Badging Information

During this course we are piloting three stacks of five badges you can earn by extending your learning and making classroom applications.

What are badges?

Badges (also called micro-credentials) represent a broader movement in education from recognizing seat time as a measure of completion to competency based professional learning. Rather than requiring educators attend a certain number of hours of professional learning experiences, badging requires educators to demonstrate mastery of a certain number of skills.

In a badging eco-system, there are badge issuers, badge earners, and badge consumers. Badge issuers are the organizations designing, evaluating, and awarding the badges. Badge earners are the students, teachers, or leaders doing the work to earn the micro-credential. Badge consumers are those who care about the badges earned and who assign value to them.

Badges must be both portable and stackable. Portability means that the badges are stored in so that outsiders can view the badges and connect the learner to new opportunities. Stackability refers to the ability of badges to be built upon, indicating broader and deeper knowledge in a particular area.

Badging for educators means different things to different groups. At a basic level, however, badges operate by (1) outlining or defining a singular competency or skill, (2) providing avenues for educators to gain information about that competency or skill, (3) requiring educators to submit artifacts demonstrating mastery and implementation of that competency or skill, and (4) awarding badges to physically represent the completion of a micro-credential.

What kinds of badges can I earn in this course?

Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to begin working on three stacks of five badges in the areas of Working Memory, Executive Function, and Motivation (starting in units 2, 3, and 4 respectively).

Please note that this is an optional opportunity for you to extend your learning beyond the course and to make practical applications to your classroom. Should you pursue and receive all of the badges in the stack, you will receive a certificate for 10 hours of professional development, or 1 CEU in North Carolina.

Also take note that you will likely not be able to complete all of these within the six weeks of the course--that’s by design! The course is designed to set you up for success on the first micro-credential and provide you with the knowledge you will need to make the classroom applications in the second, third, fourth, and fifth micro-credentials in the stack. They will continue to be available in the course even after the course is over - so go on and get started with the first step or two and know that you can come back as you’ve completed them later.

What is working memory?

Working memory refers to one’s ability to consume, retain, and then use information. Some people have an innate ability to store vast amounts of information; others need more bite-sized chunks. Too often, difficulties with working memory are misinterpreted as a lack of understanding of the content. Thus, developing and supporting students' working memory is imperative.

You will have the opportunity to learn more about working memory in unit 2.

In the working memory badge stack you will have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate five competencies:

  1. Demonstrate Understanding: Foundations of Practice in Working Memory
    In this badge you will demonstrate the knowledge you’ve learned in the course and apply it to your practice theoretically.
  2. Partner with Students: Empowering Your Learners with Working Memory
    To earn this badge, we suggest you to sit down with a student you think could benefit from understanding how his/her working memory impacts learning. Demonstrate that you have worked to build this student’s understanding of working memory and develop his/her sense of agency as a learner.
  3. Create a Learner Profile: Data-Driven Decision Making
    After partnering with a selected student, use this information and your own classroom data to build a learner profile. Then, using this data as evidence, create a plan for supporting the student and highlight specific strategies.
  4. Try it Tomorrow: Applying Strategies to Support Students’ Working Memory
    To earn this badge, implement the plan you created in part three. Apply strategies to support a student’s working memory, collect evidence to evaluate its effectiveness, and then reflect upon how you might adjust in the future.
  5. Get Connected: Engaging Your Peers
    Share your learning with friends and colleagues in your professional network! This could be in a face-to-face meeting such as a Professional Learning Community or online.

What is executive function?

There are many components to executive function: impulse control, emotional control, planning/prioritizing, flexibility, working memory, self-monitoring, task initiation, and organization. In sum, executive functioning skills are the skills that enable you to take information, make a plan, and follow through with that plan - even in the face of distractions. While all students are born with the capacity to develop strong executive functioning skills, differences of experience or educational opportunities impact how executive function develops. For teachers who work with younger students, this means that it is imperative for them to work with all students to practice and develop executive functioning skills. For teachers of older students, this may mean that they have to explicitly teach and exercise executive functioning skills with students who have a gap in this area.

You will have the opportunity to learn more about executive functioning skills in unit 3.

In the executive function badge stack you will have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate five competencies:

  1. Demonstrate Understanding: Foundations of Practice in Executive Function
    In this badge you will demonstrate the knowledge you’ve learned in the course and apply it to your practice theoretically.
  2. Partner with Students: Empowering Your Learners with Executive Function
    To earn this badge, we suggest you to sit down with a student you think could benefit from understanding how his/her difficulties with executive functioning skills impacts learning. Demonstrate that you have worked to build this student’s understanding of executive function and develop his/her sense of agency as a learner.
  3. Create a Learner Profile: Data-Driven Decision Making
    After partnering with a selected student, use this information and your own classroom data to build a learner profile. Then, using this data as evidence, create a plan for supporting the student and highlight specific strategies.
  4. Try it Tomorrow: Applying Strategies to Support Students’ Executive Functioning Skills
    To earn this badge, implement the plan you created in part three. Apply strategies to support a student’s executive functioning skills collect evidence to evaluate its effectiveness, and then reflect upon how you might adjust in the future.
  5. Get Connected: Engaging Your Peers
    Share your learning with friends and colleagues in your professional network! This could be in a face-to-face meeting such as a Professional Learning Community or online.

What is intrinsic motivation?

The term motivation is derived from the Latin verb movere (to move) and refers to the process in which learners engage in a sustained, goal-directed activity. Not all types of motivation have the same effect on learners’ competence, behaviors and achievement outcomes therefore educators must be able to distinguish between different types of motivation and how they can impact academic achievement. For example, intrinsic motivation refers to engagement in an activity for its own sake. Learners who are intrinsically motivated perform academic tasks because they find them enjoyable. Simply participating in the learning activity is reward enough. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is engendered by factors external to the learner. Learners who are extrinsically motivated work through academic tasks because they believe that it will result in coveted outcomes such as a reward or praise. Many scholars believe that education should strive to foster learners who are intrinsically motivated. However, students will have to perform some tasks they are not intrinsically motivated to do. Thus, a balance of the two is necessary in today’s classrooms.

You will have the opportunity to learn more about motivation in Unit 4!

In the learner motivation badge stack you will have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate five competencies related to intrinsic motivation:

  1. Demonstrate Understanding: Foundations of Practice in Motivation
    In this badge you will demonstrate the knowledge you’ve learned in the course and apply it to your practice theoretically.
  2. Partner with Students: Empowering Your Learners with Intrinsic Motivation
    To earn this badge, we suggest you to sit down with a student you think could benefit from understanding what motivates him/her and how it impacts learning. Demonstrate that you have worked to build this student’s understanding of motivation and develop his/her sense of agency as a learner.
  3. Create a Learner Profile: Data-Driven Decision Making
    After partnering with a selected student, use this information and your own classroom data to build a learner profile. Then, using this data as evidence, create a plan for supporting the student and building intrinsic motivation and highlight specific strategies.
  4. Try it Tomorrow: Applying Strategies to Build Students’ Intrinsic Motivation
    To earn this badge, implement the plan you created in part three. Apply strategies to support a student’s motivation, collect evidence to evaluate its effectiveness, and then reflect upon how you might adjust in the future.
  5. Get Connected: Engaging Your Peers
    Share your learning with friends and colleagues in your professional network! This could be in a face-to-face meeting such as a Professional Learning Community or online.

Last modified: Friday, July 17, 2015, 3:57 PM