Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Upgrading Structures

Over the years, technology has improved, more educational resources are available, and more diverse methods/strategies of teaching are being utilized. Throughout all of the changes, the school day and overall educational approach remains the same. Students go to school, sit in a classroom, listen to a teacher, take tests, and are grouped by age and advance by grade level. Technology allows us to change schedules, space, and grouping of students.

To educate the 21st century learner, how can we use current technology and resources to upgrade school program structures?

Everyone learns differently and at their own pace. Schools have started grouping students by ability and not age or grade level. In USA Today (The Associated Press, 2010), Superintendent John Covington described education as "an outdated, industrial, agrarian kind of model that lends itself to still allowing students to progress through school based on the amount of time they sit in a chair rather than whether or not they have truly mastered the competencies and skills." Students transition from grade level to grade level, going through the motions until graduation. Have we as educators prepared our students for a future in the 21st century? Students of all ability levels (honors level with learning assistance students) are in classrooms together. This can potentially hinder the entire learning process. The concept of ability grouping is not new; researcher, Robert E. Slavin examined ability grouping in elementary schools back in 1986. Hollifield (1987) summarized Slavin's findings, indicating ability grouping increases student achievement and allows teachers to perform more individualized instruction. Ability grouping allows students to work at their own pace and achieve goals based on their skill level. Education can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each student facilitating learning and their success in life.

Learning anytime and anywhere allows students to work at their own level and speed. The classroom setting can be adapted and modified to fit the students needs. The classroom may no longer be located in a school building; it may be virtual or at NASA. Dian Schaffhauser (2009) reported that the Council of Chief State School Officers are working towards a virtual learning experience related to space science and mathematics with support from NASA. The internet and computers are now substitutes for books. Posey, Burgess, Eason, Jones (2010) predicted that "50% of learning will continue to be "in person", involving things only available in person and 50% of learning will take place on the Internet, which is a better vehicle for cognitive learning." Virtual classrooms and internet resources such as Edmodo, Twitter, etc. are opening the doors for many students to facilitate their learning and engage them in the learning process. Students are more likely to succeed at something if they are excited and motivated about what they are doing or learning.

3 comments:

  1. "50% of learning will continue to be "in person", involving things only available in person and 50% of learning will take place on the Internet, which is a better vehicle for cognitive learning."
    If this is the case, I wonder who will determine where the 50/50 line is drawn. Will it be up to the teacher? Department? Principal? District?

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  2. I think your blog post shows a good deal of research into altering the structures of school. I like how you linked to various articles and sites. I found the sentence Anthony quoted interesting as well: "50% of learning will continue to be "in person", involving things only available in person and 50% of learning will take place on the Internet, which is a better vehicle for cognitive learning." I was wondering on what basis they feel the internet is a "better vehicle for cognitive learning." Thoughts?

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  3. I think we can get rid of the "will" in that statement. I think learning has always been done both "in person" and in some other format (whether it be from a book or from the internet). Learning has no boundaries.

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