Dear Mrs. Brown,
Classrooms are changing quickly! Our methods must grow and change to meet the demands of student’s needs. Students do not learn in the same ways to which many of us have become accustomed. Student’s lives are more digital than ever. The idea that students simply “sit and get” a lesson and ultimately master content is outdated and false. Students need more ownership in their own learning. Students need to become more independent. Allowing the ownership of learning and the skills to be independent will lead to students that are critical thinkers and innovators.
The question becomes, how do we reach every student on every level with every concept. Some might say that it is unrealistic. I disagree. If we transition from a teacher-led classroom to a student-led classroom with a facilitator, we can reach all students on their individual levels and meet individual needs in ways that we have only imagined. But, what does that look like in the 21st Century classroom? How can we provide instruction to multiple levels with the time constraints as they are? To answer this question, I would like to draw attention to what happens after the 5th-grade math or reading STAAR test. In 5th grade, any student that does not “pass” will have to retest about a month later. Because the state requires the retest, scores for the first round are reported approximately two weeks after the test. That means that the teachers have about two weeks before the second round of testing.
Our best remediation occurs in the two weeks between when we receive scores and when our students retest. If we have such an increase in success from two weeks of remediation, what is different in that time compared to the previous teaching?
One difference is that we have no new content in those two weeks that has to be introduced and mastered. We, as teachers, are completely available to our kids without the pressure of teaching a new concept. Another difference is that we teach in very small groups focusing on very specific skills and we break them into the smaller components needed. We review and build on past learning. We fill gaps in the foundation.
If we taught that way all the time, could we perhaps increase the number of students that meet expectations on the first round of testing? I propose that if we were to use a blended learning station rotation model, like that illustrated in Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (2014), in the classroom, we could accomplish exactly that. This method of learning allows students to really own their learning and allow students to show us their understanding in unique ways. The stations cover all of the same content without the teacher using valuable class time doing a live lesson introducing a concept and creating a reference in an interactive journal. The teacher could video that lesson prior to class and assign it to students to work through independently. This would allow the student the ability to work through the lesson at the student’s pace by allowing them to pause and rewind during the lesson. Students would also work through other stations that focus on a particular concept but allow for unique proof of understanding through open-ended tasks. In her Ted Talk (2014), Monique Markoff goes so far as to suggest that blended learning could potentially eliminate the need for the intense remediations that we currently provide.
In this model, the teacher is now free to teach more intensely in small groups and really target specific needs. Likewise, the teacher can meet with small groups to extend learning so that the higher level students are never stalled. The teacher is also free to conference with students to help them set goals and plans for meeting those goals. In their book, Horn and Staker (2014) suggest that students will be more engaged and feel more successful when they are able to set weekly goals, develop a plan, and work toward mastery of the goal. The student begins to take ownership of learning and likely will retain more content and be able to apply it in the future.
Students will receive individualized instruction, take ownership of their learning, and be able to show mastery in individual ways with the blended learning model. We already know what works best, so it is time to implement it in the classroom daily to improve the success of our students.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Bloodworth
References
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
TEDx Talks. (2014, May 6). Blended learning and the future of education: Monique Markoff at TEDxIthacaCollege. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb2d8E1dZjY&feature=youtu.be
Jennifer Bloodworth 