The learning encapsulated in OLTD 511 has opened my eyes to the challenges and benefits of a blended learning program. Interestingly, I think that the switch from an online program, like the one I teach in, would actually require more disruption than the switch from a mainstream classroom setting. I find it much easier to envision having a group of children work in a station rotation model, for example, than to shake up my DL program and start requiring that the kids (gasp!) attend regularly. I appreciate the opportunity to view many sample classrooms, schools, and programs, and one of my major takeaways personally is that I feel more comfortable incorporating some educational screen time into my children's lives than I did before beginning the course. For the purposes of this blog post, I want to organize the big ideas that I will carry forward with me around quotes from reading and research. If we don't understand the philosophical and educational rationale for blended learning, we won't be able to advocate for it, as we won't be able to build and maintain the support needed to make such innovative changes. Transitioning to a blended environment takes people outside of their comfort zones, and can set off alarm bells around too much screen time or teachers being replaced by computers. The shift to blended learning attempts to address the failure of our existing "factory" educational system to adequately teach all students. Horn and Staker (2015, introduction xxvi) tell us that "if we hope to have all children succeed in school and life, then we need to be able to customize - or personalize - an education for each student's distinct learning needs." As parents we want this for our children, and as professional educators, we want this for our students, but the restrictions of the existing school system might make this task feel overwhelming. This is where blending comes in. This quote unites the notions of job hygiene, leadership, and data aggregation for me. First, the satisfaction and feelings of being appreciated and valued that a teacher achieves in his or her position is crucial - both for the teacher experience, and to the experience that results for the students. This comes from a combination of factors, such as the ability to collaborate and team teach, and the offloading the content delivery to an online system so teachers can focus on critical thinking and developing student relationships. Having the mundane data aggregation completed by machines means that teachers can focus on the human parts of their job, relieve marking overload, and focus on the parts of the job that they love - such as helping engage students and ensure deep learning. Finally, school leadership is critical for supporting teachers in this type of innovation - whether in finding time for professional development, finding money for purchasing technology, or simply sharing in the teacher's excitement and helping move the innovation forward. Support from leadership also creates some of those cultural norms that make teaching smoother, such as showing up for class on time and using time productively. This quote provides such a tangible focus to providing a student-centered experience. I appreciate having some actionable steps I can work with immediately in my design and my classroom. It also helps me see how the culture of inclusion and nerdy fun that I have worked hard to achieve in my class helps my students enjoy their experience. This quote also helps me understand why some students flounder in online classes - without hard deadlines, how are they supposed to see their progress? A visible course trajectory could help solve this problem. People might shy away from the added costs of shifting to blended learning (though of course these can be minimized). They might be wary of a shift in our educational paradigm, as we need to rethink the teacher-centric classroom and age-groupings and work towards helping students become independent and creative learners. We may need to break down walls and spend time learning in modalities that our parents and their parents had never imagined. We may need to blow up the existing reporting procedure and look at whether these help students learn, or only help us justify the expense of a public education system.
However we choose to look at it, the writing is on the wall, and students who continue to learn in old fashioned ways will not develop the digital literacy that they'll need in post secondary and beyond. In conclusion, the notion of shifting to a blended delivery model can be intimidating, not to mention initially expensive, but my firm belief is that it's worth it.
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In my classroom we eat and drink. This is not the norm in the mainstream classroom, where the students are bound by different rules and expectations. Over time, this difference developed into two cultural norms that build community while also encouraging students to concentrate: the Hot Chocolate Club and Elevenses. The Hot Chocolate Club (HCC) was created by students several years ago when they wanted to start their class with something to drink, and decided to pool their money to buy supplies. We already had a kettle and sink, so the HCC was an easy adaptation - especially because it was student directed. Leadership in the classroom, both that of older students and of the teachers, is inclusive in nature, and the HCC founders encouraged other students to join, charging a nominal fee to provide for continued purchase of hot chocolate powder. Later this developed into #MarshmallowMonday and #FestiveFriday, students bought personalized mugs, and really started to engage in a community within our DL classroom. Elevenses, as most fans of The Lord of the Rings know, is that crucial meal between Second Breakfast and Luncheon. For years, the regularly scheduled lunch in the school in which our Flex program resides started really late - at 1pm - and many students who frequented our room found that they were starving well before then. As a snacker myself, I encouraged students to eat when they’re hungry, and to allude to LOTR while they’re doing so (just because nerds are awesome). Although these are both wonderful ways that we have developed community and built a cultural identity within our program, that isn’t why I’m discussing them in terms of cultural norms. The magic - and “the shared paradigm for how to work together to be successful” (Horn & Staker, 2015, p.251) - comes from what happens after the kids have their snack or make a drink. Most of our students have learned that they come into our room, make a snack or a hot chocolate, and then get right down to work. They have a routine that encourages a little self-care before productive learning time. I think they also enjoy the quirky in-jokes and cultural references that mark you as a member of our community, such as knowing about the BVEC HCC or eating Elevenses and Second Breakfast daily. I rarely have students unable to concentrate because they’re hungry as I have granola bars and other snacks around for students who don’t have their own. The cultural expectation is that anyone can have some without the potential embarrassment of being needy or feeling self-conscious. I love this cultural norm because I think sharing nourishment is a fundamental community and culture builder, and I think it breaks down walls between students and teachers and encourages genuine relationships and collaboration. I also love the subtle opportunities to engage in rants about healthy food options and the need for a little indulgence now and again. And the fact grinding coffee by hand and using my aeropress daily fits into this paradigm is a bonus too! References: Horn, M.B. & Staker, H. (2015). Blended : using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Photo: My Precious.... (Yep, another LOTR reference. #nerdalert!)
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Leslie McCurrachEnthusiastic Learner. Avid Gardener. DL Teacher. Archives
March 2018
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