After all the celebrations for National Teacher Appreciation Week, we come back to the basics - how can we best support best practices in our classrooms? Instructional leaders can provide just the right front-line support as teachers develop their blended, personalized, and online learning classrooms. Just as research indicates that investments in mentoring first-year teachers provides significant and sustainable dividends for school districts, it is entirely appropriate to assume that mentoring and supporting teachers new to blended and online learning settings would provide similar rates of return. Today’s educators are not the "digital natives" who sit before them in today’s classrooms. They are in fact often "first year teachers" in a blended learning setting and deserve meaningful, job-embedded, and ongoing support to ensure the intended program outcomes associated with implementing a blended learning approach are successfully realized.

In the same manner teachers create lesson plans to guide instruction, district leaders should similarly carefully choreograph a "lesson plan" that aims to provide the resources and support necessary to ensure long-term success. The following lesson plan is offered as a guide for supporting teachers in a blended learning environment:

• Objectives of the Lesson: Provide teachers with information about the goals of the blended, personalized, and online learning classroom. Blended learning is implemented for a variety of reasons. It is important to make sure that they understand the goals associated with the initiative and how it will leverage technology and digital resources to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. It is critical that teachers recognize that the district is committed to the blended learning program and the teacher's success in this new setting. The International Association for K12 Online Learning (iNACOL) provides a wealth of information about current trends and standards for blended and online learning. Just as a teacher’s lesson plan often includes "objectives for the lesson," it is important for leaders to provide teachers with an understanding of what the teacher will be able to accomplish in a blending learning classroom.
• Assessment of the Objectives: Recognize that teachers enter a blended or online learning classroom with varying levels of background in blended and online learning formats. Just as we look to offer students pre-assessments to ascertain what a student knows prior to teaching a unit, it is advisable to similarly take the time to conduct pre-assessments of teachers. Find out what they know and how they feel about the program so that meaningful professional development can be offered to ensure sustainable success. This pre-assessment and ongoing checks for understanding ensure that teachers feel supported throughout the process and helps alleviate frustrations in learning that make negatively impact sustained progress.
• The Lesson: Teaching in a blended learning setting is drastically different from teaching in a traditional classroom. New pedagogical approaches need to be shared with teachers so that they are effective in mentoring students in a blended learning environment. Teachers often become less of the provider of information in this setting and more of the facilitator of learning. This is often difficult for teachers to transition to and therefore it must be modeled for all teachers. Support teachers by sharing with them best practices from other blended and online settings that will be replicated in your setting.
• Materials Needed: Ensure that all necessary resources are present to support the teachers and students. Teachers, for example, must have access to reliable technology that engages students and expands learning. Teachers also need to have immediate access to technology support personnel to respond to the eventual technology glitch. Other materials needed include access to colleagues in successful blended learning classrooms. Some of the greatest experts in blended and online learning are often in similar classrooms in the district. Many districts have also turned to online discussion boards, quarterly professional learning communities, and other channels to share best-practices that further the goals of the program.
• Follow Up: The greatest gift of support from instructional leaders is the ongoing gift of feedback and patience. Blended learning is a challenging transition for many teachers and feedback from professionals in the industry who have successfully navigated the initial roadblocks present in similar settings. Every path to success starts with a first step. The best way to support teachers is to ensure that each and every step of their journey will be accompanied by a scaffolding of support to ensure that they are never alone. They key is to keep them exploring and discovering the opportunities that exist for them and their students in a blended and online learning setting.