Caution: If your school has embarked on “tech integration,” that’s a red flag. Often that phrase is code for cramming devices on top of the traditional instructional model. Multiple studies show that approach to be a waste of effort.
In this podcast episode, Heather talks to Lisa Adams, assistant superintendent at Temple Independent School District in Texas. Lisa says that for years, Temple ISD was great at giving each student access to a device and giving teachers Google Classroom training. But results were only marginally better, and the devices likely had nothing to do with the improvements.
It wasn’t until 2015 that student performance started to climb. That was the year Lisa’s district switched from “tech integration” to a deep transformation of the fundamental learning design. Leaders and teachers worked together to envision four pillars of a new student experience. They visited exemplars to see model schools in action. They defined a “Learning Progression” for teachers, which articulated what the pillars of the student experience looked like in classrooms that were just getting started with the new design, in classrooms that were advancing, and in those that were going deep.
The results have been dramatic, but Lisa cautions that the effort takes patience on the district’s part. Veteran teachers can feel uncomfortable as they are asked to evolve. But today, 90 percent of Temple’s teachers say they would not return to traditional instruction.
For a free resource on how to use Learning Progressions to help your schools move beyond tech integration, download the Tuesday Share that accompanies this episode 15. It will be available next week at https://www.readytoblend.com/tuesdays
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör Heather Clayton Staker. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Heather Clayton Staker och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
