SAMR Model: A Practical Guide for K-12 Classroom Technology Integration

The SAMR Model is a framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration. The letters “SAMR” stand for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model was created to share a common language across disciplines as teachers strive to personalize learning and help students visualize complex concepts. The SAMR Model can be especially powerful during remote and blended learning when integrated classroom technology makes teaching and learning a more seamless experience for educators and students.

Image Modified from Original by Lefflerd’s on Wikimedia Commons

While we often visualize the SAMR model as a ladder or staircase as above, this can be misleading because Substitution (the bottom rung or step) is sometimes the best choice for a particular lesson. This is why it’s better to think of the SAMR model more as a spectrum. On one end, technology is used as a one-to-one replacement for traditional tools, and on the other end, technology enables experiences that were previously impossible without it.

Regardless of how you visualize it, the SAMR framework can be a simple and effective way to assess how you incorporate technology into your instruction.

The SAMR Model Explained (with Examples)

The SAMR model consists of four steps: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. Substitution and Augmentation are considered “Enhancement” steps, while Modification and Redefinition are “Transformation” steps. Think of the difference between seasoning an old family recipe (Enhancement) and creating an entirely new, original dish (Transformation).

Substitution

At this stage, technology is directly substituted for a more traditional teaching tool or method. It is a simple, bare-bones, direct replacement. For example, if you are teaching a government lesson on the Constitution, you might use an electronic or web-based version of the document instead of a hard copy. Students might also answer questions about the Constitution by typing them in Microsoft Word instead of filling out a worksheet with a pencil.

Substitution might also include a student using Flipgrid, Keynote, PowerPoint, Prezi, Slides, or a similar program to present information about an article or amendment to the class.

In this step, ask yourself what students stand to gain by replacing traditional tools with technology. Invariably, some situations will be better served by pen and paper.

Augmentation

The technology is again directly substituted for a traditional tool or method, but with significant enhancements to the student experience. Ask yourself if the technology increases or augments a student’s productivity and potential in some way.

Returning to the Constitution example, a student might use classroom technology to augment a presentation on the 14th Amendment with a video clip of how equal protection under the law was enforced during school desegregation. It could also include interactive links to relevant supreme court decisions, such as Plessy v. Ferguson or Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.

Modification

In this stage, you are beginning to move from enhancement to transformation using the SAMR Model. Instead of replacement or enhancement, this is an actual change to the lesson’s design and its learning outcome. The critical question here is, “does the technology significantly alter the learning task?”

A student presenting research on the 14th Amendment—to continue our example—might create their own unique graphic organizer for the class that not only includes the usual multimedia resources but represents a new product or synthesis of existing material. As another example, a group of students might collaborate in the learning management system (LMS) to propose a modern definition of equal protection under the law and solicit feedback on their proposals from classmates in the discussion section.

Redefinition

The last stage of the SAMR model represents the pinnacle of how integrated classroom technology can transform a student’s experience. In this case, you ask yourself if the technology tools allow educators to redefine a traditional learning task in a way that would not be possible without the tech, creating a novel experience.

For example, after completing their group work and soliciting feedback from classmates (both tasks that could be completed “offline” although arguably not with the same experience as in the modified format), students could use technology to network with students in another state to see how regional differences impact how others think about the Constitution. Taking it a step further, students could interact in real time with citizens in another country to examine key differences in constitutional philosophy and law.

SAMR and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

Many educators use the SAMR model and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK)[1] in tandem to make their technology integration more purposeful. However, it’s a common mistake to conflate the two models and think that deeper technology integration (the M and R in SAMR) leads to higher-order thinking skills or increased rigor defined in Webb’s DOK. This is simply not the case.

So, while it may be helpful to use SAMR and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge to better flesh out your instructional strategy, keep in mind that they were designed for very different purposes.

Putting the SAMR Model into Context

A buzzword that’s been on everyone’s lips several years—even more so since the onset of COVID-19—is “blended learning.” Educators talk about incorporating technology into lessons on a regular basis, but are you doing it in a meaningful way?

Simply substituting an eBook for a textbook or streaming the same lessons over video chat aren’t going to cut it. It’s essential to be purposeful in how you integrate technology into your instruction.

Just don’t fall into that ever-present trap of thinking that Redefinition is the goal or the best approach in all cases. Remember: SAMR is a spectrum. Substitution can be your best option for a particular setting. But if your entire instructional approach consists of digitizing your resources without enhancing them—that textbook to eBook transition—then it may be time to evaluate why you’re using technology in the first place.

Layering technology into antiquated tasks isn’t going to improve the learning experience. But purposefully altering the substance of these tasks to address the skills students need today—and those they’ll need tomorrow—will enhance learning.

[1] https://inservice.ascd.org/what-exactly-is-depth-of-knowledge-hint-its-not-a-wheel/