In a Mastery-Based Progression, students should reach a point of awareness of specific competencies they have already mastered and that they have yet to master. For the latter, since every student in the room might have a different set of competencies to focus on, it is best practice to create a space and time during which students can work at their own pace on specific competencies or standards.
This self-paced work can take multiple forms: Small group or 1:1 work with the teacher on a specific competency is one powerful example but while a small group work with a teacher, the rest of the group should have access to quality, organized learning resources allowing them to grow in the competency of their choice with a combination of online and face to face activities.
This strategy will help you discover Hyperdoc Pathways to Mastery or Hyperdoc Playlists and how to build them to leverage existing resources, and hold students accountable to their goals.
Choose a competency/standard and create a Google Doc focused on helping students to reach mastery in this competency. This four column structure (examples of which can be found in the resources below) can help:
1st column for the title of an activity
2nd column for the description of an activity
3rd column for notes or questions
4th column for date completed and possibly score or link to a product created
Hyperdocs can be a powerful tool for Distance Learning, giving students ownership of their work and different approaches to gain mastery of standards.
Implementation steps:
Before using Hyperdocs, it is important for students to have a few things ahead of time. Be sure to review the following things with students during a synchronous distance learning session or by making a video for students to watch that outlines the following items:
An clear understanding of the standard/competency they will be focusing on.
A way to record their progress. Consider developing a shared googledoc with links for each student to record their progress.
A timeline to help them pace their work. You could develop a timeline for the whole class (complete certain assignments by a certain date) or meet individually with students during a synchronous 1:1 session to determine completion dates.
Develop a hyperdoc for each student. Make sure the standard/competency is the focus of the Hyperdoc in order to help students reach mastery. Consider formating the Hyperdoc into five columns:
1st column for the title of an activity
2nd column for the description of an activity
3rd column for notes or questions that the students might have about the activity, which the teacher can respond to
4th column for date completed
5th column for a link to the finished product
When envisioning a pathway during distance learning, keep these these points in mind:
Consider multiple ways for students to show understanding and mastery of the concept. Some of these routes can include video, collaborative assignments, and multimedia options.
Block time to check in with students about their progress. Focus on the mastery they are gaining and identify areas of growth for them. Use this time for empathy, accountability and to grow a connection with students. Thii check in can be done synchronously via Zoom/phone/text or asynchronously via message and/or Google Doc comment.
As students get more comfortable with the format, consider adding layers to the Hyperdoc:
Students can have choices within the sections of the Hyperdoc. This can include giving students choice in how they’d like to demonstrate their mastery, as well as choice in what type of assignment they complete within a section.
For students with limited access to technology or in asynchronous settings, you can modify this strategy by giving students added time and more options on how to follow the pathway. If at all possible, consider a paper copy of a pathway with tech-free options so that students can practice the skills at home using other resources.
Using email to gauge students' progress, or if it’s possible, scheduling virtual check-ins can keep students connected and grounded to the class and to this approach as well.
Using a Hyperdoc Pathway to Mastery can help support students with disabilities keep track of their own mastery and help them build self-advocacy skills.
Successful use of a Hyperdoc Pathway requires teachers planning for the variety of skills required of students: emotional regulation, significant executive functioning skills (task initiation, prioritization, working memory, etc.), written expression skills, reading skills and verbal expression skills. In order to support students with disabilities who have difficulty in these areas consider the following modifications:
Modifications:
Use visual aids, timers, and verbal reminders to help students with task initiation and task completion while they are working using their Hyperdoc. Depending upon the number of students with disabilities present in a classroom, teachers should consider increasing the amount of time they spend on explicitly teaching norms of using Hyperdoc Pathways.
Students with disabilities could be provided with more scaffolded supports (extra time, reference sheets, graphic organizers, etc) during their independent work time. Students could also be given leveled work based on their accommodations as options on their HyperDoc. Teachers should think carefully about the approach of quality over quantity when helping students with disabilities track their mastery using HyperDoc. Special emphasis for these students could be put on mastery of the highest leverage skills in a unit.
Using this strategy, English learners benefit from ample opportunities to engage with content and academic language in a variety of ways on the pathway to mastery. Learners are guided through self-pacing and self-assessment.
English learners may need to use all four domains of language, reading, writing, speaking and listening, while performing the activities prescribed in hyperdoc pathways. In order to support English Learners consider the following modifications:
Modifications:
Perform 1:1 check-ins with English learners. Use independent work time to give English learners an opportunity to use their academic language, and teachers a chance to formatively assess content language use and to guide self-pacing. Consider embedding into hyperdocs additional teacher check-in points for English learners
The idea of creating multiple pathways for different standards/competencies can feel overwhelming at first. My advice is to start by creating just one, and without elements of choice or differentiation yet. This will help you build a skeleton to iterate from for all your upcoming pathways. It will also help you stay on top of that first one and give students feedback, which is essential. There is always time later on to create more and to give more choices and control gradually!
When you give more traditional assessments, take a moment to compare mastery data from these assessments with mastery data from the work of students in their pathway. Look for alignment and discrepancies. Confer with students to make them aware of the differences. Consider building multi-standard pathways geared toward helping students make decisions when facing a more complex problem.
Hyperdoc
A HyperDoc can be used to provide structure and detail for a self-paced activity where students are assessing at different times. A HyperDoc can be designed from templates or created from scratch using a word processing program. Students can type directly into these documents or use them as a guide for learning a concept or skill
What makes the hyperdoc a great tool for pathways is its interactivity. Students can then use their hyperdoc pathway both as a way to access content, but also to create content, ideas and reflections and share them. It is a two way street!