Leveling up Lessons with the Elements of Learning

How do you challenge teachers to think about utilizing technology tools in creative ways? Really, it's about giving them time. Time to think, explore, and share. The activity outlined below is one I completed during a professional learning with teachers. The only thing they were asked to bring is a lesson they wanted to "Level Up" and their iPad of course.

This is the scene teachers will see when they open the Freeform board. The settings are set to "Anyone with the link can Edit" and a QR code linked to the board is included on the page. All shapes created in Freeform.

Materials Needed:

iPad or MacBook, Freeform App, a lesson you will be teaching soon

Part 1: Elements of Learning Review

In this activity, teachers sort the coins into the correct Element they belong with. Afterwards, the facilitator leads a discussion to review the Elements of Learning. All shapes were created in Freeform.

1. Teachers scan the QR code to open the board.
2. They can choose to work collaboratively or independently.
3. From the first image (seen above), teachers will "climb" up the beanstalk to the next activity.
4. Each coin represents a component of one of the Elements of Learning. Teachers will work together to figure out which Element each coin belongs to. The facilitator will move coins in the wrong location back to the starting cloud.
5. Facilitate a brief discussion around each of the Elements. Some questions to guide your discussion:

Part 2: Plan the Next Steps

This is the space of the board where teachers did their brainstorming and idea selection. It was also a quick snapshot for me to see where they were and how I could support. All shapes were created using Freeform.

1. Ask participants to now "climb" down the next beanstalk.
2. They will find a tunnel that leads to their grade level. Inside each tunnel they will find four items. Each item serves its own unique purpose.
3. First, participants will use markup on the Elements of Learning rubric to reflect on the lesson they brought to work on by circling where they believe the lesson falls on the rubric.
4. Next, the ⭐️ helps you move fast! For 3 minutes, jot down as many ideas for utilizing iPad with this lesson as you can. The sky is the limit. Forget about time, space, and money for a second and just toss all the ideas out there.
5. The 🍄 is to help you grow. Looking at your rubric and the ideas that you generated, choose one idea that would help you "Level Up" your use of an Element in that lesson. Write down: "What is the Element you are growing in, and how will you grow?"
6. Finally, the 🌷is the firepower. What are you going to do next to make this happen? Do you need your tech coach to help you iron out the details? Do you need a co-teacher in your room during the lesson? Do you need to create resources for your students? This is your action step.
7. Make it happen!

Facilitator Tips:

• I asked teachers to bring a lesson they will be teaching within the next couple of weeks. This makes the work they do on preparing the lesson relevant to where they currently are in their classrooms. Planning for too far away can easily be forgotten.
• Lock EVERYTHING down. If it isn't meant to move on your design, lock it down by tapping and clicking the padlock icon. This prevents frustration later when you have many people on one document.
• Be ok with the silent processing time. This is about giving them time to think and be creative with their lessons. Maybe play some music!
• Follow up! Getting an idea started is great but it is important to follow back up to offer support as they are trying something new.
• Placing the QR code on the board itself makes it easy to find!
• Here is a link to the Freeform board, just make a copy and edit to meet your teachers needs!

📣 Now what?

How will you "Level up" professional learning for the teachers you work with?

#LCR3 #GoShareMO