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So, Distance Learning Isn't Really New. You Got This!

@JoeTaylorDHS

First Glance at "The Distance Learning Playbook"

(Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2020)

As long as I can remember, my passion has been about teaching and learning. That is the primary reason I focus my work and study on Instructional Technology and Design. It’s really never been about the tech tools. It’s about creating effective and innovative learning opportunities for people. 

As an assistant principal, though, a lot of my time is taken up by things that are important but have almost nothing to do with teaching and learning. I don’t know about you, but especially right now, I need to find space for the things I love and the areas of education that I’m passionate about. 

I’ve settled on this. I blogged about innovative technology in the classroom for a long time. When I became an AP, I handed that blog over to my successor, and I think I miss the focus of writing. So, I’d like to end every week with a little piece of research, some examples of practice, or a discussion around teaching and learning. I don’t want to end the week with grade issues, logistics, or complaints. Just the part of the job I love - C&I.

Today I want to talk a little bit about “distance learning,” which feels new, but it isn’t. We’ve been studying distance learning in education since it was done through the mail. The most important thing that we know is that it is still just teaching and learning. You have to think about the platform, but you are still an expert teacher. It is still about helping kids grow. Here’s a great little pick me up video from The Distance Learning Playbook (Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2020). It’s worth a few minutes to watch it:

Nancy Frey’s Message to Educators - You Got This

We also know some things about teaching with technology. I’ve been studying that at a pretty high level for several years, and it wasn’t new when I started. Mobile, 1:1 classrooms are still pretty new. But teaching with technology isn’t new. Here’s some of the research about what we know works well (all from John Hattie’s research - you can find more at :

• Teaching with interactive videos has high effect size (.54)
• Intelligent tutoring systems also has a high effect size (.51)
• Just having a laptop has a small effect size (.16)

The lesson here is that it isn’t about the technology. It is about the task. Interactive videos and intelligent tutoring systems require students to be actively engaged, instead of passively listening. In both cases, kids get rapid feedback to their thinking. In the case of intelligent tutoring, instruction is differentiated instruction for individual learners and is focused on mastery of skills, not memorization of content.

So, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel with distance learning. We can choose tasks that leverage technology and moves students forward:

• Use technology for great diagnosis of what students need to learn
• Share scoring rubrics and success criteria up front with students before they get too involved in the task
• Be Clear. Teacher clarity matters more when students are not in front of you to correct, cajole, and to give instant feedback.
• Build formative evaluation into the tasks (informing us about their learning and our teaching)
• Optimize the social interaction aspects of class
• Check for understanding
• Make sure there is a balance between the precious knowledge and the deep thinking (too often online favors the former over the latter).    (Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2020, P. 5-6)

Focus more on the learning than on the teaching. If the kids aren’t learning, it doesn’t matter how much content we teach. If kids are learning - even through a global pandemic - it will all be all right.