Session 1 - Quick Scan

WHY

This exercise aims to enable teachers to take a reflective and analytical look at their existing lesson plans from the perspectives of student engagement and collaboration. Often, educators may have a general sense of which parts of their lessons work well and which do not, but this activity encourages a more structured and detailed examination. By identifying areas with lower engagement and collaboration, teachers can focus on redesigning these specific aspects of their lessons. The goal is to enhance the overall learning experience in a blended or distance learning environment by leveraging technology in a targeted way. This aims to improve student learning outcomes and supports teachers in transitioning smoothly to more dynamic and interactive teaching methods.

WHAT

Teachers will create an Engagement x Collaboration Matrix for their current lesson plans in this exercise. The matrix is a visual tool to map each lesson activity based on its current student engagement and collaboration levels. By doing so, teachers can identify which parts of their lessons are most and least interactive and participative. This understanding is crucial for pinpointing the specific lesson components that could be significantly improved by integrating digital tools and collaborative strategies.

HOW

STEP 1 - List Lesson Flow

• Choose a specific lesson to focus on and list out its activities. This can be a particularly memorable, effective, or challenging lesson.

• Write down each activity on a separate sticky note. Be clear and descriptive, yet concise. Aim for 5-10 activities for a typical lesson.

• Optionally, add notes about resources or tools currently used in each activity. Place these notes in a second column next to the activities. This additional information can be helpful for further analysis in Workshop 2 (Deep Scan).

STEP 2 - Assessing Engagement

• Make duplicates of the activity sticky notes from Step 1.

• Begin by placing the first activity at the center of the Engagement axis.

• For each subsequent activity, evaluate whether it had more or less student engagement compared to those already placed, and position it accordingly on the Engagement axis.

• Continue until all activities have been assessed and plotted for engagement.

STEP 3 - Assessing Collaboration

• Starting from the second-highest engagement activity, assess its level of student collaboration compared to the top activity and adjust their positions along the Collaboration axis.

• Continue down the list, adjusting each activity's position based on its level of student collaboration.

• Complete this process for all activities to create a comprehensive Engagement x Collaboration matrix.

Step 4 - Grid Overlay and Discussion

• Adjust the 2x2 grid according to the placement of the sticky notes.

• Review and, if necessary, readjust the grid to ensure accurate representation of engagement and collaboration levels.

• Discuss any patterns or insights that emerge from the grid.

STEP 5 - Decision Making

• Vote on the most suitable activities for redesign, aiming to increase engagement and/or collaboration.

• Reflect on the voting results and prepare to explore educational technology tools that could enhance these selected activities for distance or blended learning.

RESULT

This process leads to a clear identification of activities within the lesson that have the greatest potential for enhancement through technology. It provides a targeted approach for teachers to experiment with new tools and methods, focusing on areas that will most effectively improve student engagement and collaboration in a distance or blended learning environment. This structured yet flexible approach encourages thoughtful experimentation and innovation in lesson design.