![\"just-in-time-learning\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/j_isforjustintimeteaching.jpg\")
<\/a>Just-in-time learning in its best form is “Just for me” learning. When you learn something because you yearn to understand it, precisely when you need to apply it, you will learn it deeply and joyfully. Your brain will soak it up because your heart is in it.<\/p>\nNow, how does that translate to providing just-in-time-teaching?<\/p>\n
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Formative assessment informs timely teaching<\/h2>\n
If you Google “just in time learning,” you will be directed to the\u00a0“Just in Time Teaching” (JiTT) movement in higher education that is widely touted as revolutionary. From what I gather from the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching description of JiTT<\/a>, as well as the extensive Wikipedia entry on JiTT<\/a>, this innovation\u00a0boils down to students submitting assignments to professors before class so that they can analyze\u00a0student results to (gasp!) modify their lectures and classroom activities.<\/p>\n It basically appears to be formative assessment with a flipped classroom twist.<\/p>\n Of course, getting a read on student learning in order to guide teaching has been a hallmark of good instruction in K-12 circles\u00a0for quite some time. You can find myriad lists of apps and websites that support formative assessment (see for example recent lists by\u00a0Edutopia<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0edSurge<\/a>).<\/p>\n Technology allows improvements on the time tested practices of quizzes (see Quizlet<\/a>) and in-the-moment check-ins (see\u00a0Kahoot<\/a>), along with new approaches to assessment\u00a0such as backchanneling (live chatting during class, see\u00a0Chatzy<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Today\u2019s Meet<\/a>) or embedding assessment in videos (see\u00a0EdPuzzle<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Zaption<\/a>).<\/p>\n Last week my\u00a0daughter locked the bathroom door, exited, and shut it behind her. After watching a few YouTube videos, I’m confident that I can now pick a bathroom door lock of any variety.<\/p>\n That sounds creepier than I intended.<\/p>\n The point is that I was a focused learner because I was seeking information to solve an immediate problem.<\/p>\n Technology provides learners\u00a0with on-demand resources and tutorials to solve problems. This allows the teacher’s role to shift away from providing answers towards one of creating an environment full of compelling problems that motivate students to seek out just-in-time learning:<\/p>\n Professional development should be first and foremost responsive to educators’ needs.\u00a0I have lived by that principle but I didn’t fully grasp its importance until I experienced the\u00a02015 Middle Grades Institute, This five-day immersive experience for middle level educators brought to bear a faculty comprised of\u00a0higher education professors, expert practitioners, and students. The session schedule<\/a>\u00a0reflects a wide range of topics related to personalized learning, from negotiated curriculum\u00a0to the nuts and bolts of rolling out 1:1 devices.<\/p>\n What may not be apparent is that there were almost no sessions scheduled before the conference began. Participants worked in school-based teams during the first two days to plan ambitious initiatives and make requests from the faculty, who then developed sessions catered to their needs.<\/p>\nWhich leads to: compelling problems motivate timely learning<\/h2>\n
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Professional development that doesn’t waste time<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>JITL is essential to life-long learning, particularly as graduation proficiencies emphasize collaboration, community service and engagement, and authentic problem-solving.<\/span><\/p>\n