1. 5 PRACTICES FOR PRODUCTIVE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS:
ADAPTING A BRICK-AND-MORTAR STRATEGY
TO ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS

4. ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
CONNECT
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK
SELECT
SEQUENCE

5. A Good Task Cognitively challenging
Requires thinking, reasoning, problem solving
Builds on and honors student thinking
Not just show and tell or one right answer
DISCUSSION WORTHY
TASK

6. Anticipate What do you think students will say?
How will they interpret the prompt?
What strategies will they use?

7. Monitor Watch what students say
Probe them to clarify and make their thinking more visible

8. Select Select which students you want to share
Consider strategies, skills, and time
SELECT

9. Sequence Decide the order in which students share
Sequence depends on learning goals
SEQUENCE

10. Connect Help students notice key ideas, connections, and patterns

11. ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
CONNECT
TASK
SELECT
SEQUENCE

12. Example of the 5 Practices in an Online Discussion
To join the conversation:
goo.gl/slides/qydnuf

13. Contextual Background
Fully online EdD program in Curriculum Studies
Dissertation in Practice (CPED Affiliate)
K-12 Teachers, Administrators, & District level personnel
2 & 4 year college instructors, program officers
Course: Advanced Principles of Action Research
8-week course, Blackboard LMS, 2nd in AR sequence
Instructor - Seven years of experience supporting educators using online tools & social constructivism

14. Week 1: Initiating the Course Community
Members will reintroduce themselves, describe their professional context, their problem of practice and their proposed intervention.
Members will develop a set of shared expectations for discussion board participation and the critical feedback cycle.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE

15. Week 1: Initiating the Course Community
DISCUSSION WORTHY
TASK
This?
Cognitively Challenging
Not just show and tell or one right answer
Requires thinking, reasoning, problem solving
Builds on and honors thinking
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
LEARNING OBJECTIVE

16. Week 1: Initiating the Course Community
DISCUSSION WORTHY
Or This?
TASK
Cognitively Challenging
Not just show and tell or one right answer
Requires thinking, reasoning, problem solving
Builds on and honors thinking
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf

17. What Would We Anticipate?
MONITOR
What Would We Anticipate?
CONNECT
TASK
SELECT
SEQUENCE
In the Traditional Classroom
Watch what students say
Probe them to clarify and make their thinking more visible
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
ANTICIPATE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

18. What Would We Anticipate?
MONITOR
What Would We Anticipate?
CONNECT
TASK
SELECT
In the Online Classroom
Expectations that promote or disrupt community
Action Steps that promote or disrupt community
Digital supports for embedding video
Definitions of “tradition”, “expectation”
Key words, phrases, concepts, etc.
Misunderstanding the prompt
SEQUENCE
In the Traditional Classroom
Watch what students say
Probe them to clarify and make their thinking more visible
ANTICIPATE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

19. What Would We Monitor? Watch what students say
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What Would We Monitor?
CONNECT
TASK
Watch what students say
Probe them to clarify and make their thinking more visible
SELECT
SEQUENCE
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
Click to next for “ & How”
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

20. What & How Would We Monitor?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Monitor?
CONNECT
TASK
Watch what students say
Probe them to clarify and make their thinking more visible
SELECT
SEQUENCE
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

21. What & How Would We Monitor?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Monitor?
CONNECT
Online Discussion
Subscribe to threads
Set deadlines for each stage
Use smaller groups
Use keywords to search forum
Member Context & Research Details (timezone, research interests, theories, interventions)
Incomplete or unclear ideas
Opposing & Similar Expectations and Action Steps
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Watch what students say
Probe them to clarify and make their thinking more visible
SELECT
SEQUENCE
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

22. What & How Would We Select?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Select?
CONNECT
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Select which students you want to share
Consider strategies, skills, and time
SELECT
SEQUENCE
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
SELECT
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

23. What & How Would We Select?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Select?
CONNECT
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Select which students you want to share
Consider strategies, skills, and time
SELECT
Online Discussion
Creative Videos
Negative Traditions
Clear articulation of instructional objective
Opposing & Similar Expectations and Action Steps
Unique Expectations/Action Steps
At midpoint, use the announcement tool to highlight specific threads for student engagement
SEQUENCE
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
SELECT
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

24. How Would We Sequence? Traditional Classroom
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
How Would We Sequence?
CONNECT
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Decide the order in which students share
Sequence depends on learning goals
SELECT
SEQUENCE
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
SELECT
SEQUENCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

25. How Would We Sequence? Traditional Classroom Online Discussion
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
How Would We Sequence?
CONNECT
Online Discussion
Extend the discussion over two weeks using an additional prompt that is emergent
Does the asynchronous environment make sequencing impossible?
Instructor Presence?
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Decide the order in which students share
Sequence depends on learning goals
SELECT
SEQUENCE
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
SELECT
SEQUENCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

26. What & How Would We Connect?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Connect?
CONNECT
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Help students notice key ideas, connections, and patterns
SELECT
SEQUENCE
Add you ideas here: goo.gl/slides/qydnuf
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
CONNECT
SELECT
SEQUENCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

27. What & How Would We Connect?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Connect?
CONNECT
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Help students notice key ideas, connections, and patterns
SELECT
Online Discussion
Video summary by instructor
Create and display a digital map for member locations
Synthesize the expectations into a concise list for member review.
Identify connections to past and future discussions.
SEQUENCE
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
CONNECT
SELECT
SEQUENCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

28. What & How Would We Connect?
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
What & How Would We Connect?
CONNECT
TASK
Traditional Classroom
Help students notice key ideas, connections, and patterns
SELECT
SEQUENCE
ANTICIPATE
MONITOR
CONNECT
SELECT
SEQUENCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
TASK

29. ADAPTING A BRICK-AND-MORTAR STRATEGY TO ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS
ANTICIPATE
ADAPTING A BRICK-AND-MORTAR STRATEGY
TO ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS
MONITOR
CONNECT
Thank you for participating!
Questions, New Ideas, etc?
What was your biggest takeaway from this today?
TASK
SELECT
SEQUENCE