BLENDED LEARNING IN SECONDARY PSYCHOLOGY TEACHING:
COURSE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
The Research Question
How can blended learning integration transform learning in a high school elective course?
Students already spend much of their time on the Internet, they socialize online and they learn and exchange information online. As today's students are using technology more than ever to interact and communicate, it becomes a question of how educators are using e-learning strategies to connect information with knowledge in an authentic way. It is argued that while it is impossible to see what the future holds for e-learning, the trend toward integration of technology in education is increasing, but we need to ask ourselves if technological innovation is the key to improving our education system. What we do know is that technology allows students to leverage their online skills and helps to better prepare them for the technological realities of the 21st century. According to the BC Ed plan (2012), "We’ve all got a stake in preparing our young people for success in a changing world. Our challenge is clear. The world has changed and it will continue to change, so the way we educate students needs to continually adapt in a desire to improve student learning" (BC Ed. Plan). The definition of an education system is evolving, and with technology, teachers have the ability to infuse new engagement opportunities into the educational experience for their students. A common way to mediate the pedagogical concerns of the use of technology is a move toward incorporating e-learning components into varied instructional formats. This phenomena is coined blended learning, and in today’s classroom it is being utilized more than ever, but there are very broad interpretations of what constitutes blended learning.
Students already spend much of their time on the Internet, they socialize online and they learn and exchange information online. As today's students are using technology more than ever to interact and communicate, it becomes a question of how educators are using e-learning strategies to connect information with knowledge in an authentic way. It is argued that while it is impossible to see what the future holds for e-learning, the trend toward integration of technology in education is increasing, but we need to ask ourselves if technological innovation is the key to improving our education system. What we do know is that technology allows students to leverage their online skills and helps to better prepare them for the technological realities of the 21st century. According to the BC Ed plan (2012), "We’ve all got a stake in preparing our young people for success in a changing world. Our challenge is clear. The world has changed and it will continue to change, so the way we educate students needs to continually adapt in a desire to improve student learning" (BC Ed. Plan). The definition of an education system is evolving, and with technology, teachers have the ability to infuse new engagement opportunities into the educational experience for their students. A common way to mediate the pedagogical concerns of the use of technology is a move toward incorporating e-learning components into varied instructional formats. This phenomena is coined blended learning, and in today’s classroom it is being utilized more than ever, but there are very broad interpretations of what constitutes blended learning.
What is Blended Learning?
Blended learning has become a buzzword in online learning, and it has grown in popularity in educational settings. The definition for blended learning is an evolving one and is somewhat ambiguous by nature. This ambiguity provides for broad conceptual models for classifying the types of blended approaches that are utilized today. Steve Sorden (2011) shares that the metamorphosis of blended learning must change its focus from “brick and mortar vs. online learning to using more appropriate methods to maximizing learning,” (para. 4) such that “the focus changes from learning space to learning design” (para. 5). Thompson (2012) purposes a general definition which simply states that “a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is replaced by web-based learning" (para 2). In principle, the blended learning approach is one that brings together the best of both face-to-face and online strategies, building from each an innovative and effective learning experience for students.
Blended learning is emerging as a disruptive force in education, such that it is supporting innovation relative to the traditional face-to-face classroom. Gonzales & Vodicka (2012) observe that as a result of the “broad changes in society,” coupled with the transformative and disruptive advances in technology...This is an amazing time to be an educator” (p.10). The disruptive side of “innovation is that which brings about non-traditional changes to improve a system” (p. 8). Educators now have the opportunity to reinvent teaching and learning, primarily through a hybrid of face-to-face and online learning strategies, also known as blended-learning. “Simply put, blended learning is learning facilitated by the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, and applying them in an interactively meaningful learning environment. Think of it like this: mobile learning + eLeaming + classroom learning = blended learning” (p. 8). Combining different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, blended learning offers the possibility for educators to reinvent teaching and learning. “We are immersed in a paradigm shift in learning whereby blended learning has emerged as a flexible, differentiated, up-dated approach to learning” (p. 8).
Blended learning is emerging as a disruptive force in education, such that it is supporting innovation relative to the traditional face-to-face classroom. Gonzales & Vodicka (2012) observe that as a result of the “broad changes in society,” coupled with the transformative and disruptive advances in technology...This is an amazing time to be an educator” (p.10). The disruptive side of “innovation is that which brings about non-traditional changes to improve a system” (p. 8). Educators now have the opportunity to reinvent teaching and learning, primarily through a hybrid of face-to-face and online learning strategies, also known as blended-learning. “Simply put, blended learning is learning facilitated by the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, and applying them in an interactively meaningful learning environment. Think of it like this: mobile learning + eLeaming + classroom learning = blended learning” (p. 8). Combining different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, blended learning offers the possibility for educators to reinvent teaching and learning. “We are immersed in a paradigm shift in learning whereby blended learning has emerged as a flexible, differentiated, up-dated approach to learning” (p. 8).
The ResearcH
Literature Review: Disruptive Innovation: Research
Perspectives and Analysis of Blended Learning Environments for the High School
Classroom
Questions Explored:
Questions Explored:
- What blended learning models exist?
- Blended learning can look different in different situations, but unlike strictly e-learning environments where students are separate from their teacher and peers, blended learning combines the flexibility of online learning with the supportive classroom learning model. Staker and Horn (2012)
- Blended learning requires fundamental consideration of its definition along with conceptual rethinking of the educational experience. Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison (2013) argue that merely adding an online component to a course does not “necessarily meet the threshold of blended learning” (p. 8). There must be a thoughtful contemplation of how we approach the learning activities and experiences, with “organic integration of thoughtfully selected complimentary face to face and online approaches” (p. 8).
- How are teachers’ conceptions of blended learning reflected in their approach to teaching and design for learning?
- Bliu, A., Bachfisher, A., Casey, G., Goodyear, P., (2012) found that it is possible to achieve improvements in the quality of students’ learning experience by challenging teachers’ conceptions of student learning in blended contexts.” Essentially, teachers’ need to have a clear understanding of what blended learning is—one that shifts to a supporting student-focused approach that fosters a more “reflective dimension of student learning with quality learning outcomes,” (p. 255) rather than a “focus on the technicalities and practicalities of blended learning”(p. 255).
- What are the best and effective practices of blended course design?
- McGee and Reis (2012) utilized a qualitative meta-analysis in order to answer their research question: What patterns exist across publicly available documents that articulate best or effective practices in hybrid or blended course design? (p. 10). Their findings suggest that the best and effective practices of “instructional design considers the learner, learning outcomes, the content of what is to be learned, instructional strategies, and the results of instructional interventions (p.15). The pedagogy, or “the strategies used to support knowledge acquisition by the learner - is core to the blended course, and may be the most challenging to design” (p. 13), and while many strategies are seen as beneficial for student engagement, “there is a consistent belief that both varied interactivity and prompt feedback are key to student engagement in blended courses” (p. 13).
- In designing blended learning environments, educators need to consider the social interactions, teaching presence and cognitive presence which essentially provide a sense of community to its members, and how these elements foster learning from a students’ perspective. The concept of presence has emerged as a means to understanding how blended environments can support learning communities. Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison (2013) discuss the Community of Inquiry theoretic framework as a “collaborative and individually constructivist learning experience” (p. 10).
- How do Communities of Inquiry support student learning and their perceptions of learning?
- Voegle found that students connected comfortable self-expression in class and online (social presence) with an environment that motivated them to explore and sustain critical reflection (cognitive presence)” (p.96). In addition, the participants perceived that more interaction and meaningful interaction improve learning. Finally, the researchers focused on pedagogical practices associated with presence. The students’ perceptions of blending “pedagogy were linked with presence that emphasized the pedagogical integration between face to face and online learning” (p. 97), such that they noticed “social connections between peers and instructors were strengthened, and perceptions of worthwhile learning increased”(p. 97).
- How do teachers observe and assess student learning in blended environments?
- The asynchronous and synchronous components of blended learning are vital aspect to knowledge construction and to the transfer of learning as these elements help to establish a sense of community between learners (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004).
The Project
Create and implement an online course to be taught as a blended course in a face to face high school
Psychology 12 Course
Psychology 12 Course
I
References
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Gonzales, L., & Vodicka, D. (2012). BLENDED LEARNING: A disruption that has found its time. Leadership, 42(2), 8-10. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.viu.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&Auth,cookie&db=aph&AN=87052635&site=ehost-live
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McGee, P. & Reis, A. (2012). Blended course design: A synthesis of best practices. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(4). Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/jaln/v16n4/blended-course-design-synthesis-best-practices
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Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Edmonton: Athabasca University Press.
Voegele, J. (2013) Student Perspectives on Blended Learning Through the Lens of Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presence. Blended Learning: Research Perspectives, (pp. 93-103) Volume 2.
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