The 4 Shifts Video Series is for teachers, instructional coaches, technology integrationists, principals, and other instructional leaders who want to build their capacity to move learning and teaching toward deeper learning, greater student agency, more authentic work, and rich technology infusion. Participants who successfully complete the series will have practiced using the 4 Shifts Protocol for instructional (re)design across multiple lessons and scenarios, and will be ready to begin using the strategies and techniques for (re)designing instructional activities in their own local setting. The video series is intended to be an intensely-practical professional learning pathway for educators who are ready to start experimenting with new learning and teaching modalities immediately or to move in new instructional directions over the next few months.
Introduction
The complex demands of a global innovation society require different skill sets for life success than for previous generations of citizens and workers. Accordingly, schools all across the world are trying to ensure that their students and graduates not only are academically prepared but also are ‘future ready.’ Schools and educators that are engaged in this ‘deeper learning’ work typically are focused on the following 4 shifts:
During this global pandemic, however, many schools have been in survival mode, mostly focused on Response Phases 1 and 2 in this chart:
While recognizing the challenges of our current situation, we also know that our students and graduates still need to be critical thinkers and problem-solvers; creative collaborators; excellent communicators across a variety of analog, digital, and online multimedia; and active, engaged, culturally-aware, global citizens. This is true even during ‘remote instruction.’ Indeed, the pandemic may give us opportunities to experiment with some new learning and teaching modalities because of the removal of state and federal tests and other accountability mandates. Savvy school systems will look ahead and begin working on Response Phases 3 and 4 as quickly as they can.
About This Video Series
The 4 Shifts Video Series consists of 7 self-paced modules. The included videos and lesson redesign activities introduce educators to the 4 Shifts Protocol and help them practice redesigning lessons and units for deeper learning, greater student agency, more authentic work, and rich technology infusion. The final module includes numerous suggestions, strategies, and resources for deploying the 4 Shifts Protocol in classrooms and schools. Modules are intentionally designed to be granular, allowing for busy educators to work on them when convenient. The vast majority of individual videos and activities are 7 minutes or less.
The series consists of
- 38 videos,
- 7 lesson redesign opportunities (three elementary, three secondary, and one K-12),
- 6 additional instructional redesign scenarios, and
- other suggestions, strategies, and resources.
Estimated time for completion of the entire set of activities is about 3.5 hours total.
Examples
- Outline of the entire series
- Example Video 02b. Using Section C of the protocol as a diagnostic [1:07]
- Example Video 02f. Elementary wrap-up [4:30]
- Example Elementary scenario B – Science
- Example Video 07b. Using the protocol over time to redesign entire units of study [3:56]
- Example Video 07g. A quick conversation about equity [3:36]
Pricing and Enrollment in the 4 Shifts Video Series
I am trying to make these online modules much more affordable and scalable for schools than paying to bring me on site to work with a few dozen educators. If you’re an educator or school system interested in enrolling in the 4 Shifts Video Series, Â about individual-, school-, or district-level pricing.
