PPLYING THE SAMR MODEL IN THE ELT

CLASSROOM
FEBRUARY 18, 2018 NIKPEACHEY

This text has been adapted from the chapter on conceptual models in my ebook – Digital Tools
for Teachers – Trainers’ Edtition. It’s one of a number of models presented in the chapter that
can be used to underpin a sound application of technology within education.
SAMR (Substitution – Augmentation – Modification – Redefinition) was introduced by Dr
Ruben Puentedura in 2006. SAMR is a paradigm for understanding how we can integrate
technology into education, though with the proviso that if we want to use technology in a way
that is truly transformative we should be aiming to develop tasks and activities that are more
towards what it describes as the ‘modification’ and ‘redefinition’ parts of the model.
Understanding the paradigm can help us to analyse the way we are using technology and to think
about how we can evolve the way we use it, from the more superficial ‘substitution’ type tasks to
ones that redefine the way students interact with content, each other and the teacher.

Here are the four ways it classifies the application of technology along with an example of how a
task could be developed through the understanding and application of this process.

View as presentation
Substitution – Technology acts as a direct substitute with no functional change. The task
remains the same but a computer is used as part of that task.
E.g. Find a text online to use in place of one of the texts in your course book. Ask your students
to read it and answer comprehension questions.
Augmentation – Technology acts as a direct tool substitute for an analogue activity, but with
functional improvements.
E.g. Find a text online to use in place of one of the texts in your course book. Ask students to use
some digital tools to mark up the text with notes, highlight specific areas to remember and use an
online dictionary to check new vocabulary.

Modification – Technology allows for significant task redesign.

E.g. Find a text online to use in place of one of the texts in your course book. Ask students to use
some digital tools to mark up the text with notes, highlight specific areas to remember and use an
online dictionary to check new vocabulary. Then ask students to share their reflections about the
text on a blog which is shared within a wider educational community. They then comment on
each others’ posts. They later meet together in a virtual live forum to discuss and debate the
content.

Redefinition – Technology allows for the creation of new tasks previously not possible.
E.g. Find a text online to use in place of one of the texts in your course book. Ask students to use
some digital tools to mark up the text with notes, highlight specific areas to remember and use an
online dictionary to check new vocabulary. Students then work collaboratively to research the
background to the text online and create a digital survey about it. They share the survey through
social media. They then collect and analyse the data from the survey and work together online to
create an infographic or video report of their analysis of their survey responses.

Approaching technology with this kind of awareness can certainly have its benefits and SAMR
has definitely attracted quite a following.