Cycle of blended learning continuous improvement
Establishing a cycle of continuous improvement is critical to the effectiveness of all school improvement efforts.
Start by watching the video: Cycle of Blended Learning Continuous Improvement. Once you've selected the model that drives your ongoing cycle of blended learning continuous improvement, you're ready to move forward with a focus on data.
By analyzing collected data, areas in need of improvement can be identified and addressed. Commitment to ongoing cycles of improvement is key to establishing and maintaining an effective blended learning environment across educational systems. School leaders should guide staff through the blended learning continuous improvement process by focusing on data.
First, leaders should focus on cultivating a blended learning culture where staff collaborate with one another and engage in data analysis both online and in person. Having a central location for teacher collaboration and resource sharing online is important. Leaders can model blended learning collaboration for staff in Microsoft Teams wherein ongoing communication is encouraged. Microsoft Teams is an excellent tool for housing data, and provides a central location for discussions, planning, and note taking.
Data sources should be diverse and may include assessment data, student work, and classroom observations. This enables the team to identify the blended learning problem of practice in need of improvement.
Next, educational leaders and staff should identify what resources are required to address the blended learning problem of practice. Professional development specifically targeted to address the blended learning problem of practice should be considered. Developing new blended learning skills empowers teachers to shift when change is needed. This may include professional development for staff in OneNote, Microsoft Translator, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Forms, Teams polls for formative assessment, Math tools, Reading Progress, or Minecraft Education for example. The Microsoft Educator Community is an excellent resource for professional development.
Once blended learning professional development needs are addressed, staff can define how they'll employ what they're learning to address the blended learning problem of practice. Staff should then determine how they plan to assess the impacts the new strategies have on student learning.
When the effectiveness of the new blended learning strategies have been assessed, staff should analyze the assessment data to identify and implement necessary adjustments. Finally, teams should use the data to identify the next area of focus for the next cycle of blended learning continuous improvement.