal to their classmates who read at or above grade level. Each time I return to an assignment, I add strategies, like polling, discussion boards, and partner work to make the experience more engaging. Explain what happened here.

Blended Learning 396

Blended Learning Multiple Choice Questions Learning Discussions 396

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Self-assessing Practice and Review Too often, when teachers assign review and practice in class or for homework, the responsibility for checking the accuracy of that work falls on the teacher. This reminds students that participating in discussions is their responsibility and that discussion itself is a skill they can improve on over time.

Evaluation 426

Evaluation Assignments Failure Discussions 426

Faculty Focus

MAY 20, 2025

In a course that requires out-of-class reading, that conversation is highly reliant on students doing their part and completing the assigned reading.However, in recent semesters, students engaging in focused reading in which they annotate text is dwindling. It seems as if a quick scan of one of the assigned pages is the best effort.

Instructors 95

Instructors Assignments Participation Students 95

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 7, 2020

In a previous post, I described how blended learning models could make this challenging teaching assignment more manageable ; however, that post assumes that teachers are familiar with blended learning. Present-Pause-Discuss. A present–pause–discuss format allows the teacher to focus on introducing one concept or skill at a time.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Discussions 546

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

instruction, scaffolds, practice, assignments). Record video directions for each station to reduce questions and confusion. Create a pathway for online students to ask questions as they work (e.g., Engage students around the video content using online discussions (e.g., Differentiate learning (e.g., copyplaylisttemplate.

Blended Learning 545

Blended Learning Teaching Learning Students 545

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

It’s a place where interpersonal risks feel doable, interpersonal risks, like speaking up with questions and concerns and half-baked ideas and even mistakes.” Students may lose points on homework assignments or practice activities because they answered questions incorrectly. What did you learn?

Blended Learning 506

Blended Learning Feedback Coaching Achievement 506

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The tools and resources my students use must generate discussion and are often used in a team or partner setting, as I strongly believe that student interaction supports our instructional goals. You can create quizzes for the books your students are reading and assign collections to your students.

Elementary School 339

Elementary School Elementary School Schools Quizzes 339

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 25, 2019

As they discuss the challenge or problem, observe them. You can use their explanations to drive a debrief in which you highlight strong strategies and answer questions. I often pair students up to encourage them to discuss their work and ask each other for help. 1 Hook the Group. 2 I Do, We Do, You Do. 4 Real-Time Feedback.

Teachers 420

Teachers Essay Feedback Quizzes 420

eSchool News

JANUARY 29, 2025

Key points: Technology works in service of teaching, not the other way around Teaching ethical edtech for future innovators Leveraging edtech to help students, teachers stay connected through illness For more news on AI, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub Artificial intelligence brings opportunities and questions to classrooms worldwide.

Teaching 328

Teaching Ethics Education Teaching Methods 328

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Many teachers already are rethinking assessments and assignments to shift the question from how students will use AI to cheat, to how students can learn to use AI responsibly. Assignments that ask students to produce answers using AI can encourage students to critically consider the information provided.

Plagiarism 331

Plagiarism Education Assignments Essay 331

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 21, 2020

Teachers are questioning how the instructional strategies they have used in the past will work if students are coming to school on a modified schedule or if they are learning online. Students do not need to be physically close to engage in small group discussions or talk while completing collaborative tasks online. virtualSR.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Communication Assignments Activities 546

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 20, 2020

If students are working on a formal writing assignment or project, teachers can schedule 5-minute feedback sessions with individual students. In these sessions, teachers can share their screens and project the student’s work as they discuss it. Which aspects of the work would benefit from further development?

Feedback 546

Feedback Blended Learning Writing Communication 546

Faculty Focus

JUNE 13, 2024

It has been sobering to see, through their eyes, how unclear our assignments can sometimes be. Maybe the student skipped class or doesn’t have all the material handed out with the assignment. They’re used to teachers asking questions; generally when teachers ask questions they want students to provide answers.

Assignments 119

Assignments Essay Writing Questions 119

eSchool News

JUNE 28, 2024

It takes only seconds to plug a writing prompt into a generative AI tool and receive a completed assignment. The bottom line: When students are confident in their writing skills, they will be less tempted to run directly to AI to generate a writing assignment.

Writing 328

Writing Essay Plagiarism Assignments 328

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 21, 2019

When I facilitate station rotation workshops with teachers using StudySync , I encourage them to consider designing offline discussion stations. There is value in having a small group of six to eight students discuss a text as opposed to facilitating a whole group discussion. Ask follow up questions. Make eye contact.

Discussions 283

Discussions Writing Communication Questions 283

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 30, 2020

For teachers using StudySync in combination with Google Classroom, I’ve described three strategies that educators can use to capitalize on the activities in the StudySync First Read lesson plans to engage students in online discussions, collaborative research projects, and online vocabulary review. #1 If so, could that create bias?

Collaborative Research 370

Collaborative Research Students Knowledge Assignments 370

eSchool News

MARCH 19, 2025

With most of the states nationwide moving towards a phenomena-based approach to learning in science, it is especially important that I integrate high-quality online resources into instruction–resources students can relate to, apply prior knowledge to, and that prompt questions about their curiosities.

Teachers 311

Teachers Learning Science STEM 311

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 22, 2024

Teachers can use observations with a checklist when students are: Engaged in group activities or discussions to monitor individual participation and contributions. Teachers might include the following items on a checklist: Participation: Is the student actively engaged in the activity/discussion? What two questions do they have?

Feedback 428

Feedback Quizzes Coaching Discussions 428

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Last week it dawned on me that I can assign homework to be completed in pairs and groups virtually. Not only did students complete the assignments, but they were excited about it. Third, I would assign partners or groups during our synchronous sessions or post them in Google Classroom. The results? A smashing success!

Assignments 317

Assignments Schools Middle School Middle School 317

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 29, 2021

They responded in kind, asking questions, making comments, and leaning into the learning. Teachers have the time and space to facilitate differentiated small group instruction, engage learners in interactive modeling sessions, facilitate small group discussions, and provide real-time feedback on work in progress. I was hooked!

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Critical Thinking Communication Participation 535

Catlin Tucker

MAY 7, 2023

I point to each station’s location and review the assigned seating chart. Note: I don’t usually assign seats at the independent teacher-led station because that is where I will be.) Because students do not need to get out any materials when they transition, I set the transition timer to 20 seconds. What is your favorite movie?

Coaching 336

Coaching Blended Learning Assignments Middle School 336

eSchool News

AUGUST 13, 2024

Group work fosters collaborative learning through projects and discussions, thereby encouraging students to consider different viewpoints and ideas. In secondary education, challenging students with abstract thinking, encouraging debate and discussion, and assigning independent projects are key strategies for promoting deeper learning.

Cognitive Development 300

Cognitive Development Students Secondary Education Assignments 300

eSchool News

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Key points: ChatGPT is here to stay, and it’s wise to now consider it a part of learning In fact, every assignment moving forward must be graded with ChatGPT in mind See related article: How educators can navigate AI-driven plagiarism You may have heard of ChatGPT. Sometimes group projects work well.

Essay 337

Essay Plagiarism Assignments Learning 337

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 14, 2021

Engage : Develop a Question to Drive Your Inquiry Cycle. The PLC begins by engaging in a discussion or structured brainstorming session to identify areas of interest for this inquiry cycle. What is challenging about their teaching assignments? Let’s explore how PLCs can use this model to guide their learning.

Teachers 425

Teachers Blended Learning Learning Evaluation 425

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 28, 2023

Our discussions culminated in selecting specific challenges to explore in-depth, with the goal of prototyping solutions at the Learning Leaders Summit in Dubai. What questions do you have about these challenges in the context of your own teaching experience? Have you encountered similar challenges in your own classroom or school?

Blended Learning 458

Blended Learning Universal Design Learning Motivation 458

Faculty Focus

MAY 18, 2025

Beginning Add literature/resources from neurodivergent, disabled, and diverse authors to assigned course readings and class activities. Provide multiple sources and access points for assignment requirements and expectations (written descriptions, presentations, instructional videos, examples, rubrics).

Accessibility 97

Accessibility Disabilities Learning Disabilities Special Education 97

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Instead, teachers must strive to design student-centered learning experiences that challenge the students to think, discuss, problem-solve, collaborate, question, create, and reflect. What questions did they answer incorrectly? What aspects of the assignment would benefit from further development? What did they do well?

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Teachers Learning Grades 535

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 24, 2020

As I support teachers struggling to navigate the demands of the concurrent classroom, I find myself continually returning to the station rotation model as a strategy to design and facilitate learning for this challenging teaching assignment. First, I want to identify a few of the challenges I observe in concurrent classrooms.

Attention 546

Attention Blended Learning Activities Feedback 546

Edsurge

JULY 27, 2023

That has sparked a burst of activity by teachers at schools and colleges to change their assignments to make them harder to game with this new tech — and hopefully more human in the process. For instance, on a recent assignment, some of the homework that came in didn’t sound like typical student work he was used to.

Assignments 148

Assignments Instructors Writing History 148