Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 10, 2022

Teachers are navigating substitute teacher shortages, COVID protocols, and record numbers of absent students in addition to the normal demands of this job. We need to retain high-quality teachers who enjoy this work and feel energized and fulfilled by it.

Blended Learning 465

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Teachers Feedback 465

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 25, 2024

I’ve trained many teachers who use choice boards and ask, “What’s the difference between a choice board and a playlist?” Despite this reality, most learning is teacher-paced, not student-paced. The focus is on the teacher covering content and moving students through lessons on a strict timeline.

Teachers 479

Teachers Art Feedback Writing 479

eSchool News

MAY 7, 2025

One might assume that the most desirable skills for someone entering a STEM field would be things like vast scientific knowledge or a laser-like attention to detail. I especially like using it for collaborative timelines, maps, and peer feedback. Ive wondered about this myself on a few occasions.

STEM 253

STEM Students Feedback Intelligence 253

k12 Digest

MAY 28, 2025

With small class sizes, individualized instruction, and a focus on executive functioning, social-emotional growth, and life skills, AEF offers a unique educational experience tailored to each students needs. These platforms allow students to practice skills at their own pace while giving teachers real-time insights into their progress.

Skills 138

Skills Schools Learning Students 138

eSchool News

MAY 20, 2025

Ask any teacher, and they will tell you that the pace of learning is not universal. Teachers, caught in the middle, are forced to move on to the next lesson, even when the students in front of them have not fully mastered the last one. Some students grasp algebra in days, while others may need weeks. So, whats the alternative?

Learning 278

Learning Art Fairness Critical Thinking 278

Catlin Tucker

MAY 18, 2021

I am concerned about the impact that the imbalances in education have on teacher engagement and job satisfaction. I know firsthand the toll that the imbalances caused by traditional workflows in education can have on a teacher. First, I do not want the teacher to do the lion’s share of the work in the lesson.

Blended Learning 519

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Beliefs 519

k12 Digest

MAY 19, 2025

Her career spans roles as an elementary teacher, instructional coach, mentor, special education administrator, and elementary school principal. Dr. DiTullio was a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) and is an esteemed member of both PDK International and the Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society.

Science 246

Science Education Motivation Lecturing 246

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

I have heard teachers use these terms interchangeably, yet there is a distinct difference between these the playlist model and choice boards. The goal of a playlist is to move students from point A (where they currently are in relation to content knowledge, skills, or a multi-step project or process) to point B (firm learning goals).

Blended Learning 542

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Knowledge 542

Catlin Tucker

MAY 24, 2021

As this year winds down, I encourage teachers to take the final weeks of the school year to create closure, collect feedback, and help students look forward. Teachers and students alike are eagerly anticipating the summer. Teachers have been challenged to develop their skill sets and toolsets this year.

Activities 542

Activities Feedback Fairness Coaching 542

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

In our book UDL and Blended Learning , Dr. Katie Novak and I encourage teachers to work toward firm, often standards-aligned, goals. The variety of products they create causes many teachers to question how they should assess this work since it takes many forms. I share the template below with teachers to use in training sessions.

Essay 520

Essay Blended Learning Feedback Writing 520

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 22, 2024

As students move through a lesson, some acquire information and skills more quickly than others. Some students will need additional support, scaffolds, feedback, or reteaching to understand key concepts and apply specific strategies, processes, or skills. Let’s explore examples in each category of formative assessment.

Feedback 428

Feedback Quizzes Coaching Discussions 428

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

When I work with schools that have already adopted the UDL framework, they immediately recognize how blended learning can help teachers to implement many of the principles of UDL more effectively. Teachers can use blended learning to create the time and space necessary for students to: Set personal, academic, and behavioral goals.

Universal Design 545

Universal Design Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning 545

eSchool News

APRIL 19, 2023

The United States is experiencing a national education shortage of teachers leaving the profession in droves, coined “The Great Resignation” due to high anxiety, burnout, safety concerns, low salaries, and challenging job demands. This shortage is further fueled by plummeting enrollment in teacher preparation programs.

Coaching 312

Coaching Teachers Feedback Achievement 312

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 16, 2021

Teachers are freed from orchestrating a lesson and able to conference with learners about their progress, provide feedback on work in progress, or conduct side-by-side assessments. Each column focuses on a specific standard or skill. Learner variability means that not all students enjoy the same task. Designing Choice Boards.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Feedback Activities Universal Design 546

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

Why should teachers use rubrics to assess student work? Using rubrics helps teachers stay focused during the grading process and ensures that grading is objective, consistent, and fair. Using rubrics helps teachers stay focused during the grading process and ensures that grading is objective, consistent, and fair.

Fairness 545

Fairness Assignments Feedback Language 545

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Key points: Edtech tools can provide an important bridge between teachers and their goals Can artificial intelligence help teachers improve? Schools can also use tech and AI tools to enhance the success of teacher teams and professional learning communities (PLCs). Technology is here to help bridge the gap.

Teachers 332

Teachers Feedback Evaluation Intelligence 332

eSchool News

DECEMBER 7, 2023

We believe that successful mentoring and instructional coaching sustains teachers, especially new ones, throughout the year and improves their ability to build strong relationships with students and families. I just ask if I can record for a few minutes so that teachers can see themselves from a different perspective.

Coaching 325

Coaching Teachers Feedback Motivation 325

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 12, 2023

In our newest book, Shift Writing into the Classroom with UDL and Blended Learning , Dr. Katie Novak and I guide teachers in creating the time and space to support all parts of the writing process in the classroom. Feedback is pivotal as students navigate the complexities of learning how to write for a particular purpose or audience.

Assignments 456

Assignments Writing Feedback Motivation 456

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 7, 2020

Teachers juggling the concurrent classroom with some students physically attending class and others joining remotely via video conferencing are trying to balance the demands of teaching in two learning landscapes simultaneously. Begin class with a review activity, writing prompt, feedback form, quick quiz, or formative assessment.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Discussions 546

eSchool News

JULY 19, 2024

Key points: Solutions to the teacher shortage will require innovative thinking and new practices How are you attracting and retaining teachers of color? Local industry professionals are a powerful resource pool of work-based knowledge and skills, but require varying levels of preparation before teaching a class.

Teachers 294

Teachers Culture Special Education Interactive Teaching 294

eSchool News

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Develop career and technical education pathways Offer a career and technical education (CTE) program of study–a progression of industry-focused classes that create accessible pathways for students to gain the skills needed for college and career success–that introduces students to the teaching industry.

Teachers 277

Teachers Education High School High School 277

eSchool News

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Teachers are facing ever-growing demands: providing high-quality lessons, attending to individual student needs, and managing administrative loads that stretch their time and energy to the limit. Despite their dedication, many teachers are at risk of leaving a profession they love simply because they are exhausted and unsupported.

Teachers 316

Teachers Technology Ethics Classroom Management 316

Catlin Tucker

MAY 4, 2020

One of the primary roles that a teacher plays in an online class is the facilitation of learning. Facilitation is the teacher’s ability to clearly communicate learning objectives and support learners as they make progress toward those objectives. This presents myriad opportunities to engage students in active learning online.

Discussions 546

Discussions Student Engagement Participation Students 546

eSchool News

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Technology’s effect on teachers Individuals who struggled to use technology have argued that the incorporation of too much technology is one of the reasons for teacher burnout. Fear of technology influences a teacher’s thinking, perhaps thinking that many students have more knowledge of the technology.

Collaborative Learning 317

Collaborative Learning Gamification Teachers Teaching Methods 317

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 17, 2022

How do teachers feel about their work? What factors cause teachers to feel fulfilled by this work? Emotional engagement encompasses a teachers’ feelings about, degree of dedication to, and emotional response to their work (Perera, Vosicka, Granziera & McIlveen, 2018; Klassen, Yerdelen & Durksen, 2013).

Teachers 365

Teachers Blended Learning Classroom Management Discussions 365

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 1, 2021

The more physical distance between the teacher and the learner, the more challenging it is to collect formative assessment data consistently. The aspect of teaching that is hard to replicate in the online environment is the teachers’ ability to collect informal data by merely listening and observing.

Learning 543

Learning Knowledge Writing Discussions 543

eSchool News

APRIL 24, 2025

Teachers often seem to have eyes in the back of their heads. Teachers sometimes call it radar , and we use it every day. Thirteen years in, I credit this radar with much of my success as a teacher. I lost sight, specifically, of how teachers develop the radar necessary for classroom management. But its not instinctual.

Classroom Management 183

Classroom Management Coaching Feedback Skills 183

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

In the book, Blended Learning in Action , my co-authors (Tiffany Wycoff and Jason Green) and I created the PAACC Hallmarks of Effective Practice as a guide to ensure that blended learning puts students at the center of learning and helps them to develop future-ready skills. Get a free copy at [link].

Blended Learning 518

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Spaces Skills 518

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 8, 2021

Teachers are frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of focus, engagement, and motivation. I can empathize with their frustration, but I attribute these behaviors to underdeveloped self-regulation skills, especially in online and blended learning environments. Key Process Necessary to Develop Self-regulation Skills.

Blended Learning 543

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning Motivation 543

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

I shared strategies designed to develop self-regulation skills, sustain effort and persistence, and recruit interest. Teachers may want to explore using a choice board or hyperdoc format to present information in multiple modalities. Customizing information is easier to do when teachers make that information available digitally.

Universal Design 546

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Feedback 546

eSchool News

DECEMBER 19, 2024

This understanding has deepened through my collaboration with Kathy Renfrew, whose journey from a self-proclaimed science-phobic classroom teacher to renowned STEM educator and leader illustrates the transformation that happens when educators break down traditional subject-area barriers and create truly interdisciplinary units.

STEM 286

STEM Science Interdisciplinary Teachers 286

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

As classroom teachers, one of the many challenges we face is student engagement. For our purposes, we are going to say that student engagement is the ability for a teacher to draw the attention or interest of students for the sake of learning. You must believe in your ability as a teacher to create or find engaging lessons.

Student Engagement 306

Student Engagement Teachers Students Attention 306

eSchool News

OCTOBER 19, 2023

If structured and designed well, a mentorship program can help early childhood educators grow and develop in their current careers by gaining new insights, knowledge, and skills from a more experienced colleague. One of our programs supported new teachers learning how to teach English as a second language.

Teachers 300

Teachers Coaching Knowledge English 300

eSchool News

OCTOBER 25, 2024

This inspired me to incorporate KIBO into my STEM course for pre-service teachers. Embracing change with a hands-on approach to STEAM learning With my usual 20-page final project firmly in the rearview mirror, I instead instructed my pre-service teacher students to play and explore. We will learn a lot from this!”

Teaching 278

Teaching Teachers STEM Syllabus 278

eSchool News

MARCH 25, 2025

We also teamed up with Leading Educators , a nonprofit organization that supports high-quality instruction, to transform professional learning for our teachers. This sense of purpose around a shared strategic goal has elevated our principals, teachers, and students alike. Here are three key lessons weve learned throughout this process.

Teachers 262

Teachers Coaching Students Math 262

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 28, 2023

Teachers can choose to have a playlist be the sole focus of their work in class for a period of time, or they may weave it into a series of station rotation lessons over time (e.g., I recommend that teachers use a digital document or slide deck. That way, the teacher knows where they are in the playlist each day.

Blended Learning 434

Blended Learning Feedback Universal Design Art 434

Catlin Tucker

MAY 20, 2023

How can formative assessment data help students to develop their metacognitive skills? These informal assessments provide information to the teacher about students’ understanding of the material being covered and the skills being introduced. Traditionally, formative assessment has been used as a teacher tool.

Metacognitive Skills 481

Metacognitive Skills Universal Design Blended Learning Evaluation 481