Pause, Rewind, and Rewatch with Bailee Decker

NWMS 8th Grade Science Teacher Bailee Decker is having a great year. It shows! You can tell by her smile and vibrant learning space. Last year, Bailee started organizing her course contents into Canvas modules. For people not familiar with modules, here is how they work. Think of a module like a folder or binder. Bailee adds guided notes, videos, pages, games, and mastery checks to the folder (module). Bailee then sets module requirements, which force students to work through materials in a sequential order. She can also set module prerequisites to prevent students from moving on to the next module before completing the previous module.

Building the modules

Bailee builds her modules by unit. This has been a delicate dance. She has seen pluses and drawbacks to organizing modules by units instead of weeks. Bailee tries to be mindful of not overwhelming students. She also wants to create materials she can reuse or share with colleagues without being tied to dates. A module always starts with a video lesson and guided notes. With modules, students have a clear picture of what they need to do to stay on track. A module might include the following. Not every item is a requirement.

• Guided notes
• Videos
• Unit overview page listing academic standards + essential questions
• Blooket -- a set of practice questions in a gamified format
• Quizzizz -- a set of practice questions in a gamified format
• Edulastic -- mastery check  
• Hands-on activity -- a Canvas page that needs to be marked as done
• Virtual manipulatives such as interactive and dynamic periodic tables
• Canvas Quiz for post-lab questions

Lab ready

Setting up a middle school science lab is a lot of work. Think safety materials on top of science materials. Kids aren't going to get what they need out of the lab if they haven't done the pre-work, such as familiarizing themselves with the vocabulary. Bailee requires students to complete module requirements before starting a hands-on lab. This is a huge motivator to get their stuff done.

Student relationships

Bailee rearranges tables daily based on where students are in the modules. She has noticed that students are more comfortable asking for peer help when they know the kids around them are in a similar place. Bailee has noticed a significant shift. Instead of hearing kids ask, "Hey! Can I copy your answers?" she hears, "Hey, can you help me?" She is seeing more student-to-student collaboration than she has in previous years. Plus, there is the bonus of kids making new connections when they constantly change seats.

Her role

When students are working through modules, Bailee is bouncing around the room. Her goal is to meet with everyone individually at least once a week. Bailee hits the Canvas View Student Progress button for snapshots to see exactly where students are in a module -- what they have completed and still need to do. Bailee individualizes instruction based on how they are doing in modules. She has seen a big difference in students who fall behind due to absences being able to catch up. Also, Bailee feels as if she knows her students better than she has in previous years. She spends more time with them 1:1.  

Bailee admits that she hasn't always been a fan of screens in the classroom. Her attitude has shifted now that she has experienced how thoughtful technology integration has saved her time and enhanced student achievement. Completing module requirements has been new to many of her students, but they've adjusted. She continues to discover benefits from her shift toward a more flipped classroom. But not having to constantly repeat herself? Priceless!

Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach