The Pursuit of Clarity: An Instructional Model of Learning

In fall of 2019 our Director of Curriculum and Instruction attended a statewide training with other curriculum directors across the state of Arkansas. In this session, the curriculum directors across the state were asked, "What is your Instructional Model?" It was at that time our Director of Curriculum and Instruction reached out to our C&I team and Design and Development team and asked, "What is our Instructional Model?" We didn't have a clear answer. We had practices, beliefs, procedures, and QM/NSQ standards. We didn't have a clear way this tied together and how it related to our learners. After much searching for an online model, we found there was not a true model that fit our organization. With research, collaborative work, and many iterations were born the Virtual Arkansas Instructional Model for Learning. We presented this to our teachers in January of 2020 and has become the guidepost for professional learning, teacher ownership of instruction/learning, a movement toward more empowered student-led learning, and a way to clearly embed NSQ/QM standards into our daily instructional practices. Brene' Brown states, "To be clear is to be kind." By having a clear instructional model we provide a clear and kind guide for teachers where they can engage with students positively, proactively, and with possibility.