A transition to Open Educational Resources (OER) represents a commitment to increased equity, increased personalization, and increased rigor and relevance. However, the transition to OER requires attention to myriad factors. One of the primary opportunities that schools and districts should consider is developing teacher capacity and teacher teams to curate and customize curricula. Oftentimes, teachers are already doing this work. On a practical level, teachers are designing new lessons and materials from scratch, building whole units that appeal to student interest and keep lessons relevant and engaging, and they are finding ways to remix open materials to modify and accommodate student learning needs. Creating more time and space for teachers to do this work would benefit student learning and build instructional and pedagogical muscles for teachers. As an added benefit, this intensive teacher work in curriculum-building re-engages teachers in their work and empowers them as the leaders that they are.
TLA has compiled some resources that support school and system leaders with developing teachers to effectively implement OER. These resources provide practical guidance and offer insight into the critical components of teacher development that, when fully considered, will aid in a smoother transition to OER.
- OER Educator Competencies
- Tools to Modify OER and Maintain Rigor
- OER Alignment and Vetting
- Student Centered Course Design Process
Check out our other OER resources to support your classroom, school, or system transition to open curriculum.
A Final Note on Open Education Week
This week, March 2-6, was international Open Education Week. TLA partnered with Open Education Week to feature stories and resources on the OEW website for schools and systems to use in their transition to OER. In doing so, we have reignited conversations with leaders around the country about the benefits of OER and celebrated the progress of districts on this journey. We also hope that this week has inspired even more leaders to gather information and insight about transitioning to OER. We hope you join in the conversation with us online. Find us on Twitter at @LearningAccel and @100percentjones, and use the hashtags #GoOpen and #OER when sharing your thoughts and resources.
Happy Open Education Week 2020!
View the first post in our OER blog series: Open Educational Resources: An Urgent Priority
