Philosophy for Online Teaching and

Online Facilitation Plan

ET 631 | Shawn Turner

Part I: Philosophy for Online Teaching

Online Pedagogy: I am a Guide, an Instructor, and a Learner
In our math department meetings, we have often struggled to capture what it means to

incorporate technology into our classrooms. Platforms like Khan Academy, IXL, and Delta Math

have been view as feasible technology tools; however, those programs are often used as the end-

all-be-all. This treatment acts as an “oversimplified [approach] that treat[s] technology as an

‘add-on’ instead [of focusing it]…in a more ecological way, upon the connections among

technology, content, and pedagogy as they play out in classroom contexts” (Koehler and Mishra,

2009, p. 67). The blended learning model allows me to use technology to amplify my face-to-

face (F2F) instruction, going beyond the role of conveying information and assessing students’

grasp of that information.

Teaching in the online environment places me in a dynamic role as a guide, an instructor,

and a learner. Who I am at the beginning of the year, at the beginning of a unit, at the beginning

of a lesson is different than who I am at their conclusions. Learning, whether F2F or online, is

characterized by growth – for the learner, but also for the instructor. As a guide, my role is to

provide students with the resources, tools, and motivation to go from point A to point B in a

lesson, unit, and course. As an instructor, my role is to model how to translate content to

understandings (McTighe, 2015). As a learner, my role is to engage in constant reflection,

placing myself in the shoes of my students, evaluating the effectiveness of my instruction, and

exploring new ways to grow professionally as an educator.

 Throughout my time in Loyola’s educational leadership program, Teaching English

Language Learner’s program, and the educational technology program, the most common

recurring theme has been practicing the promotion of a learner-centered educations: providing

students with the tools they need to be successful. My instruction in math has been characterized

by a pursuit of precision and accuracy. It is not enough to be regurgitate information; a deeper

understanding is my desire for my learners: “Learners should construct their own knowledge,

rather than accepting that given by the instructor” (Ally, 2008, p. 12). While math is based on

seemingly fixed theory, formulae, and methods, it is able to promote creative thinking and offer

an opportunity for students to make meaning of the techniques they utilize in a problem that

applies beyond the limits of the classroom walls.

The Understanding by Design (UbD) framework provides an opportunity for me to

“develop and deepen student understanding and to equip students with the ability to make

meaning of learning via ‘big ideas’” (McTighe, 2015, p. 2). I must be aware of what I intend to

assess before I begin the lesson and the backwards design ensures that my starting point of a

lesson, unit, and course leads me to my intended ending point. While the framework was

sufficient for administrators and other instructors to see how a course, I found that the R2D2

model was best for conveying information to students so that they could also see how

information learning was being formed. As a guide, it is my responsibility to be transparent as I

guide students from point A to point B. As an instructor, it is my responsibility to model for

students how I see their learning being shaped. As a learner, it is my responsibility to give this

outline so that I can gather feedback from students on what works best for them, providing them

with “greater agency, voice, and choice in how they learn, when they learn, and where they

learn” (Powell et al., 2005, p. 16). Marrying the blended learning model to instruct students, the
UbD framework to organize the content, and the R2D2 model to present the content provides me

the opportunity to “optimize and maximize student productivity in a…F2F…setting” (Powell et

al., 2005, p. 6).

Assessment of Student Learning: Intentionally Student-Centered

The second D in the R2D2 model is doing, which often serves a way for students to

provide an product or demonstrate understanding in a concrete way. My academic math career

has been characterized by how many problems I completed accurately, with tests being a

compilation of free response problems. Being frank, those types of assessments could hacked by

simply training oneself to follow procedures without actually understanding the underlying math

involved. Every lesson and unit does not need a to be evaluated based on completing problems.

This fixed mindset fails to expose students to the varied applications of mathematics beyond the

classroom walls. Ally (2008) suggests that “processing…refers to how learners understand and

process the information after it is absorbed after perceiving” (p. 9). The Display (D1) and Doing

(D2) of the R2D2 model allows for me to see how my student is processing the content that they

have read (R1) and reflected on (R2), but does not limit that display of understand and task to be

explicitly tied to problem-completion.

Because technology is a resource and a tool, I can utilize it alongside traditional

formative and summative assessments, like classwork handouts and drill; nevertheless, I find it

more rewarding to, when applicable, transform some of those traditional assessments using

online tools. FlipGrid, in particular has been a tool used to allow students to solve a problem that

has been given as if they were experts, allowing them to empathize with the role of the

instructor, as a do with the role of the learner. Agency is a core component of learner-centered

instruction and “students have to take the initiative to learn and to interact with other

students….because the learning agenda is controlled by the student” (Ally, 2008, p. 12).
 This agency informs a new way of viewing assessments for me: they are not about me;

they are about the student. For years, I have taken cues from colleagues about making sure that I

create assessments that are challenging and cover all of the points of a lesson. Nevertheless, all

points in the lesson are often times not assessment-worthy. The UbD framework has allowed me

to trim those topics that are not tied to the assessment, as the goal is to assess that which I intend

to assess. To ensure that I am assess what which I intend to assess, I have to ask myself: what

happens when a student poorly performs on an assessment? Before learning about the power

online instruction gives me to assess, the grade would hold and I would spend time encouraging

the student to do better on the next assessment. Our ET 631 course has exposed me to the

possibility of retaking tests, allowing students the opportunity to demonstrate improvement and

growth.

The Bookwidgets platform has allowed me to transform assessments from solely being

free response to utilizing other methods of inquiry, that task the student with thinking deeply

about the content. The online platform links to Google Classroom, a learning management

system (LMS) purchased by our schools, so that students can use their Google credentials and

information is easily managed. I am able to provide feedback, generalized for the class, but also

personalized for each students, which is updated and available for students in live time,

reinforcing my goal to be transparent for my students.

Goals and Aspirations: Striving to VOCALize

I strive to model my instructional practices in F2F and online instruction under the

VOCAL model, which is to be “one who is: Visible, Organized, Compassionate, Analytical, and

a Leader-by-example” (Savery, 2005, p. 142). Working at an all-male high school has placed me

in a unique situation, where I am viewed, in a sense, as a role-model for my students. I often

share with them my experiences in graduate school as a way to empathize with their experiences
and justify some of my policy and curriculum decisions. The VOCAL model is not limited to

online instruction and it is not limited to instructors. In the same way that I want my learners to

know that I am there for them, I want them to be participative and active in their learning. In the

same way that I want to make sure that my Ts are crossed and I’s are dotted in terms of lessons,

content, and organization, I want my learners to formulate content in a way that is meaningful for

them. In the same way that I want to value the voices and opinions of my students and

colleagues, I want my learners to be empathetic and trusting of my choices as an instructor. In

the same way that I am holding my learners accountable in their pursuit of precise, accurate, and

thorough understanding of the content, I want them to not assume me to be expert and instead

view our content through a critical lens. Our institution promotes fostering an environment that

graduates men who matter. If I am a role model for their learner, I want my students to uphold

that model for the underclassmen, as I teach 10th through 12th grade in my Honors Trigonometry

course.

My Success and Summary: This is a Vocation

Having been educated in the Jesuit tradition since middle school, the one phrase that has

always stayed with me has been cura personalis, which loosely translates as care for the (whole)

person. My role as an online instructor calls for me to care beyond the content. I must care for

the understanding, meaning, application of the content. Although online instruction may, in some

cases, change where the learning takes place, it does not uproot philosophies that inform the

learning nor does it ignore what and how learning occurs. My success is rooted in the comparing

the quality of my work to the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching alongside the

iNACOL Blended Learning Teacher Competency Framework. In addition to evaluations

performed by my department chair and assistant principal, I have found it meaningful to survey

learners with quarterly course evaluations that inform the upcoming quarter or school year. That
data allows learners to have voice in what they learn and how they learn. For me, “what makes

an educator effective in a blended learning environment is meant to be broader than traditional

teaching standards by explicitly addressing, and equally valuing, less tangible teacher

characteristics that we believe will be essential to making blended learning work with their

students” (Powell et al., 2015, p. 6). My philosophy on teaching is not confined to the instruction

in the classroom, it is the work that goes into learning and understanding what teaching entails:

providing an environment that inspires students to be their best selves. This work is vocational: I

do what I love as long as I can.

Part II: Online Facilitation Plan
Introduction
The online facilitation page (OFP) details Chapter 4.3 of the McGraw Hill Precalculus textbook
in Honors Trigonometry/Analysis over the course of 15 days/three weeks. The UbD framework is used to
structure the big ideas of the lesson, while Stage 3’s learning plan is delivered using the R2D2 model to
outline key learning events to occur. Because I am operating within a blended learning model, I will be
distinguishing learning events that are F2F and online (O), along with a day to provide clarity as to when
the task is occurring. Online instruction will serve as an opportunity for learners to engage with material
independently and collaboratively, while F2F instruction will serve as a reinforcement of concepts
introduced online as well as an opportunity for discussion and practice with content. This flipped
classroom model will allow students to have the support and immediate feedback from me, while also
being given the opportunity to explore content and draw meaning for themselves.
While the lessons will utilize different technologies to deliver content assess understanding of
content, the school-issued LMS, Plus Portals, and optional school-sponsored LMS, Google Classroom
(GCR), will serve as the home base for the distribution of resources. Plus Portals is where students can
view assignments and grades; however, content and resources are distributed from Google Classroom, as
students all have Google credentials as a part of the school’s Google Suite subscription.
UbD Framework
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goal(s):
Students will be able to identify degrees, radians, and coordinates associated with the reference angles on
the unit circle in able to find exact trigonometric values without the use of a calculator.
Standard(s):
1. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSF.TF.A.2 – Explain how the unit circle in the coordinate plane
enables the extension of trigonometric functions to all real numbers, interpreted as radian
measures of angles traversed counterclockwise around the unit circle.
2. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSF.TF.A.3 – Use special triangles to determine geometrically the
π π π
values of sine, cosine, tangent for , , and , and use the unit circle to express the values of
3 4 6
sine, cosine and tangent for x, π + x , and 2 π −x in terms of their values for x, where x is any real
number.
3. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSF.TF.A.4 – Use the unit circle to explain symmetry (odd and even)
and periodicity of trigonometric functions.
1.1 Enduring Understanding(s)
Students will understand that…
1. Quadrant I of the unit circle serves as the reference quadrant for the behaviors of the degrees,
radians, and coordinates of quadrants II, III, and IV.
2. The coterminal angles for the reference angles of the unit circle are multiples of the reference
angles of the unit circle.
3. Special right triangles with a radius of one create all of the coordinates all of the trigonometric
ratios for the exact trigonometric values of each angle on the unit circle.
4. Associating cosine with the x-coordinate and sine with the y-coordinate and orienting tangent as
y−coordinate
ratio of allows one to use to the coordinates of the unit circle to find the exact
x−coordinate
trigonometric value of any trigonometric value that is coterminal to a value on the unit circle.
Common Misunderstandings:
1. The positive degrees and radians are found by moving counterclockwise, while the negative
degrees and radians are found by moving clockwise.
π π
2. The 30 °∨
6
angle has the coordinates ( √23 , 12 )
and the 60 °∨
3
angle has coordinates
1 √3
(,
2 2
, )
rather the vice-versa scenario.
π π
3. All 30 °∨ angles and coterminal angles are closest to the x-axis, while all 60 °∨ angles are
6 3
closest to the y-axis, as opposed to repeating the pattern of 30 ° , 45° , 60 ° ,90 ° for the angles in
quadrants II, III, and IV.
4. Although sine comes first in the SOHCAHTOA acronym, it is associated with the y-coordinate,
while cosine is associated with the x-coordinate.
y−coordinate x−coordinate
5. Tangent is the ratio of , rather than the ratio of .
x−coordinate y−coordinate
6. Cosecant, secant, and cotangents are reciprocals of sine, cosine, and tangent, respectively; they
are not inverses or opposites.
1.2 Essential Questions
1. Why do we convert degrees to radians and radians to degrees?
2. Why do we add or subtract 360 °∨2 π to find the coterminal angle?
3. Why do we use quadrant-rules to identify reference angles?
4. How do special right triangles inform right triangles on the coordinate plane?
5. Why do we call the unit circle a unit circle?
6. Why do we memorize degrees, radians, and coordinates on the unit circle?
1.3 Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills
Students will know…
1. The degrees and radians on the unit circle, along with their corresponding coordinates.
2. The techniques to find the exact trigonometric value of any trigonometric value that is coterminal
to a value on the unit circle without a calculator.
Students will be able to…
π π π ,∧π
1. Calculate multiples of 30 ° , 45° , 60 ° ,90 ° , , , to craft the degrees and radians on the
6 4 3 2
unit circle.
2. Extend Algebra knowledge on the coordinate-structure for quadrants using the ASTC
trigonometric acronym.
3. Apply special right triangles and extend SOHCAHTOA knowledge to locate the coordinates of
reference and coterminal angles on the unit circle.
4. Identify the exact trigonometric values of any trigonometric value that is coterminal to a value on
the unit circle using the x- and y-coordinates and ratios of the x- and y-coordinates of the unit
circle.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s):
1. Knowledge Pyramid
This task provides you an opportunity to visualize how mathematics builds upon itself. You will
be broken into groups of three or four. You are going to annotate a pyramid on Padlet. You have
been assigned a reciprocal trigonometric function of an angle coterminal to a reference angle. The
pyramid symbolizes your learning of finding exact trigonometric values that are coterminal to
values on the unit circle. The bottom of your pyramid will serve as the base – your foundation
 and starting point, while the top of your pyramid will serve as your ending point – the found exact
trigonometric value. Each level of your pyramid should include the following:
 Provide one step.
 Present the math-work performed during that step.
 Describe the math performed during that step.
 Explain how that step will help you get to your found exact trigonometric value.
Your Padlet is linked to a Google document in GCR. They are updated in live time, so please
work on it and have a draft by [date] and your final product by [date].
Other Evidence:
1. (F2F) Chapter 4.3 Quiz #1 on recalling the degrees and radians on the unit circle.
2. (F2F) Chapter 4.3 Quiz #2 on finding exact trigonometric values
3. (O) Socrative synchronous activity to identify exact values of reference angles and angles
coterminal to the reference angles.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan (using R2D2)
Week I – The Unit Circle
Reading/Viewing
 (F2F – Day 1) Review the unit circle pre-reading questions.
 (O – Day 1) Read pages in the McGraw-Hill Precalculus (online) textbook on the unit circle.
 (O – Day 1) Review the Quizlet flashcards set, completing the LEARN function to 100%
completion.
Reflecting
 (F2F – Day 1) Participate in the class discussion, answering the pre-reading questions, using
Socrative to input your responses and display them collectively.
 (F2F – Day 2) Describe patterns that you have found as you observed the degrees and radians
counterclockwise on the unit circle during a whole-class discussion, filling in two unit circles on
the board, one for degrees and one for radians.
 (O – Day 2) Complete the MATCH feature for the Quizlet flashcard set for degrees and radians
on the unit circle.
Displaying
 (O – Day 2) Download the unit circle cheat sheet PDF and annotate it by color-coding the
coterminal angles that correspond to reference angles in quadrant I using Notability.
 (F2F – Day 3) Review the color-coded unit circle that identifies angles that are coterminal to the
reference angles in quadrant I using the think-pair-share model. As a class, we will color-
coordinate the unit circle on the board, modeling the accurate correspondence for the coterminal
angles and their reference angles in quadrant I. A picture will be taken of the class-collaborated
unit circle and will be posted to GCR.
 (O – Day 4) Review the posted color-coded class-collaborated unit circle PDF.
Doing
 (O – Day 3) Practice placing degrees, radians, and their corresponding coordinates using online
Unit Circle Game.
 (F2F – Day 4) Participate in the Unit Circle Game tournament, challenging your classmates for
the best time.
 (F2F – Day 5) Complete the Chapter 4.3 Quiz #1, recalling the degrees and radians on the unit
circle, which consists of a blank unit circle.
 (O – Day 5) Record a 3-5 video using FlipGrid to explain your technique for identifying the
degrees, radians, and coordinates of the unit circle. In addition to your oral explanation, you must
record your technique in action. Please add at least one filter to your selfie cover-photo. This
 assignment will help you formulate your thoughts for the building blocks of your Knowledge
Pyramid assignment.
Weeks II-III – Finding Exact Trigonometric Values
Reading
 (F2F – Day 6) Review the finding unit circle pre-reading questions.
 (F2F – Day 7) Read pages in the McGraw-Hill Precalculus (online) textbook on finding exact
trigonometric values of reference angles.
Reflecting
 (O – Day 6) Collaborate in your assigned group to answer the pre-reading questions on the
Google Document.
 (F2F – Day 6) Review common inconsistencies on the Chapter 4.3 Quiz #1 during a whole-class
discussion to answer questions and provide clarification. Quizzes are returned even if other
students have not taken them, as this assessment is memorization-based.
 (O – Day 7) Record a 1 minute video on FlipGrid summarizing the steps for finding exact
trigonometric functions of reference angles, based on the textbook reading.
 (F2F – Day 8) Participate in the discussion thread, posting one GLOW and one GROW for two
classmates’ FlipGrid video, after watching them. Students will be asked to bring listening-wear
at the beginning of the week and will be reminded the day prior.
 (F2F – Day 9) Participate in the class discussion surrounding the question: “What happens when
the angle is greater than 360 °∨2 π or less than 0 ° ?”
 (F2F – Day 11) Participate in the class discussion surrounding the question: “If we know
sin ⁡(30), how might that inform us to find csc ⁡(30) ?”
Displaying
 (O – Day 8) Create a list of steps for finding exact trigonometric functions of reference angles a
problem in the section of the textbook on pages on the copy of the Google Document on GCR.
 (O – Day 10) Review the “Trigonometric Values Table” cheat sheet.
 (O – Day 13) Review the “Trigonometric Values Table” cheat sheet, updated with reciprocal
functions.
Doing
 (O – Day 9) Complete the Desmos Activity assignment on finding exact trigonometric values
for reference angles and angles coterminal to the reference angles for sine, cosine, and tangent.
Refer to the guide posted on GCR for how to input radicals and fractions into the program.
 (F2F – Day 10) Complete the synchronous Socrative activity on identifying exact trigonometric
values of reference and angles coterminal to the reference angles for sine, cosine, and tangent.
 (F2F – Day 11) Participate in a Kahoot activity to find the exact trigonometric values of
reference angles for all trigonometric functions.
 (O – Day 11) Begin working on the Knowledge Pyramid. Compile your FlipGrid video on the
unit circle, along with your steps for finding exact trigonometric values. You may use Google
Hangouts to discuss with your teammates.
 (F2F – Day 12) Collaborate with your classmates during class as you work on the Knowledge
Pyramid.
 (O – Day 12) Submit a draft of your Knowledge Pyramid by exporting the PDF file from Padlet
and uploading the document to GCR.
 (F2F – Day 13) Collaborate with your classmates to finalize your Knowledge Pyramid.
 (O – Day 13) Submit a final draft of your Knowledge Pyramid by exporting the PDF file from
Padlet and uploading the document to GCR.
 (F2F – Day 14) Present your Knowledge Pyramid to the class.
 (F2F – Day 15) Complete the Chapter 4.3 Quiz #2, finding exact trigonometric values of
reference angles and angles coterminal to the reference angles, which consists of 20 free-response
questions.
 References

Ally, M. (2008). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. In T. Anderson

(Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (pp. 15-44). AU Press.  

Bonk, C.J., & Zhang, K. (2006) Introducing the R2D2 Model: Online learning for the diverse

learners of this world, Distance Education, 27:2, 249-264, DOI:

10.1080/01587910600789670

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge?

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.

Powell, A., Watson, J., Stanley, P., Patrick, S., Horn, M., Fetzer, L., Hibbard, L., Oglesby, J., &

Verma, S. (2015). Blending Learning: The Evolution of Online and Face-to-Face

Education from 2008–2015. Promising Practices in Online and Blended Learning.

Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED560788.

Savery, J. (2005). BE VOCAL: Characteristics of Successful Online Instructors. Retrieved from

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1066780.

McTighe, J. (2015). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: McGraw-Hill.