SAMR- How would you incorporate it?

The Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition or SAMR Model is a guideline for educators to use as they make fundamental changes in their teaching and assessment practices through the use of technology. The higher the level the greater the educational benefit for the student. This central idea is what schools, system leaders and teachers need to remember as they begin to make shifts in their pedagogy.



If schools want to promote the adoption of one of the models there are a few considerations they need to make. To begin, they need to educate their staff members on what SAMR is by providing PD opportunities related to both learning about SAMR and putting its ideas into place.
People fear change. Many teachers fear technological change. So, if schools want their teachers to make the change they need to educate them, give them example and time to practice concepts on their lessons so the fear can replaced with confidence in their lessons and abilities.

At a high school level, the best way (in my opinion) to do this is to introduce the concept of SAMR to department heads first. Then at a staff meeting so that all staff members can get a basic understanding and then within smaller departments, teams should explore the concept further. The smaller groupings allow staff members to be comfortable to have open discussions and ask questions about how SAMR can be applied to them specifically. At these meetings teachers should bring lessons or assessments and walk through the stages of SAMR. As the educators collaborate in course teams within their departments, they can create rich discussions, lessons and assessments that will be more beneficial to the student learning and engagement.


While teachers are practicing putting the SAMR model into practice in this safe space, they should be given guiding questions to ask themselves as they work through the different levels.

• When transitioning into the substitution stage they should ask themselves how to incorporate technology but keep the basic idea/outcome on student learning the same. 
• When considering the augmentation stage they should ask themselves what benefit comes from replacing the previous technology (in the substitution stage) with new technology. If they can answer this, they should move onto the augmentation stage.
• When moving to the modification stage they need to ask themselves how they have modified the lesson and if they have added a technological improvement which could not have been done with the original lesson or assessment. Does this modification depend on the technology being used? If they can answer these questions they are ready to move onto the final stage.
• When reaching the redefinition stage they need to ask themselves what the new task is and if they want to retain any concepts from the original idea. They need to ask how the new task is made uniquely possible because of the technology available. They need to ask what the benefit will be to student engagement and student outcome by approaching the concept in this way.

Finally, administrators within schools need to incorporate the SAMR model by linking it with board initiatives. In our board we focus on the 3 Ms- Mental Health, Math and Modern Learning. SAMR fits in wonderfully with the Modern Learning strand. Administrators could ask teachers to focus on the SAMR model in their Annual Learning Plans, lesson plans and assessments.

Reference Links

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/661408904193769474

http://www.gettingsmart.com/2013/07/using-samr-to-teach-above-the-line/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4J6AfbpbA