How do you share best practices with educators using adaptive learning systems?

1 Identify best practices

Identifying the best practices for using ALS is the first step. These practices are not universal, but rather context-specific and evidence-based. To identify best practices, ask yourself questions such as what the learning goals and objectives of using ALS are, how to align the ALS content and activities with curriculum standards and assessment criteria, how to select and use the appropriate features and functions of the ALS (like adaptive feedback, scaffolding, branching, gamification, etc.), how to monitor and analyze the data and reports generated by the ALS to inform instruction and intervention, and how to communicate and collaborate with students, colleagues, and parents about the use and benefits of ALS.

2 Document best practices

The second step is to document the best practices that you have identified in a clear and concise way. Doing so can help reflect on your own practice, share insights and experiences with others, and contribute to the knowledge base of ALS. You can use lesson plans, instructional guides, case studies, stories, tips, checklists, videos, and screenshots to document best practices. These formats and tools can outline objectives, procedures, and outcomes of using ALS in a specific lesson or unit; they can also describe the context, challenges, solutions, and results of using ALS in a real-life situation; they can summarize key points or steps of using ALS effectively and efficiently; and they can demonstrate the use and impact of ALS in action.

3 Disseminate best practices

The third step is to disseminate the best practices that you have documented to your target audience. Doing so can help you build your professional network, exchange ideas and feedback, and learn from others. You can reach out through professional development workshops or webinars, online communities or forums, social media or blogs, and journals or newsletters. This way, you can provide training and guidance on how to use ALS in practice, showcase your work and achievements with ALS, and even publish research or articles on ALS that reach a wider audience.

4 Evaluate best practices

The fourth step is to evaluate the best practices that you have shared and received from others. Doing so can help you improve your practice, measure your impact, and identify your needs and gaps. To evaluate best practices, consider surveys or interviews to collect feedback from peers and students, tests or quizzes to assess learning outcomes, observations or portfolios to document changes in practice and student performance, and reflections or journals to record your thoughts on the benefits and challenges of using the best practices.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?