Transact Campus Partners with Luxer One for Secure, Frictionless On-Campus Package Delivery
Transact Campus, “Transact,” the award-winning leader in innovative mobile credential and payment solutions, today announced a partnership with Luxer One, a premium manufacturer of package management systems and smart contactless lockers, owned by ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in access solutions. This partnership will deliver a turnkey solution for on-campus package delivery, including hardware, software, installation, service, support, and package delivery company facilitation.
The Luxer One partnership addresses campuses’ desire for a versatile and secure package delivery system, enhancing the student experience by providing a reliable, around-the-clock package pick-up service. Use cases beyond package management include laptop and lab equipment exchange, library holds, bag and personal item storage, and pickups from the student bookstore. In addition, the partnership includes configurable integration with Transact Campus ID solutions, enabling students to access lockers using their Transact Mobile Credential or physical credential.
“At Transact, we are committed to transforming the campus environment into a place where innovation thrives and the campus experience is seamlessly connected,” said Rasheed Behrooznia, SVP and General Manager, Campus ID Solutions, Transact. “Our partnership with Luxer One not only provides a superior, frictionless student experience, but also strengthens the security and connectivity between students and client facilities.”
Prior to the partnership with Luxer One, students were constrained by limited package pick-up hours and had to endure long lines, or risk their packages being left unattended. Luxer One significantly reduces costs associated with staffing a mail room for extended hours.
“This collaboration represents a significant milestone for Luxer One as we continue to innovate and enhance our offerings for valued customers. By joining forces with Transact, we are combining our expertise and resources to revolutionize the way universities manage packages, item exchange, library orders, and even temporary bag storage. Together, we will deliver unparalleled convenience, efficiency, and security as a full campus solution. We are excited about the endless possibilities this collaboration brings and look forward to the incredible advancements we will achieve together,” said Josh Middlebrook, President, Luxer One.
The partnership will provide a secure, convenient, package delivery solution on Transact-enabled campuses which reduces the burden on administrative staff and enables efficient management of daily operations. In addition to the primary benefit of a frictionless student experience, this union also provides secure package delivery assurance, and reduces costs for campuses.
In today’s digital age, technology has become an integral part of the education landscape. K-12 schools are increasingly relying on technology to enhance teaching methods, improve student engagement, and streamline administrative processes. Although the investment is necessary, the rapid pace of technological advancements brings with it significant challenges.
During the COVID pandemic, millions of K-12 students across the US relied on borrowed devices from their school districts, with Chromebooks being the most common for remote learning. Schools rapidly adopted Chromebooks in 2020, as the demand surged during the transition to remote or hybrid learning models, resulting in millions of students receiving laptops, tablets, and Chromebooks from school districts nationwide.
Fast forward a few years, and now, many K-12 districts are still scrambling to account for all those devices, year after year. This includes not only locating and recovering missing devices, but also making sure clear policies and procedures are in place for future distribution, collection, liability, and insurance claim filings for those devices that can’t be found, as well as budgeting time and staff to inspect and repair any tablets that do come back before they’re redistributed.
Take for example the 77,000-student Greenville County, S.C., school system which made headlines during the summer of 2020 when it revealed that it had been trying to recover nearly 5,000 of the more than 58,000 Chromebooks that were distributed to students during that school year.
Another example comes from the Chicago Public School District. The district reported that computers and other devices that amount to at least 8% of the Chicago Public Schools’ “technology assets” had been listed as “lost” during the pandemic. Also, the district said it had depended on its schools in the district to take a regular inventory, but that the process continues to be time-consuming and inconsistent as only 35% of Chicago’s 500 district-run schools have a technology coordinator on staff.
Similarly, St. Francis Independent School District located in Minneapolis, which encompasses more than 700 employees and 4000 students from kindergarten to senior high had relied completely on Excel spreadsheets for IT asset management processes. This manual asset tracking system was creating a lot of holes: things were getting missed, and the data was far from accurate. If a Chromebook was checked out of the school by a student or teacher, someone from the IT team had to update spreadsheet-based records with the person’s name, their ID number, the device number, and the school location. This was all done manually, and as a result the team wasn’t able to consistently track the devices they managed.
This is where an effective IT Asset Management (ITAM) solution becomes indispensable and why an ITAM in K-12 schools should be highly considered.
Unlocking the Power of IT Asset Management
IT Asset Management in K-12 schools is not merely about tracking and cataloging hardware and software components (although this certainly helps). It is a strategic approach that empowers educational institutions to maximize the potential of their technology investments and drive positive outcomes. Here’s why ITAM should be a priority for every forward-thinking school:
Cost Optimization
An effective ITAM solution enables schools to streamline their technology budget by accurately tracking hardware and software assets. By identifying underutilized resources and avoiding unnecessary purchases, schools can allocate their limited funds more efficiently and invest in areas that directly impact students’ learning experiences.
Enhanced Learning Experiences
ITAM plays a pivotal role in ensuring that educational institutions have the necessary tools and software licenses to support innovative teaching methods. By maintaining an up-to-date inventory of IT assets, schools can ensure seamless access to educational resources, empowering educators to deliver immersive and personalized learning experiences.
Efficiency in Operations
Managing a vast array of IT assets is a complex undertaking. An ITAM solution simplifies the process by automating asset discovery, tracking warranties, and managing software licenses. This streamlines administrative tasks, reduces manual errors, and frees up valuable staff time to focus on core educational objectives.
Scalability
An ITAM solution should be scalable to accommodate the evolving needs of a growing school. It should offer flexible licensing models that align with budgetary constraints and provide options for expansion as technology demands increase.
Customization and Reporting
An ideal ITAM solution for K-12 schools should offer customizable reporting capabilities, allowing educational institutions to generate insights that align with their specific goals and requirements. The ability to create detailed reports on asset utilization, maintenance history, and license compliance is crucial for effective decision-making.
Conclusion
As technology continues to revolutionize education, K-12 schools must harness the power of IT Asset Management to optimize their digital resources. By implementing a comprehensive ITAM solution tailored to the needs of educational institutions, schools can unlock cost efficiencies, enhance learning experiences, ensure data security, and streamline operations. And, most importantly, schools and their IT staff can keep track of all those Chromebooks and other devices so there is no need to put out an All Points Bulletin (APB) on missing devices every year.
Teaching Nursing Students to Think Clinically with Realistic Instructional Tools
Tim Bristol
By Tim Bristol, director of strategic planning, NurseThink, Wolters Kluwer Health.
The ever-worsening nursing shortage is taking the United States by storm, with nearly 800,000 nurses planning to leave their roles or retire by 2027. Unfortunately, nursing education is not immune to this crisis.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reports that 8.8% of faculty positions are vacant at U.S. nursing schools and additional positions would need to be created to meet student demand. Without enough faculty, this has a serious impact on the capacity and effectiveness of nursing education programs as nursing schools are already being forced to turn away qualified applicants. Fortunately, while faculty shortages won’t be solved overnight, advancements in instructional technology can help fill the gap.
One key challenge facing nursing education is that the curriculum is not set up to teach students in a way that mirrors real-world practice. While new nurses today will often face greater challenges – and often higher caseloads – than ever before, nursing students are not being adequately trained to face this reality. In many ways, today’s nursing classrooms look no different than the classrooms students may have encountered in 1993. But a lecture hall looks very different than the chaotic hospital setting new nurses will actually experience. To help ensure students build skills and engage in clinical judgement, even if faculty numbers are limited, incorporating electronic health records and virtual simulation into their daily education can make a major difference.
Electronic health records are not optional
While electronic health record (EHR) systems are a highly discussed technology across the healthcare landscape, they have been shown to reduce errors and lower medical costs. Needless to say, EHRs are here to stay across healthcare and something that care teams need to use, every day. However, they can only positively impact healthcare as a whole if nurses are trained to use them effectively and efficiently before they encounter them in clinical practice.
It’s important for faculty to understand how easy it is to implement EHRs into the daily classroom experience. Students could simply login to a basic, blank EHR and enter data based on a case study or challenge given by their instructor. For example, students could be tasked with entering a blood pressure reading that would indicate that they should hold (not give) a patient medication to lower their blood pressure. When faculty allow students to experience this type of activity, they are learning in the same way in which they will be using EHRs in practice. This is something that could easily be incorporated into nursing classrooms, even in a lecture hall of 100+ students.
The virtual world makes simulation accessible
Virtual simulations are increasingly demonstrating value for nursing education, helping students feel engaged and better retain what they’ve learned. By incorporating simulation on a weekly or daily basis into the curriculum, this lets learners dive deep into patient scenarios, allowing them to truly learn about nursing in a way not easily replicated with most other learning strategies. Up until recently, one major challenge was that many simulation tools are inaccessible to aspiring nurses, due to the cost and complexities involved.
The virtual simulation (vSim) world is now comprised of technology that is easily understood and usable by faculty in all environments. Computer requirements for vSim tools that resemble realistic patient scenarios are such that nursing students can easily use these programs on even the most basic of computers. While the technologies available and their complexities differ, these vSim programs are very realistic and allow students to practice high-level decision making in scenarios they wouldn’t likely encounter as part of their clinicals.
Within the virtual world, the realism of simulation is now accessible to all students. The next step is to make sure nursing faculty realize how critical these tools are. While an instructor might struggle to fit vSim into class time, the reality is that students can often learn more in 30 minutes of simulation than they could in a 2-hour lecture.
Bringing the nursing classroom into the future
The future of the nursing profession and healthcare really is in the hands of all nursing programs. Overall, what’s paramount here is that nursing students learn in the same way in which they will use that information at the bedside. This requires getting them comfortable with entering information into EHRs and practicing with realistic patient simulations on a weekly if not daily basis. Thanks to technological advancements in recent years, these tools are increasingly accessible, and we must prioritize training educators on how these tools can be easily adopted in their classrooms to ensure the next generation of nurses are practice ready.
Child care providers discuss trauma at a training at BANANAS in Oakland.
Credit: Zaidee Stavely/EdSource
We live in stressful times. This, coupled with the high rate (80.5%) of children experiencing at least one adverse childhood experience by adolescence, necessitates that schools use trauma-informed practices in their daily routines.
Trauma-informed practices, or TIPS, involve understanding the potential impact of trauma exposure on a child, recognizing signs and symptoms of trauma exposure and responding in a way that supports healing and may build resilience. I
nteractive trainings help educators know how to respond to students with adverse childhood experiences, as well as what to do when a collective crisis happens, such as a natural disaster or school shooting. Educators learn and practice trauma-informed discipline, how to help regulate a stressed child, and build systemwide practices supporting student and teacher well-being.
The California Office of the Surgeon General recognized the need for trauma-informed practices training and created an interactive online program for teachers and schools called Safe Spaces. However, it is not clear how many school districts and educators have accessed the program.
A large majority of teachers (64%) want to learn how to better support students affected by trauma, according to a survey of nearly 15,000 educators by the American Psychological Association (APA). They also need support for coping with their own exposures to trauma. Teachers are often affected by the same events as their students — the pandemic, natural disasters, school shootings. And the APA survey shows educators must also contend with violence by students and parents.
Our research team asked 450 of our local educators during the pandemic about why they might not have been using these resources and found that, despite being highly motivated, teachers faced limited energy and time, some perceived a lack of administrator support, and some felt stigma about needing resources to manage their own emotions.
California needs to do more to equip teachers and administrators on how to cope with trauma in their students and for themselves.
One of the best ways to embed trauma-informed practices into our school systems is to start with the programs that train our future teachers. The National Association of State Boards of Education noted that only 16 states require some form of trauma-informed practices training, although the content and type of training varies.
In California, this type of training is one way a future teacher can meet professional standards, but it is not required. Perhaps if it were, future teachers would begin their careers recognizing signs of possible trauma reactions in their students and know how to approach it with a mindset of “What happened to you?” instead of “What is wrong with you?” They would have tools to support their students with coping and handling emotions, and know when to refer for additional supports.
Teachers already in the classroom also need trauma-informed training, but it’s often lost in the many competing demands districts must balance. Some districts can offer professional development days for their teachers where in-person trauma-informed practices training is available. If more districts could offer this, teachers would have dedicated time to learn the current best practices for supporting students with adverse childhood experiences or with the initial aftermath of school crises, such as psychological first aid for students and teachers.
They would learn how to support the safety of students with disabilities in emergencies through Especially Safe, which was developed by parents and educators who lost students in the Sandy Hook school shooting. Especially Safe offers free resources to help schools better plan, prepare and teach safety in a way that is accessible to all students.
Training teachers in trauma-informed practices is not enough if they are in a school environment that is not prioritizing this; therefore, training of administrators is essential as well. And administrators have their own questions about how to support the whole school community following crises and other events. Therefore, it is best if everyone in the school community gets this training.
Although many organizations offer trauma-informed resources and trainings to schools, we need to scale up these programs to reach all schools and teacher education programs. Funding must cover not only program costs, but also dedicated teacher and administrator time to take these programs as part of professional development days.
Until tragedies make the news, better training in trauma-informed practices may not make the top of the list of priorities, but we need to change this.
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Erika Felix, Ph.D., is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.
The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.
Over the past year we’ve been learning from 40 schools in Walsall and Sandwell England. These schools, located outside of Birmingham in areas of unusually high economic deprivation, were chosen to participate in a Priority Education Improvement Areas (PEIA) grant to increase self-regulation and meta-cognition (and therefore academic and social outcomes) in students.
Windsor Academy Trust, the visionary and organizer of the program, reached out to us to provide a training and support, and we’re thrilled to have been a part of it and thrilled to share that the initial results have been really encouraging.
Together with local education leaders, we’ve had the opportunity to visit all 40 schools, train leadership teams on Engaging Academics and Check for Understanding techniques, and study video of teachers implementing the techniques in their classrooms. From the video study alone, we’ve been lucky enough to cut 17 videos that we’ve been using in training, several of which you’ve read about on this blog herehere and here for example.
In June, we started our second round of visits, to assess growth in meta-cognition and self-regulation, and we were delighted that of the 16 schools we visited, 13 of them were implementing techniques to positive effect. Obviously the real evidence will be in the form of assessment outcomes, which we are very optimistic about (there are lots of very promising leading indicators, including Goldsmith Primary School, part of Windsor Academy Trust being named an Apple Distinguished School, one of 400 schools chosen internationally) but in the meantime we’ll be writing more about what we’ve learned, and we couldn’t wait to share this interview with Max Wakeman, the Head Teacher at Goldsmith, where we taped two of the outstanding lessons we shared above.
In this interview, Max reflects on his school’s success in our work together, he talks about the importance of creating a strong Culture of Error for his teachers – and about showing love for students by holding them to the highest of expectations.
TLAC team-member Hannah Solomon had so much fun talking to Max here – we know you’ll enjoy learning from him as much as we did!
Teachers know that giving students more freedom — by enabling greater choice and agency — unlocks engagement and better outcomes. Decades of research backs this idea up. Still, there’s value to structure in a classroom.
How then, can teachers balance maintaining a level of control that steers productive learning with giving students the freedom they need to thrive? Setting clear boundaries and leveraging technology effectively are the keys.
The Value of Limiting Choice
Technology is often thought of as a tool that can help open more choice for students. Whether it’s choosing research topics that fit their interests, providing options to engage in educational content to meet different learning styles, or even giving students ways to master topics at their own pace.
Research on choice, however, shows that too many options can be counterproductive. People are more likely to make decisions, and avoid “analysis paralysis,” when there are fewer options. The magic number, the reports say, is to offer less than six choices.
As teachers continue to embrace allowing students more classroom freedom, using technology to offer a set of choices rather than limitless options can be effective.
Adding Alternatives for Answering Questions
Class participation is an easy way to add greater freedom for students without overwhelming them with choices, especially by using technology. For example, if teachers want all students to participate in a classroom discussion they can ask for responses to questions using a computer-based poll and then ask students who feel comfortable to share their answers out loud.
An alternative option is to adopt a platform with a classroom chat feature. Teachers who use classroom.cloud report that using the solution’s chat feature allows students who might be more self-conscious or shy to speak up. By typing their response, or even discreetly asking a question, students can engage more fully in classroom activities.
Adding Guardrails to Set Students Up for Success
Many approaches that grant students greater freedoms are based on self-directed learning. Students might be able to choose the final format of a project or decide between learning about a topic by reading or watching a video about it.
Likewise, offer a game like a web-based scavenger hunt. Such activities require students to use computers and tablets with internet access, opening the door to a variety of explorations, as well as distractions.
Just as teachers can use technology to increase options for learning, they can also use it to add guardrails that size down the vast world of the internet to something not quite so overwhelming (or tempting).
Determining the websites and applications students can access by creating a list of “allowed” and “restricted” content ensures students only access relevant and appropriate resources during class. This way, they will stay on task and work more efficiently.
IT directors who have adopted classroom.cloud ease the burden of managing such a list off teachers’ plates. Instead of taking up teachers’ time to create and manage the lists, IT leaders work with educators to identify sites and apps and then set the restrictions and allowances. Other control options needed include different permissions for specific school buildings within a district.
Tools that enable simultaneous screen sharing as well as a lock screen feature can also help in setting up appropriate guardrails.
When teachers can manage students’ screens with a single click, it becomes easier to bring everyone together after a period of working independently or redirect students who may have gone off track.
Provide Support Anytime, Anywhere
Many classrooms have continued to embrace learn anytime, anywhere environments. Students are learning remotely, in person and in hybrid classrooms. No matter where kids are learning, they deserve the same level of help.
The right technology can enable students to maintain freedom in where and how they learn while still getting the support they need. This goes beyond live-streamed instruction or watching videos asynchronously. Teachers can use technology, like classroom.cloud, to support and engage with students in the very moment they are learning.
When teachers use technology they have an immense opportunity to continue fostering classroom environments that are engaging and anchored in choice. By considering how the same tools can create structure, educators can strike the balance to help students avoid feeling overwhelmed and keep them focused on growing and learning.
Questions to Consider When Choosing Scaffolding Strategies
Karin Hess, author of the article ‘How to be Strategic with Scaffolding Strategies’, wants educators to consider this question when choosing a scaffolding strategy:
Why did I choose this strategy?
Does it match my learning target? and
How will it optimize learning for some or all of my students?
Previous Post
3 Myths about Scaffolding
Hess shares some ideas about making good choices, but first Hess wants to clear up 3 common myths about scaffolding:
Myth #1: Scaffolding is the Same as Differentiation
Many teachers – and even some educational resources – often mix scaffolding with differentiation, but they are distinct. To help remember the difference, you can think of scaffolding as providing the necessary support to complete a task, while differentiation offers students various options regarding the tasks they can undertake.
When instruction is differentiated, students select from various assignments that are often similar in difficulty. I first intentionally used differentiation during my time teaching middle school. I developed assignment menus that catered to different content (varying texts, materials, scenarios, or subjects), the processes involved (levels of engagement with the material, whether working solo or in pairs, etc.), and the products that students created to demonstrate their understanding. Tools like choice boards, menus, and activity stations are frequently employed throughout a unit to present optional tasks for students.
On the other hand, scaffolding strategies are designed to help each student effectively engage with grade-level content, complete assignments ranging from basic to advanced, and build their confidence and independence as learners.
Myth #2: Scaffolding is always temporary
In fact, many scaffolding techniques—like dividing a task into manageable pieces or collaboratively creating an anchor chart to enhance understanding—can be applied later, even as tasks become more complex. Scaffolds aren’t just for students who need extra help. Even top-performing adults break intricate tasks into smaller segments and rely on models and peer feedback to better grasp new concepts. Think of it this way: a painter always utilizes some form of scaffolding when working on a ceiling.
Myth 3: Scaffolding is used to change the intended Rigor
A scaffolding approach can lighten the cognitive load on a learner’s working memory during educational activities, without altering the challenge level of the task.
For example, when a complex text is read aloud or illustrated as a graphic novel, students are relieved from the need to fully use their working memory to decipher unfamiliar words for understanding the text’s meaning. Instead, they might take sketch notes while listening, capturing essential ideas to facilitate later summarization, discussion, or explanation of more intricate concepts.
While decoding skills are vital, the primary focus of this learning activity isn’t solely on decoding words. Similarly, when a student uses a calculator to perform calculations with large numbers or decimals, they can verify their estimates without the cognitive burden of manually calculating the same operations.
Understanding the learning objectives helps educators identify the most suitable scaffolds for the lesson and specific students—essentially, placing the scaffolding activity in their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is aimed at ensuring that even if a student encounters difficulties, those challenges are constructive.
Consider scaffolding as a bridge that can either (a) enhance content accessibility (such as “chunking” texts, conducting focused discussions, or building background knowledge) or (b) simplify multi-step tasks (like collaborative data collection or breaking tasks into smaller, manageable parts with checkpoints).
Determining the Right Time for Scaffolding
Educators can benefit from considering three main areas of support that help students build the skills necessary for tackling more complex tasks or grasping difficult concepts:
enhancing content understanding,
improving executive function, and
fostering language and vocabulary skills.
Effective scaffolding at one Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level typically helps students progress to the subsequent DOK level. Below, Hess outlines various strategies for each DOK Level tailored to different teaching goals. (For a comprehensive collection of strategies, be sure to download Karin’s PDF.)
Scaffolding Purpose 1: Enhancing Understanding and Linking to Key Concepts
Various techniques aimed at enriching learning can easily emerge from activities focused on improving language abilities or fostering executive function. For example, collaborating with students to create an anchor chart outlining the steps for tackling a non-routine math problem not only bolsters executive functioning, but also serves as a useful reference. This chart can remind students of each step as they approach new challenges.
Scaffolding Techniques to Enhance Learning Across Various DOK Levels
DOK 1 – The “DAILY 10” Playlist
The role of prior knowledge in improving reading comprehension and developing schema is crucial. To implement this technique, create a playlist featuring at least six short printed and non-printed materials on a subject (like images, political cartoons, articles, or relevant websites tied to social studies or a science unit) for students at the week’s start.
Each day, for a maximum of ten minutes, students—either individually or in small groups—select one resource to read or listen to and jot down some notes. These notes are not graded. Encourage class discussions and journal entries to link this expanding background knowledge to the current unit of study.
DOK 3 – Carousel Feedback
This approach reframes carousel brainstorming, where small groups rotate through different stations, brainstorming ideas on various subtopics. They record their thoughts on large chart papers for the next group to read and contribute to.
The teacher sets up 4 or 5 large posters, each featuring a unique question prompt or problem-solving task. Students are grouped in a diverse arrangement, each group using a different colored marker for their answers. They start by reading the problem at their table and working on the chart paper to find a solution.
After a few minutes (before they complete their task), the teacher signals for time, and the groups rotate to tackle a new problem. Upon arrival, they review the previous group’s work and discuss it among themselves. They then determine whether the last group’s solution was correct and use a new color marker to either continue solving the problem if it was right or to make adjustments if they spot an error. If corrections are needed, they add a note explaining the mistake and the rationale for the correction.
When time is called again, the groups rotate for a third time, repeating the checking and justification process as before. In the final round of rotations, the groups create a justification for their solution, relying on calculations and notes provided by other teams. This carousel approach fosters meaningful discussions and encourages collaborative reasoning backed by evidence.
Purpose of Scaffolding 2: Enhancing Executive Function and Skill Application
Students who struggle with executive function often find it challenging to stay focused and engaged in dealing with long texts and complex tasks. This skill set also plays a crucial role in goal setting, monitoring progress, and fostering a positive self-image as learners. Executive functions encompass various skills that help students start, track, and complete intricate multi-step projects.
Scaffolding strategies can help in several areas:
Initiation – The ability to kick off a task or activity while generating ideas, responses, or finding solutions (e.g., collaborative brainstorming sessions).
Working Memory – The ability to retain information for engaging with longer texts (e.g., breaking texts into manageable chunks).
Planning and Organization – The skill to handle both current and future tasks demands (e.g., maintaining learning logs).
Self-Monitoring – The capacity to assess one’s own performance and compare it to established standards or expectations (e.g., through conference discussions).
Supportive Strategies for Executive Function at Varying DOK Levels
DOK 2: A Card Pyramid for Information Summarization
The card pyramid technique uses numbered sticky notes or index cards to dismantle information from a text. Ideally, partners collaborate to construct the pyramid, taking turns to verbally summarize their findings, before penning down a written summary.
DOK 3: Crafting a Mathematical Argument
Teaching how to create a mathematical argument can be as challenging as learning it. In this approach, partners split their paper vertically. On the left side, students methodically work through the steps to solve the problem, while on the right, they articulate the reasoning behind each step or explain how it works. contributed to their solution (e.g., my diagram illustrates the division of the candy bar; I’ve labeled each fractional part to clarify…). This scaffolding method is beneficial, as it deconstructs the path to the solution, allowing for a more thoughtful explanation of the reasoning behind each action.
Scaffolding Purpose 3: Nurturing Language and Vocabulary Growth
Developing vocabulary and language skills is crucial for understanding across all subjects. One effective strategy for enhancing vocabulary is to emphasize and reinforce the key language necessary for learning in each content area. Teachers can informally boost language development by using visuals and tangible models to activate prior knowledge, color-coding to highlight significance or differences (like anchor charts, sentence stems, or paragraph frames for multi-digit number place value), facilitating meaningful discussions, and demonstrating their thought processes aloud.
Using multi-sensory techniques can help students develop their language skills. However, it’s important to avoid overwhelming them with too many methods simultaneously, or relying on strategies that don’t easily carry over to future learning. A charming visual of a pumpkin or cookie may not effectively help students understand paragraph or essay writing compared to a structured anchor chart or a color-coded paragraph frame with clear visual cues.
Hess enjoys introducing TBEAR through texts familiar to students, such as fairy tales or pieces they’ve read in class before. Teachers at all grade levels have used or modified TBEAR, and have found it particularly effective for students struggling with language proficiency. In both whole-class settings and partner work, students can use TBEAR to help them find text evidence and prepare for discussions or writing assignments. For example, middle school teachers I’ve collaborated with had students develop and display anchor charts for important math vocabulary after analyzing these words through TBEAR.
TBEAR smoothly supports students in progressing from DOK level 1 to levels 2, 3, or 4, and it’s easy to recall what each letter represents:
T: Create a Topic sentence/Thesis statement/or claim (DOK 1); or define a vocabulary Term or concept.
B: Succinctly summarize the text to act as a bridge to your evidence (DOK 2); or rephrase the meaning in your own words.
E: Find text Evidence/Examples (DOK 2); or offer both examples and non-examples when defining specific terms.
A: Analyze each example or piece of text evidence; include additional details to explain why the evidence backs up your thesis/claim (DOK 3).
R: Share a key takeaway (DOK 1 or 2) or a reflection that might extend from DOK 3 to DOK 4, such as links to the world, personal experiences, or ties to additional resources.
Support for Everyone
True equity starts with the understanding that all students can and should progress beyond memorizing routines and gaining superficial knowledge in a subject. This is particularly important for students with learning disabilities and those who speak multiple languages.
Research indicates every student benefits from daily chances to express their creativity, interpret information and ideas, pose questions, engage in research, and develop their own insights through meaningful discussions.
Transact Campus, “Transact,” the award-winning leader in innovative mobile credential and payment solutions, today announced a partnership with Luxer One, a premium manufacturer of package management systems and smart contactless lockers, owned by ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in access solutions. This partnership will deliver a turnkey solution for on-campus package delivery, including hardware, software, installation, service, support, and package delivery company facilitation.
