Models in Education

When I was nearing high school I went through a phase where I enjoyed putting together model airplanes and cars. I would purchase a kit, buy the glue needed to construct the model, and meticulously follow the directions to create the object. Sometimes it turned out well. Other times it was a bit of a mess. No matter what the outcome, I learned a great deal about the object of which I was creating the model.

I have one more fall conference were I am facilitating sessions. It will be the Pacific Southwest District's Lutheran Education Conference next week in Palm Desert, CA. Through the experiences of working with educators from Colorado, Michigan, and New York during this conference season, it is clear that educational technology models resonate with the average Lutheran school teacher. Models help something complex, such as the changes in technology and education, become more accessible, especially for those who feel less at ease in the changing education environment.

Last year at the conference we broke down the SAMR model of technology integration in education, shown below:

This year will be reviewing some additional models, including the Learning Design Implementation model, which is my own creation, along with the Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship. It is my hope and prayer that as I share with a diverse audience of Lutheran educators that each session will provide both theoretical and practical modeling of classroom use of technology to enhance student learning.

What are your favorite education models? What structural approaches help you better understand how to improve the learning taking place in your classroom? Feel free to share your ideas as a comment to this post.