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When I was in the classroom, one of the most challenging aspects was not having the resources to meet learners’ needs. I loved having a wide range of academic levels in my elementary class, and I loved the challenge of meeting those needs. The sad truth is that while my intentions were great, I often didn’t have the materials to best meet the moment. Luckily, K-12 educators today can use open educational resources (OER) in the classroom to support all learners.
I remember one boy, I’ll call him James, in my fifth grade class who was an emerging reader. James was eager to read and wanted so badly to be successful when reading. But he was so far below grade level that I needed to create a separate resource that he could read. Sure, the textbook series had some resources to help. They would have worked fine if this learner was reading one or two grade levels below fifth grade, but James was reading at a first grade level. When checking with the library and other colleagues, the only reading options were picture books. Not surprisingly, James felt embarrassed to be seen holding them.
I lacked a range of resources, including texts, that I could share with James to meet his needs and those of other students. I particularly wanted resources in areas where learners had special interests or needs related to supporting their academic growth. What I was missing was a different approach—one that would allow me access to more high-quality materials and the ability to adapt them to differentiate instruction.
What are OER?
What I was missing was access to OER in the classroom. OER are teaching and learning resources that have been shared online. In most instances, they have licensing that allows for others to access, share, modify and use them.
Educators have been sharing their work as OER online for well over 20 years now. As a result, there is a large body available for educators to use. During this time, OER have grown in both number and quality. Large publishers, non-profit organizations, collaborations of educators and individual teachers have created and shared resources as OER. They use a Creative Commons license (more on that in a future article) to encourage the free reuse of these resources. As a result, there are thousands of resources available, with many of them aligned to standards.
Types of resources that can be found as OER include:
- textbooks
- literature
- lesson plans
- videos for illustrative purposes
- rubrics
- student reflection sheets
- problems sets for math
- supplemental reading materials
- entire courses of study such as Geometry
- assessments
- lesson planning guides
- wiring guides for STEM projects
- protocols and flexible structures to help guide learning and feedback
- and MUCH more
Some of these OER are single resources, such as a rubric to use when reviewing student writing. Other OER include a collection of resources, such as multiple page lesson plans for fifth grade life science. Still other OER are complete courses, such as a high school course in statistics. As a result, OER span a range of numbers and complexity in what they offer. Their flexibility to meet the needs of both teachers and learners makes them an invaluable tool for the classroom.
Why use OER in the classroom?
Differentiating instruction helps each individual learner better succeed by providing resources at their level and by matching their interests when relevant. This allows teachers to meet academic, linguistic, cultural and other considerations when planning their lessons.
For teachers, this has resulted in a much more diverse set of teaching and learning resources to use. OER in the classroom have also provided opportunities for teachers to reduce the need to create resources from scratch. Teachers can even personalize a list of resources selected for their students. In many cases, OER save time and are available at no cost. They eliminate the time it takes to photocopy, for example, or extra costs associated with replacing lost books.
As such, using OER in the classroom for a variety of teaching and learning needs is much easier. Importantly, you can share your own creations to grow this movement for the benefit of other teachers and learners. I’ll address this in more detail in a different blog post. OER also offer a much wider range of topics and perspectives than a traditional single textbook. Therefore, they provide a richer set of learning experiences.
For learners, resources are more readily available via a school Chromebook or other computer or their personal device, including mobile phones. Learners won’t forget the resource at school or leave it at home since the OER is available online. This level of access means parents and caregivers can more easily help their students with homework or remote learning at home.
For school leaders, OER reduces the cost of providing teaching and learning materials to meet varying degrees of academic need. OER also increase the number of relevant and updated learning resources that are accessible anytime and anywhere. The cost savings will be explored in a future blog post.
How to build your own OER K-12 collection
Here are ways to get started in creating your own set of OER for the classroom.
1. Identify students and subject areas that have learning needs your existing curriculum resources don’t address.
It could be that a traditional textbook isn’t the only solution needed. Perhaps the subject matter in the textbook is too simplistic or complex. Or you need a different perspective on historical events to provide valuable insights for critical thinking.
2. Develop a rubric to help guide your search.
Looking for something to get you started? Check out this rubric created by Achieve (it’s an OER itself!). Find OER by visiting the OER Commons and search for something you identified as a need and aligns with the criteria of your rubric. While there are several different OER websites, OER Commons is a great place to start.
- Pro tip: check out the remote learning portion of their site if your situation calls for it.
- Didn’t find a resource via the OER Commons? Check out this list of other sites to review.
3. Team up with your colleagues to create a larger collection of resources you can all draw from.
Educators from across different regions recently joined up to do just that in Alberta, Canada.
4. Try viewing the OER with a mobile device.
This might be the only option for some or all of your learners. If it isn’t easy to view, you may want to modify the OER if the licensing allows for that.
Let’s go!
How might you leverage OER in the classroom to differentiate your instruction and help meet the teaching and learning needs within your school?
Explore why educators are reviving the #GoOpen initiative to increase access to free high-quality learning materials.
