Welcome to the resource page for the 4 Shifts Protocol (formerly known as trudacot), a discussion protocol intended to help facilitate educator conversations about deeper learning, greater student agency, more authentic work, and rich technology infusion! The 4 Shifts Protocol is being used by teachers, principals, instructional coaches, and technology integrationists all over the world to make lessons, units, and instructional activities richer, more robust, and more relevant for the global innovation society in which we now live.
The 4 Shifts Protocol has been released with and help us make it better. Even better, share out using the #4shifts hashtag!
Read this first!
Versions of the protocol
- Click on the red button above or see a PDF version from Solution Tree
Why buy the book when the protocol is free?!
Our book, Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning, takes a deep dive with the protocol. In the book we provide eight concrete examples of lesson and unit (re)design so that you can see the protocol in practice across various grade levels and subject areas. The book is aimed squarely at practitioners and their day-to-day instructional (re)design needs. We also explain in the book why we think the protocol is a great complement to SAMR, TPACK, RAT, PIC-RAT, and the Arizona and Florida Technology Integration Matrices. And we include numerous tips and suggestions for using the protocol in your school(s)!
Resources (please share with us your own resources and how you’re using the protocol!)
- Join the mailing list to get 4 Shifts Protocol tips and updates!
- Contact Scott and Julie with questions, suggestions, challenges, etc.
- Having trouble getting buy-in for deeper learning, greater student agency, more authentic work, and rich technology infusion? Check out Different Schools for a Different World, in which we articulate 6 arguments for why school needs to be different!
- Background resources consulted during creation of the 4 Shifts Protocol
- 4 Shifts Protocol infographic (thanks, Matt Miller!)
- Sample lessons to use with teachers while introducing the protocol (find ones that closely match the teachers who are working with you) [temporarily deactivated]
- 4 Big Shifts Over Time slide deck
- Redesign triads – example form / responses
Blog posts and other thoughts
- Why we don’t recommend using the 4 Shifts Protocol as a classroom observation tool
- The order of the 4 Shifts Protocol is important
- Deeper learning through the power of protocols (District Administration magazine)
- Our new book, Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning, was released today!
- 8 questions that help get at deeper thinking and learning
- 8 questions that help get at authentic, real world work
- 9 questions that help get at student agency and personalization
- 12 questions that help get at robust technology infusion
What others are saying about the 4 Shifts Protocol
- How to move from digital substitution to ‘deeper learning’ (EdSurge podcast)
- 4 big shifts that can personalize the learning journey (EdSurge Fusion presentation recap)
- 10 lesson upgrades for learning with tech (Matt Miller infographic and review)
- Review: Harnessing technology for deeper learning (Joy Kirr review)
- Getting Smart podcast (Tom Vander Ark)
- Shifting Our Schools podcast (Jeff Utecht)
- How to promote deeper learning with the 4 shifts (Cool Cat Teacher podcast)
- Designing for deeper learning: A conversation with author Julie Graber (EdTechTeacher podcast and review)
- Authentic learning: What does it mean and what does it look like? (Drew Witherell)
- 4 Shifts Protocol helps redesign lessons for deeper learning (Patrick Larkin)
- Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning book review (Doug Green)
- Modern Measures podcast (Eric Patnoudes)
- Coffee for the Brain podcast (Aaron Maurer)
A few schools and districts that we know are using the 4 Shifts Protocol
- Kentucky – all Digital Learning Coaches statewide
- Colorado – Jeffco Public Schools
- Texas – Spring Branch Independent School District
- Massachusetts – Mendon-Upton Regional School District
- Virginia – Goochland County Public Schools
- Virginia – Cumberland County Public Schools
- Virginia – Louisa County Public Schools
- Virginia – hundreds of teachers, instructional coaches, and principals
- Luxembourg – International School of Luxembourg
- Missouri – Lebanon R-III School District
- Nevada – Douglas County School District
- New York – Vestal Central School District
- Colorado – St. Vrain Valley School District
Older trudacot resources and publicity
- trudacot, version 2
- trudacot, version 1
- Taking classroom tech use to the next level: Specific traits to look for (overview of trudacot)
- Toward better technology integration: Introducing trudacot
- One-page printed version of trudacot v2 (thanks, Paul Welsh!)
- trudacot triads – example form, responses
- Beyond TPACK and SAMR: Introducing trudacot to teachers
- Getting Googley at Gunn High School (introducing trudacot to principals)
- Effective technology integration (trudacot v. SAMR)
- Tracy’s Tuesday tech tip: Reach out (collaboration using trudacot)
- trudacot focuses on tech integration questions (EdSurge review)