When we transitioned to distance learning in March 2020 everyone I know was doing some scrambling to figure out what tools they could use to make it a tiny bit more palatable. How can we bring in student voice? How can we make direct instruction engaging? How can we invite students to express their learning in something other than a Google Doc? Nine months later, whether you are tiring of your tried and true favorites or never quite settled in, it’s important to take a moment to pause and ask yourself WHY you are using a particular app and HOW that app supports the learning goals of your students.
For me, a helpful tool in reflecting on these questions has been Allan Carrington’s Pedagogy Wheel. (Please take a breath if you clicked on that link and got super scared of this very dense graphic! You are safe among friends!)
The Pedagogy wheel is based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (which originated in 1956 and was updated in 2011). The framework has 6 categories of knowledge that describe the dynamic process that is learning (Armstrong). The wheel starts with a slice of the wheel for each of Bloom’s categories (remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create) at the center, and builds out; layering on action verbs, and activities that support each category. The second to last layer includes apps used to support the layer of understanding described in that slice. The final layer of the wheel adds on an evaluation of the suggested apps using the SAMR model, which is helpful in thinking (Honestly, this explanation is maybe worse than if you just looked at it?).
Although A LOT has changed with distance learning, but one constant is that a foundation of teaching is making intentional planning choices that align with your philosophy of teaching and with your students’ needs.
References
Armstrong, Patricia. "Bloom’S Taxonomy". Vanderbilt University, 2020, https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Smith, Cate. "Padagogy Wheel | College STAR". Collegestar.Org, 2020, https://www.collegestar.org/modules/padagogy-wheel.
Comments