How Eduprotocols Can Change Your Teaching Forever
I distinctly remember my first week of student teaching.
I was excited to be in a real classroom, and my mentor teacher, eased me into the class, getting to know some of the students and helping him facilitate a few lessons. I was taking over on Thursday and Friday, and had been planning what I was going to do for an entire week.
I had my lesson plans all written up. My slides were created. I had notecards of key points I wanted to hit on in each lesson.
On Thursday, I got up in front of the class, and the first 5-10 minutes went well. The kids were respectfully quiet as I struggled to get them started.
Then, it started. A few kids talking in the back of the classroom. Someone asking a question that was off-topic. Another student talking when I was answering. This went on for the entire class period. By the end, I was exhausted. I had done most of the talking. I had spent most of the time trying to wrangle the students into paying attention, and I was worried about doing the whole thing over again on Friday.
My cooperating teacher had a conversation with me at the end of the day. He just said, “Hey, here are a few things I do at the beginning and end of class that work well, try them out tomorrow.”
I took his advice, and the beginning of Friday’s class went much smoother than anticipated. The kids were doing a quick think-pair-share to warm-up and then we discussed a bit as a class before moving into another activity. At the end of the class, we used his reflection technique that the kids were used to and it brought everything together nicely. I was beaming afterward and couldn’t thank him enough.
Flash forward two decades of being an educator later, and I still remember the lesson from that first week of student teaching: Find out what works, and do more of it!
This is why I got so excited when I first heard about a series of lesson frames and instructional strategies that married best practices with Edtech. I firmly believe these frames and strategies can change your teaching forever, much like that lesson I learned in my first-week teaching impacted my entire career.
As, co-author and recent guest on our Backwards Podcast, Jon Corippo states, “This is a bold statement, but one we can back up!” He, of course, is talking about Eduprotocols.
EduProtocols are instructional lesson frames that are designed to engage students in learning through critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity.
EduProtocols can be used with any subject, any grade level, kindergarten through adult.
Jon Corippo is a co-author along with Marlena Hebern of The Eduprotocols Field Guide 1 & 2. In this episode, we talk about how you can change your teaching forever, and impact student learning with Eduprotocols.
How do EduProtocols Work?
Teachers use the lesson frames to facilitate instruction with students. Students learn the lesson frame so that their focus is on the content instead of how to do the lesson.
Teachers work less because the prep is fairly easy, oftentimes using a blank slide for student work.
The authors break down some of the benefits on their website, here are three reasons to give Eduprotocols a try!
EduProtocols are Adaptive:
By their very nature, EduProtocol lesson frames are adaptive as the curriculum changes and students move from one topic to another in their studies. Once they have learned a particular lesson frame, the teacher is able to repeat that lesson frame with a variety of content.
Use EduProtocols with Your Content:
The workflow of each EduProtocol stays the same, allowing students to understand the process in order to stay focused on the learning of the content.
EduProtocols are Rich in the Four C’s
EduProtocols are suitable for students across the grade span, from kindergarten through adult learners and allow the learner to engage with the Four Cs (collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity) in a UDL-friendly format.
Here are some of my favorite Eduprotocols:
Cyber Sandwich
Structured pair share with accountability to deepen comprehension.
Iron Chef
Crunch through content with a gamified jigsaw students are sure to love.
Thin Slides
One word and one image is a powerful way to express feelings, reflect on lessons, or create study guides!
8 p*ARTS
Learn grammar like never before - with hilarious images and laughter and take writing to the next level!
MathReps
Find many templates at the MathReps website.
Want to learn more?
Listen to the podcast, or watch the video of our conversation on Youtube. Then head on over to the Eduprotocols website and sign-up to get their free templates to used Eduprotocols like Iron Chef, Cyber Sandwich, Fast and Curious, and so many more in your classroom. You’ll love the way it gets kids talking and doing the work, and just how flexible and adaptable they are for any content or age level.
