Dr. Catlin Tucker

This book is an essential resource for all educators. To address declining literacy skills, every educator needs to become a teacher of writing. In every grade and subject, the writing process enables students to interpret complex ideas, cultivate their individual voices, and shape and share their learning.

As writing becomes more efficient with the aid of AI chatbots, there's an unparalleled opportunity for educators across all content areas to reimagine their approach to writing. In Shift Writing into the Classroom, UDL and blended learning experts Catlin R. Tucker and Katie Novak invite educators to focus on human connection, sitting alongside learners to understand their specific needs and provide individualized instruction and support across all grades and content areas. Tucker and Novak transform traditional writing workflows to provide students with meaningful opportunities in the classroom to work through the writing process, collaborate with peers, and produce original writing that addresses task, purpose, and audience creatively and authentically.

Ideal for schools and districts prioritizing the integration of literacy across the curriculum, this book offers practical guidance, strategies, and resources to elevate students' writing abilities in every subject.

Skillfully shifting between online and in-person learning has become expected of teachers. In this essential guide, you will learn how to harness technology to enhance student learning in both realms. Combining theory, reflection, and personal experience, author Catlin R. Tucker equips educators with a wide variety of strategies and tools to support student and educator success in blended environments and beyond.

K–12 teachers and administrators will:

• Gain insight on why blended instruction provides paths for effective, student-centered teaching
• Learn to navigate flexible learning landscapes
• Understand different collaborative and community-oriented strategies for successful blended teaching
• Utilize thoughtful reflection questions to examine your own school or district
• Discover strong theoretical frameworks and models for online and offline instruction

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Blended Learning
Chapter 2: Building Your Blended Learning Technology Toolbox
Chapter 3: Teachers as Designers of Learning Experiences
Chapter 4: Teachers as Instructors and Content-Area Experts
Chapter 5: Teachers as Facilitators of and Partners in Learning
Chapter 6: Developing a Dynamic Learning Community
Chapter 7: The 5Es Instructional Model and Student-Centered Inquiry
Chapter 8: Taking Blended Learning to the Next Level
Conclusion
Appendix: Glossary
References and Resources

The Shift to Student-Led by Catlin R. Tucker & Katie Novak

Your Guide to Student-Led Learning

Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak have worked with too many educators who are frustrated and disillusioned with the teaching profession. They know that teachers are drowning in work and unrealistic demands. Many are mentally and emotionally exhausted by the uncertainty and constant change created by the pandemic. In this follow-up to UDL and Blended Learning, the authors have set out to help teachers reimagine their approach to this work so that it is sustainable and rewarding.

Each chapter in The Shift to Student-Led takes apart one traditional teacher-led workflow, examining the problems it presents teachers and students, what the research says versus what the reality in the classroom is, and how UDL and blended learning can free teachers from the “sage on the stage” role and place students at the center of their learning. These reimagined student-led workflows help students develop self-awareness, internal motivation, and self-regulation skills, which are critical to becoming expert learners.

Intended for K–12 educators, instructional coaches, and school leaders who want to create academically robust, inclusive learning communities, this book is full of principles, strategies, and resources that can be put into practice right away and at any level.

You can develop the skills to meet the needs of learners in any learning environment.

This approachable, in-depth guide unites the adaptability of Universal Design for Learning with the flexibility of blended learning, equipping educators with the tools they need to create relevant, authentic, and meaningful learning pathways to meet students where they're at, no matter the time and place or their pace and path. With step-by-step guidance and clear strategies, authors Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker empower teachers to implement these frameworks in the classroom, with a focus on cultivating community, building equity, and increasing accessibility for all learners.

As we face increasing uncertainty and frequent disruption to traditional ways of living and learning, UDL and Blended Learning offers bold, innovative, inclusive solutions for navigating a range of learning landscapes, from the home to the classroom and all points in between, no matter what obstacles may lie ahead.

Rethink the roles, responsibilities, and workflow in your blended learning classroom and enjoy balance in your life.

Blended learning allows a partnership that gives teachers more time and energy to innovate and personalize learning while providing students the opportunity to be active agents driving their own growth.

Balance With Blended Learning provides teachers with strategies to actively engage students in setting goals, monitoring development, reflecting on growth, using feedback, assessing work quality, and communicating their progress with parents. It includes
 

• Practical strategies for teachers who are overwhelmed by their workloads
• Vignettes written by teachers across disciplines
• Ready-to-use templates to help students track their progress
• Stories from the author′s experience as a teacher and blended learning coach

This book provides an actionable framework for leaders looking to implement a long-term professional learning plan that extends professional development beyond a handful of days each year to create a "coaching culture" that supports teachers as they move toward blended learning.

Blended learning expert Catlin Tucker provides tools and resources for embedding professional learning into your school’s culture, including:

• Coaching protocols
• Templates for feedback
• Lesson planning resources for blended learning
• Rubrics for evaluation
• Stories and tips from blended learning coaches
• Vignettes from teachers who have successfully shifted to a blended learning model
• Reflection questions for leading book studies

Shift to blended learning to transform education    

Blended learning has the power to reinvent education, but the transition requires a new approach to learning and a new skillset for educators. Loaded with research and examples, Blended Learning in Action demonstrates the advantages a blended model has over traditional instruction when technology is used to engage students both inside the classroom and online. Readers will find:

• Breakdowns of the most effective classroom setups for blended learning
• Tips for leaders
• Ideas for personalizing and differentiating instruction using technology
• Strategies for managing devices in schools
• Questions to facilitate professional development and deeper learning

Use technology to focus on your students!

In this step-by-step guide, teacher and education blogger Catlin Tucker outlines the process for integrating online discussion with face-to-face instruction in a way that empowers teachers to focus their energies where they're most needed. With concrete strategies, ready-to-use resources, and sample rubrics grounded in the Common Core State Standards, this book shows teachers how to:

• Increase engagement and drive higher-order thinking
• Prepare students for high-stakes exams without sacrificing class time
• Assess online work
• Personalize learning and differentiate lessons
• Move toward flipped instruction to create a student-centered classroom

Let technology pave the way to Common Core success.

Engage your students by delving into the Common Core ELA standards with the tools they use the most. As you explore the creative road to academic success, with the Common Core ELA and literacy standards—you will turn your classroom into a student-centered learning environment that fosters collaboration, individualizes instruction, and cultivates technological literacy. Features include:

• Specific recommendations for free apps and tech tools that support the Common Core


• Step-by-step guidelines to breaking down standards by grade and subject


• Teacher-tested, research-supported lesson ideas and strategies


• Replicable resources, including prewriting activities and writing templates


• Real-life examples