After looking at all the resources in this module I thought more deeply about the Grid Method and how it could be applied to my curriculum.
According to this Danielson Framework rubric found on TeachBetter.com
- “A Grid Method educator provides students varied learning opportunities dependent on student learning styles, accessibility to technology, and student needs.”
- The Grid Method uses a multitude of available resources to to “build an environment dedicated to growth mastery”.
- In a grid method learning environment the “educators act as a facilitator of learning throughout the day-to-day class period.”
According to this Article from the website Maneuvering The Middle, the grid method breaks up a whole curriculum into digestible parts that are scaffolded into learning pathways towards mastery of learning standards. By utilizing a google doc, an educator creates a hyperdoc that contains Learning Objectives and a 4 step process for students to follow in their journey towards mastery.
- What is knowledge RECALL & REPRODUCTION
- How can the knowledge be used? SKILLS & CONCEPTS
- Why can this knowledge be used? STRATEGIC THINKING
- What else can be done with the Knowledge? EXTENDED THINKING
In theMr and Mrs Social Studies video
the speaker defines the Grid Method as a a method for mastery learning that gives students the flexibility to work at their own pace. In her example she created a Hyperdoc utilizing google docs that contained formative activities that students would work through on their journey toward mastery of learning targets.
The grid method would be used in my computer education classroom as a vehicle to move students toward mastery of topics. Similar to the badging system I created in the previous unit, this methodology allows students to see the entire path toward mastery. Instead of the educator pushing out 1 formative assignment each day with no clear vision of the end of the learning path, students can see where they should be able to produce at the end of the grid. The grid will move them through activities that will lead them to full mastery of a concept.
Below is a simple outline of how I may use the Grid Method in my Google Apps course.
210s Students will learn to how and when to use individual font formatting tools in a google doc. | ||
Learning video | Formative Activities | Learning Target |
Youtube Resources Video 1 Video 2 | (Opens a Copy) 211 Rubric | Change font characteristics font type, size, and line spacing, Bold, Underline, Italics, Font Color, and Highlight Color |
212 Teacher Video Youtube Resources --- --- | 212 Student Directions 212 Working Doc 212 Rubric | Customize font characteristics of font styles. Apply font styles to selected text. Use paint format tool to duplicate font characteristics |
213 Teacher Video Youtube Resources --- --- | 213 Student Directions 213 Working Doc 213 Rubric | Convert a list of information into both bulleted lists and numbered lists. Customize bulleted lists using symbols. Adjust spacing before and after listed items. |
214 Teacher Video Youtube Resources --- --- | 213 Student Directions 213 Working Doc 213 Rubric | Utilize Spelling Suggestions, Cut, Copy, Paste, Find and Replace, Text, Increase Indent of Text, |
218 | Based on a real life scenario, you will Utilize font formatting tools that best fit the situation. | |
The grid method applies learning standards and mastery learning into methodology to deliver the content. What makes a big impression on this method is the “big picture” view that the student can see when they open the grid. Students can see where they are going and should better understand why they are progressing through the various formative activities. Similar to the approach I wanted to take in Module 4, I would give students the choice of 6 units to start the semester. Using the Grid method I can provide students with an entire unit of information in 1 google doc. This would take me as a teacher off the rat race of providing activities everyday to make sure they are busy. My energy and time during the school day can be spent helping and talking with students in their journey towards mastery.
Grading
As a school community we have been evolving over the last few years to a Formative / Summative concept. %80 of the student’s grade is based off of Summative assessments and 20% off of Formative assessments. This has been a major shift in our grading processes. In the past we have had approximately 42 class periods in a semester, we had ~42 activities with rubrics that assessed whether a student was able to follow directions, use the tools, and do the work. Grading was tedious, overwhelming, and in the end probably not conducive to creating change in learning. The move to Formative / Summative has helped us focus on only a couple ‘graded’ skills in the formatives. The next step in the evolution process will be to create more rigor in our summative assessments as well as the possibility of choice. I want my students to be able to show me they have mastered the concepts we have covered. I don’t want them to just follow directions. I want them to take ownership of the knowledge they have gained and show me how they can use it.
As an elective course on the secondary level, I have always been conscious of a rigorous grading system that would cause too many students to struggle. I have always been more concerned with the experiences that the students are gaining in my class and how experiences with the tools they use transfers to their other classes. I have always struggled in my mind how to make those gained experiences fit into a gradebook.
The Standards based learning is a different lens to look at how my class worked. I really didn’t understand Standards based learning until experiencing it as a parent through my son’s grade school. I like the methodology and focus on specific targets. I also like the concept that student’s are on a journey toward that mastery and will get there at different times. So how do we assign grades at a given point in a semester? Does every student start with a “0%” or “F” because they have gained no mastery yet and slowly work up the Mastery level. Do students have exempts in the Gradebook until they prove they have mastered a concept? So student’s have a “100%” to start and earn points in summative assessments. I don’t want to focus on Grades. I would rather focus on communication and improving learning. But how do I fit that into my online district gradebook.
References
Brack, P. B., Brack, T., Says, K. C., & Curren, K. (2021, April 16). The Grid Method: Student Paced Mastery Learning. Retrieved from https://www.maneuveringthemiddle.com/what-is-the-grid-method/
Danielson Framework Alignment Free Download. (2019, May 09). Retrieved from https://www.teachbetter.com/danielsonframeworkdownload/
How to Use the Grid Method in Your Classroom: Mastery Learning. (2018, November 11). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/p4kTquq9g5k