#32. A Road Map to Online Lesson Design

There has been a lot of change in my neck of the woods!  After preparing for a hybrid model, our school ended up starting fully online.  As part of this change, we also moved from a 45-minute daily class period to a 75-minute alternating day block schedule.  I had already started moving my content online using a flipped classroom model in preparation for the hybrid schedule. I simply assumed it would be easy to translate these lessons into a fully online, block format. I was so wrong.

When I started redesigning my lessons I realized that it was not as simple as combining two 45-minute lessons. The flow and pacing of my block lesson was very different.  I needed some help.  Enter Jennifer Gonzalez of The Cult of Pedagogy and Catlin Tucker of Balance with Blended Learning.  Both are my "go-to" educators when I am confronted with a new challenge.  

I began my research with The Cult of Pedagogy's podcast "Making the Most of a 90-Minute Block".  Gonzalez shared five different structures for block scheduling; the Classic, the Workshop, the Lab, the Performance and the Variety Pack. The Classic structure most closely mirrored my natural class structure.  It incorporates the following elements into the lesson design: anticipatory set, direct instruction, application, assessment and reflection.  For the first time since the announcement that we would be teaching in a block schedule I felt like I had a roadmap to guide the development of my lessons in this new format.  Then, in the podcast, she references the work of one of my other favorite educators, Catlin Tucker.  

In the Spring of 2020, Tucker shared how to adapt the 5E structure of lesson design for online or remote delivery in her post, "Tips for Designing an Online Learning Experience Using the 5 Es Instructional Model."  Both models share a number of similarities and their differences allow for variety and flexibility in lesson design.  Here's a brief comparison of both models.  You can read more about each model in the links posted above. Here is a link to a great description of each of the 5 E's.

I ended up using a version of the 5E's model to design my lessons for AP Psychology.  Here is a sample of what one of my lessons now looks like.  

Science of Learning: Retrieval Practice & Spaced Rehearsal

Learning Targets:

• Identify and implement techniques that make learning easier and faster
• Explore the psychology of how memory work
• Explain the importance of rehearsal, distributed practice and the forgetting curve.

A. Engage
Study Habit Quiz

https://forms.gle/h5HMvw8fwu6HwkXVA

B. Explore

C. Explain

Direct Instruction using Pear Deck

-How Memory Works

-Memory Hacks: Retrieval Practice & Spaced Rehearsal

D. Elaborate

Students create a FlipGrid Post answering the following questions:

• How do you currently study?
• Does it work? How do you know?
• What are some research-based changes can you make to make your studying more effective?

E. Evaluate

Formative quiz on Canvas

I like this model because it combines all of the previous components of my previous lessons, but simplifies the flow and limits the number of transitions for the students. Simple is definitely better during online learning! 

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Cori