The more complete definition of blended learning from Khan Academy is a "formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path and/or pace; at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience." High quality blended learning contains four elements: personalized, mastery-based, high expectations and student ownership. It appears that students are put on the spot with their education and are expected to run with it. An important factor for the students is that they make connections with what they are learning. When I was in elementary school through high school, there were always concepts that students asked, "why do we have to learn this stuff?" With blended learning, students are responsible for finding out the answer to that question. Teachers will guide students, but not give them answers. This is how students take ownership of their education.
There are four models of blended learning I learned through research. They are:
A. Flipped Classroom which is the basic beginner's model. This is where there is a shift in instruction from teacher-led to online learning. Once students use their own time at their own pace of learning, they go back to the classroom to dive into the subject further.
B. Station Rotation is the idea where students rotate from a teacher-led class to a collaborative activity with peers to individual online learning.
C. Lab Rotation is where students move from traditional classes to computer lab for personalized pace.
D. Flex is where students are not constrained. They move to various places (classes, computer lab, collaboration with peers) as needed. At first students take a mastery quiz. If they pass, they can take a test to prove mastery, then move on. If they need to visit the topic, they do a learning program until mastery has been achieved.
A key to a successful blended learning program is the planning. Teachers must collaborate on many levels in order to maximize the learning opportunities in their blended learning classrooms. This means that teachers meet with other teachers in their schools in the same or next grade levels to make sure students are meeting (and exceeding) curriculum needs. Teachers are also responsible for school-level and district level meetings, as well as meetings with teachers from other districts. It is like the public service announcement, "the more you know."
Since blended learning is basically individualized, teachers do not know what they are doing until the night before. Some teachers use Google Docs to keep a running list of lessons so if they need to come back to a certain lesson (or part of a lesson), it is instantly available. Teachers in this sense need to be flexible and adaptable.
A teacher's role in a blended learning classroom is no longer to teach, or lead a class. The new role is academic coach or mentor because there are sources of information on the internet where students can find answers and other information. Teachers no longer have to stand in front of a classroom and lecture. Learning becomes a shared process between the teachers and students.
The environment in a blended classroom is another key to success. The teacher needs to basically set the climate. The following is a sample arrangement of a classroom:
A. The room is broken down into various areas where students can study
1. Beach - beach chairs and blankets with a palm tree overlooking the area
2. Window - students can face the windows for a view of nature
3. Table - traditional and a place for students to collaborate
B. General daily timing plan (as shared by a blended learning teacher):
1. Transition music while students get settled for class
2. Classcraft event - software program where students can build the classroom culture
3. Individual or collaborative work
4. Transition music to shut down their technology and get packed up
5. Shout outs - positive daily recognitions and announcements.
C. Grading
1. Eliminate deadlines
2. Project or problem-based lessons
3. Competency grading system (vs.traditional A - F grades) where students earn mastery grades after lessons have been accomplished.
MY THOUGHTS
I have been out of the classroom for five years and in technology time, that is eons. I appreciated the amount of technology streaming into my classroom at that time. Concepts I presented were created in a power point, reinforced the concepts through worksheets and programs such as Brainpop, YouTube videos, Smartboard activities, etc. Blended learning basically takes what I did five years ago a few steps ahead by giving the students more power to their own learning and phases out the long, teacher-driven classrooms.
There are still concerns I have, but I think that if I saw a blended classroom up close and personal, my mindset may change. Please note that I am not opposed to blended learning, but I have the following concerns and questions:
1. With students being on different levels and potentially different lessons, I am confused as to what type of teaching happens when students are together in a formal classroom setting. Are students who are at similar levels of study gathered with the teacher for a lesson while other students continue with their individual and collaborative work?
2. With the flexibility of blended learning, do students tend to want to stick with friends as they rotate to different stations versus moving as they need according to their studies? In other words, what is the climate of behavioral issues since incorporating blended learning?
3. As I was watching some of the videos pertaining to blended learning, there were some technical difficulties. Even though technology has improved and is improving greatly, technical issues still happen. I am guessing that teachers always have the "rainy day" backup plan to accommodate times like that.
4. The last couple years I taught middle school math, my colleagues and I did curriculum mapping and created accompanying assessments. This did not allow much time for creativity in the classroom on the teacher's part. Fortunately it seems that there is more creativity in blended learning for both the teachers and students. I wonder, however, if curriculum mapping and assessment creation is still something done by teachers in blended learning. If so, what is the format?
5. The amount of information available to people is very overwhelming. I imagine that teachers need to narrow the options for students during their studies.
USEFUL WEBSITES ABOUT BLENDED LEARNING
http://education.ky.gov/school/diglrn/Documents/A1BL%20Blended%20Learning%20Math%20Resources.pdf (list of great online math resources)
USEFUL INTERACTIVE WEBSITES AND PROGRAMS FOR BLENDED LEARNING CLASSROOMS
Khan Academy (math)
Educreation
Padlet (group conversation)
Stepping Stones
iReady (can be adjusted by teacher)
Dreambox (math)
Classcraft (online gaming software)
Haiku (learning managment site)
No comments:
Post a Comment