Khan Academy (Producer) (2014)helene-onlinejourney.weebly.com/.../blenderize_a_french_program.docx  · Web viewWord of Advice During the implementation year, it will be very important

Blenderize a French program

OLTD 511

Helene Berube

Background Information

In the last year, the French school district revealed its new strategic plan in which the student is placed at the center of the organization. Its mandates are to promote and encourage the personalization of learning and to enhance instructional practice to meet the individual needs of learners; to instigate a long-life learning culture among them; to foster a cultural identity focus on diversity and growth, and to develop healthy habits, social awareness and responsible decision making skills. As this is a French educational institution, all of these priorities are to be intertwined with the mastery of the language and the sense of belonging to the worldwide French culture.

From this strategic plan, I can see Blended Learning (BL) as a good educational model to implement in the school district since it “holds enormous potential to transform our factory-model education system into a student-centered design that captures the benefits of personalization, equity and access, and cost control.” (Horn. Staker. 2012 p. 286) There is also the idea that this model could better prepare the students with the ever-changing technologies of the 21st century which is not really the case at the moment. Although, the school district implanted a one-to-one computer program for all students in grade 4 to 12 six years ago, there were no goals attached to the integration of technology so not much came of it and it is now mostly used for word processing, doing research online, and working on limited pre-approved computer programs. Hudson (2013) states that “Ideally, a school would start with this question: “Given our mission and learning goals, what technologies should we leverage, and when students will need access to these technologies?” This type of thinking correctly positions the blended model as a means to an end—a strategy for accomplishing the school’s educational objectives.” However, this is not what happened, instead, the technology was introduced in the classrooms and became a tool to get tasks done. This is not to say that it is too late to correct the situation and to use the Blended Learning model and existing technology to meet the priorities of the school district strategic plan.

The proposal

The content of this proposal is to outline the goals of the BL approach; how it will be implemented; the effect on the schools e.g. the teachers and the students; how will BL will shape the school culture and the cost of materializing this project.

What is Blended Learning?In order to convince the school board, the administrators of the high schools, the teachers, the students and the parents to adopt this proposal, the first step is to define what BL is. Horn and Staker (2012) describe blended learning as “a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path and/ or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and mortar location away from home” (p. 34). This definition does not really explain how BL will assist in meeting the mandates of the district’s strategic plan, but knowing that this model “offers enormous potential to personalize learning for each student’s distinct learning needs and to free up student and teacher time to focus on

many of the activities that are critical to student success” (Horn & Staker. 2012. p.282) definitely clarifies its effects on anyone involved in the classroom. As we are preparing the students for work, life and to be participating citizen in the 21st century, we, as governing and teaching bodies, need to align our teaching pedagogies to meet the students’ needs in more innovative manners.

“Students are no longer interested in getting information from books or being dictated by a teacher in a classroom. The freedom of access is in their hands. Therefore, they can be more engaged in learning when these devices are used. According to Dimitris Kaplanis, by using blended learning, the learner is more engaged in using a variety of content types. (Kaplanis, 2013) The variety of methods can present students with endless sources of learning. Learners also learn in different ways. In catering for individuals in a diverse classroom, the teacher needs to allocate the limited time given to accomplish effective teaching that would reach the maximum number of students. Blended learning is a way that time can be utilized better.”(Elley. 2015)

The Goals and the Focus

Implementing such a non-traditional educational model requires specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related (SMART) goals in order to determine how it will be set up, what will be needed, what effect it will have on the students’ education and what needs to be changed to improve it. All of this will play a role in the success of the proposal. Hudson (2013) writes that:

“different communities have different resources, classrooms, computers, schedules, and many other unique needs. However, there is a single right approach to ensuring student learning: planning backwards from desired outcomes. A school can’t choose software, build a schedule, or write assessments and design lessons without first defining what students should understand and be able to do.”

So, beginning with the school district’s strategic plan, the fact that the new curriculum is available for the grade eight and nine at the high school level, and that as a Français Langue (FRAL) specialist teacher, this proposal will cater to all the grade 8 and 9 FRAL students in the district. Since it is a small educational organization providing services around the province, the student population is as diverse as their living environments and their social economic backgrounds which can create complexity in teaching in a traditional face-to-face (f2f) model, but for which BL could help to meet the individualized students’ needs. The fact that the schools are located in different location in the province will require some specific settings that will be elaborated further along.

The two core goals in implementing BL in the grade 8 and 9 FRAL première courses are: 1- Increase students’ success and to instigate a long-life learning lifestyle by personalizing their

experience in the classroom.2- Increase the skills for using 21st century tools to better prepare the students for ever-changing,

increasingly complex, life and work environments.

The Planning

“Successful blended-learning models depend not just on purchasing the right technologies, but also on how well schools and teachers integrate those technologies into an effective blended-learning model. School culture, professional development, classroom processes, and teacher expertise all play important roles that can make or break the success of a blended-learning program.” (Arnett. 2016)

The Team

After having actualized the goals, it is imperative to gather the right people to conceptualize the implementation of what can be seen as a disruptive learning model such as a blended one. A heavyweight team will be required to design, organize and prepare the implementation of blended learning in grade 8 and 9 Français Langue in the school district. The participating members of the team will be: the superintendent, principals of the participating high schools, volunteer teachers interested in adopting this teaching and learning model, special education teachers, the IT department, students and an implementation project manager. All of them will work together to plan, design, organize the technology and the content, and to implement the BL program in the district with the goals to increase students’ success and skills in using 21st century tools.

As it is a major undertaking for teachers to adopt a BL model, it is necessary that it first be on a voluntary basis.

“Educators need to see blended-learning programs not as one-and-done interventions, but as a quest for continuous improvement. That quest starts with defining the specific, measurable outcomes they want to achieve through blended learning. Educators then need to adopt processes—such as discovery-driven innovation—for testing, iterating, and refining their blended-learning models in low-cost, low-stakes ways before taking them to scale across a school or district.” (Arnett. 2016)

The duties of the implementation manager are as follows: “customized professional development, support to blended learning teachers at each school, and ongoing communication with all involved administrators and teachers as well as at the school board level.” (Darrow. Friend. & Powell.

(October, 2013) Basically, the manager is the one who keeps the design of the project and its content progressing, as well as its operation after the implementation. Part of his/her duties will be to keep all parties informed and connected together.

The Professional Development (PD) and operations

Mekhitarian (September, 2016) explains why it is important for teachers to receive professional development prior to implementing a BL program:

“Although 80 percent of the 32 teachers and administrators who participated in the study said that best practices for teaching used in traditional classrooms applied to blended-learning classrooms, a full 90 percent added that effective implementation of blended learning required additional skillsets beyond the traditional classroom model. Furthermore, 80 percent of participants said that they would benefit from additional blended-learning training to develop instructional approaches that facilitate conceptual understanding and application. These numbers clearly highlight the need for traditional professional development to undergo a disruptive makeover in order to be truly effective for educators utilizing blended learning.”

Teaching in a blended environment requires a different approach and philosophy. Teachers need to change from being a lecturer for an entire class to becoming a provider of differentiated and individualized learning for each of the students.

According to Mekhitarian, four tips need to be followed in order to provide effective professional development to teachers who want to implement BL in their classrooms. First, allow teachers to experience blended learning as a learner. Second, encourage peer observations in blended-learning classrooms. Third, offer technology implementation training, including lessons on educational software utilization, troubleshooting, and student data analysis and finally, teach classroom management strategies specific to a blended-learning classroom. (Sept. 2016)

These tips advise that teachers should have the chance to experience for themselves how BL is delivered, and how it affects the learning.

PD before the implementation

In preparation for the implementation of the BL program in the schools, the project manager will provide training to the teachers with online learning, online meeting, f2f interactive activities and collaboration and some half days as an observant in a BL classroom. The online component will allow flexibility to the teachers to learn about BL and its guiding principles as well as planning and organizational outlines. Since most of the teachers interested in adopting BL in their classrooms live remotely from each other, online meetings will be organized to discuss, reflect and share their learning. However, there will also be several days organized for the teachers to meet f2f to do some role-play activities and to work independently and collaboratively with the support of the project manager to prepare sections of the blended FRAL course. Furthermore, although we live in a world of technology, it does not mean that teachers have the knowledge of using it optimally in the classroom. It is very important for the success of the BL implementation that this delivery model offers easy lesson transitions, minimal student frustration and effective planning. Learning about technological tools should be intertwined throughout the professional development and not the main purpose of it.

PD Schedule before the implementation

December January February April May JuneOnline learning

Webinar + online meeting to discuss the online learning(1/2 day)

F2f meeting (2days)

Observation session(1/2 day)Online meeting(1/2 day)

F2f meeting (2days)

Online meeting(Wrapping up)(1/2 day)

Online forum Online forum Online forum

Online forum Online forum

PD during the implementation

For the first year of teaching in a BL environment, the project manager will provide ongoing coaching and customized one-on-one professional development to each teacher. This could be delivered either by phone, online webinar, in-person demonstration lesson, or face-to-face meeting. A collaborative forum will be set up for teachers to ask questions, share ideas and reflect on their experience teaching BL in a classroom. Couros (2015) states that “we must build and strengthen relationships with (and between) our educators so that every individual sees him or herself as an integral part of a larger whole.” This BL program will provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate with other FRAL teachers in the district to create a learning community.

The Blended Learning Model

There are several types of BL models and each one can also vary with itself. However, from my knowledge of teaching FRAL courses, I think that the station rotation one will best fit the needs of the students and the type of content.

Here is a video from Khan Academy explaining how the station rotation model works which also provides the following definition

:Example of a station rotation model

Some of the advantages of this BL model are: “Allows teachers to work with smaller groups of students. Can help ameliorate the problem of

high student-teacher ratios. Some schools have implemented a Station-Rotation model to deal with large class sizes.

Facilitates the use of project-based learning as a station to complement the online-learning station.” (Sarria. & Carrandi Molina. (2012 ).

The physical setting of the classroom will be set as shown below:

As the schools run on a linear schedule, the students have three FRAL classes of 60 minutes a week. In order to allow a full rotation of the four stations, a calendar is made for two weeks of six classes which repeats itself throughout the year. Each class is divided in two 30 minutes periods and small groups of students rotate between the stations half way through the class time. Every three days, the students are required to set some goals for themselves on what they plan to accomplish during the next three days. These goals are submitted to the teacher, who will check with the students from time to time to make sure that everyone is on track to submit all required work on time for the due date.

Each FRAL course covers 5 different literary forms. Within each, students will produce a series of written and oral assignments to insert in their portfolio. The written final product and at least two oral assignments of each 5 different literary forms will be peer-edited by at least two students.

The first day of learning a new literary form, all students will be working online as it is where they will learn the fundaments of the section. After that, the students will follow the calendar as laid out below.

The online portion of the course will also teach grammar and writing skills and contain adaptive practice exercises necessary in preparation to the completion of the other assignments of the course. Although, the individual and group work as well as the collaborative projects will also be done electronically and submitted on Moodle, this portion of the course counts as being done f2f in the BL

model. Assignments from both sections, i.e. online and f2f, will be intertwined to provide an integrated learning experience for the students.

The calendar looks as follow:

Station 1 2 3 4 5 61 Online (O) SI SGW SI O Current

events2 Small

Instruction (SI)

O CP SGW SI Catching up

3 Small Group Work (SGW)

SI O CP SGW Current events

4 Collaboarative Project (CP)

SGW SI O CP Catching up

The sixth day in the calendar focusses on discussions about current events and time to catch up. Furthermore, as we get closer to the portfolio’s due date, the students will have more freedom to go from one station to another to allow them to make sure that all is completed.

Each FRAL course covers 5 different literary forms. Within each, students will produce a series of written and oral assignments to insert in their portfolio. The written final product and at least two oral assignments of each 5 different literary forms will be peer-edited by at least two students.

Descriptions of the four stations:

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4Online Small group

instructionSmall group work Collaborative project

Acquiring the knowledge on literary elements and grammar needed to complete the section of the course

Teacher providing instruction to individual students or small group as needed.

Work independently or in small group on assignments or to peer edit each other’s work

Written and oral group project using multimedia tools to demonstrate the learning

Information found ( Darrow. Friend. & Powell. October, 2013 p.36)

Catlin Tucker’s videos on station rotation model in action really represent what the grade 8 and 9 FRAL première courses would look like.

Approval of the BL project

There are several steps to follow before this project can be offered to the FRAL students. First, the proposal will be presented to the school board and if accepted, it will, then, be introduced to each school’s “Comités des Partenaires”. If the project receives their blessing, it will be introduced to the

school district’s trustees for final approval. Then, the implementation of the BL program in the school district will follow a set schedule to be ready for the following school year.

The Implementation Timeline

October November December and onIdentification of the FRAL teacher who will participate in the BL program

Determine the content to be needed either to be purchased or build

Inventory of technological tools available

Create the heavyweight team Determine the criteria used to select the content being purchased or build

Build or acquire content

Monthly meeting to assess the content being build

Implementation

September

November

January

March

May

M O N I T O R S T U D E N T A C H I E V E M E N THost parent and student orientation

P R O V I D E P D T O T E A C H E R

M O N T H L Y M T G F O R T H E T E A MR E V I E W & M A I N T A I N T E C H N O L O G YInformation based on timeline found (Darrow. Friend. & Powell. 2013)

So, what will this different delivery model provide to the students? Students have different learning needs which are very difficult to meet in a traditional classroom. However, the station rotation BL model provides a variety of ways for the students to learn the material and demonstrate understanding. The teacher is also more available to provide one-on-one or in small group instructions. However, the main benefit is that students control the pace and the path of their learning which is one of the characteristics of BL. If they need to spend more time on one activity, they can do so. Although, they are moving from one station to the other, they still have the flexibility to work on what they need. Studying in a BL program allows the students to engage with their own learning and to decide how they will acquire and demonstrate their understanding and knowledge.

In order to teach in a BL program, a shift is required in the teacher’s methodology. According to Elley, “the focus of the teacher during class can be more on active learning activities, while background and foundational content can be provided online.” (Elley. November, 2015. p.137) This mean that they are spending less time on presenting material and more on providing personalized learning to each student. They are still teaching but it is more in smaller increments and to a smaller audience. Teachers at Olympus Academy “report that there is more time to interact with students”. (Darrow. Friend. & Powell. 2013) However, there is one important factor that needs to be taken into account before a teacher decides to adopt a BL model for his/her class. This type of delivery setting allows for more chaos within the organized framework and noisier environment as well as a feeling of lack of control over the surroundings. These criteria are

not usually familiar to a traditional f2f teacher which could cause some distress after a while. Therefore, it is very important that a teacher assesses his/her own comfort zone before embarking in teaching in a BL environment.

Required Supply and Cost

As the school district has already deployed a one-on-one computer policy a few years back, every grade 8 and 9 students have access to their own laptops which are stored in a charging cow at the end of each class. The computers follow the students from class to class as they are needed. Therefore, the teacher would have to make sure that the appropriate charging cow is in the FRAL classroom. (No Cost) The schools are already wired for Wi-Fi and the bandwidth is sufficient to support several classes at one given time. (No Cost) The BL program would be delivered in the same existing classroom used at the present time. (No Cost) The furniture would change from small student desk to either round or rectangular small tables (Cost= 10 x $250= $2,500). Moodle would be the LMS used to deliver the online content as the school district already operates it for its virtual school. (No Cost) The content would be one of the most costly items in implementing a BL program at the district level. As the course is delivered in French, the choice of programs are more limited compared to what is available in English. This means that a large portion of it would have to be built within the district. As I have developed my own online FRAL course content, I know that it takes time especially if we want it to be interactive and adaptive. I estimate that it would take four to six months for an e-learning developer to design, create the content and upload it on Moodle. (Cost= $20 000) The cost to purchase subscriptions or existing software that would fit within the pre-determined selecting criteria is estimated to reach a maximum of $3,000. One of the most costly expenses would be the cost of the release time for all members of the team to attend meetings and professional development for the two years of implementation. (Cost: $20,000) Finally, there is the salary of the project manager, who sits at the heart of the implementation of the BL program in the district. This position would be active for the two years of the project. (Cost= 2 x $85 000)

Expenses:

Tables: $2500

Content building: $20 000

Subscriptions and purchase of software: $3,000

Salary for the release time for the PD and meetings: $20,000

Implementation project manager: $170,000

The entire process of implementing a BL program in the school district will assist in achieving the mandates of its strategic plan which offer personalized learning and instigate life-long learning culture while developing 21st century technological skills. However, it will be imperative to first shape and maintain a positive culture within the BL classroom but also within the school and the school district. Horn and Staker (2012) define culture as:

“a way of working together toward common goals that have been followed so frequently and so successfully that people don’t even think about trying to do things another way. If a culture has formed, people will autonomously do what they need to do to be successful.” (p. 250)

Basically, the culture acts as the inspiration to carry on with the required effort to achieve a collective task. It can either provide stamina and momentum to a group of individual or deplete all their enthusiasm and interests necessary to achieve previously outlined goals. So, the culture can either nurture or impair the success of a project. In order for the implementation to have a positive impact on the participants and the recipients, the students, the culture will have to be vibrant and positive. One of the tasks of the project manager will be to help create the culture and to nurture it.

In this program, there will be several initiatives to create a positive culture among the teaching staff. First, the fact that the teaching staff participating in the program is decided on a volunteer basis allows each individual to choose if this pedagogical switch is of interest to them or not. Having an option creates a positive tone within the team. To have dedicated time to learn about the BL model, share ideas, questions, tools and concerns with other professionals will be beneficial. Most teachers would love to do that but it is rarely possible while teaching classes and fulfilling all other extra duties. There is also the benefit for the participating teachers to collaborate and develop a learning community among themselves. Furthermore, the coaching, nurturing and sharing of information provided by the project manager will also be beneficial to creating a positive culture.

Initiatives for teachers: Check that all students are registered in the Moodle and all other software programs used in

the course. Make sure that the charging cow is in the classroom at the beginning of the class. Outline the steps for the transition and instruct the students how to proceed. Provide feedback on a regular basis to the student throughout the study of each literary form. Check the progress of each student every couple of days to make sure they are on core for

completing all required work in time for the due date. Participate to the forum set by the implementation project manager and require assistance

when needed.

From this point on, if there is a positive culture among the staff surrounding the BL program, it will create some positive initiatives for the students. Compared to a traditional delivery model, BL will give the chance to the students to decide the path and the pace of their learning which will give them a feeling of control. There will also be increase in the trust and collaboration between the students and the teacher to provide more individualized learning for each one of them. Experiencing success will also have a positive aspect on the program’s culture and each participating individuals. Furthermore, this BL program will also provide the opportunity for students from one school to interact and collaborate with students from other French schools in the province which will create a stronger French community among the school district as well as a deeper sense of belonging in the French culture. Initiatives for students:

Set attainable personal goals every three days. This will help to make sure that everything is done on time.

Follow the transitions steps, learn about the software used in the course, and always try to problem solve before asking for help.

Always request individual instruction from the teacher or participate in small group teaching when needed to assure personal success.

Adapt the learning to help pursue personal interests. Assist other students when needed to be an active partner in the learning community. Socialize with students from other schools within the province as often as possible.

Word of AdviceDuring the implementation year, it will be very important to remember that “Perfection should not be expected the first time around, so changes and tweaks should be anticipated. Make sure everyone knows that improvements will be made over time. But don’t make modifications too quickly, because effective change doesn’t happen overnight. Give your strategy time to work. And, as always, keep student learning and growth at the center of your blended learning decisions.” (Hudson. 2013)

. Conclusion:

I hope that you will appreciate this comprehensive package proposal for implementing a BL program in the grade 8 and 9 FRAl courses throughout the entire school district. As previously mentioned, this delivery model will assist this educational identity to achieve the goals outlined in its strategic plan.

Every one of the section of this proposal are important to ensure its success but also to provide a positive learning experience for all students.

References:

Arnett, T. (December, 2016) Will blended learning fulfill its disruptive potential? Retrieved December 10, 2016 from http://www.blendedlearning.org/will-blended-learning-fulfill-its-disruptive-potential/

Darrow, R. Friend, B. Powell, A. (October, 2013) A roadmap for implementation of blended learning at the school level  A case Study of the iLearnNYC lab schools. Retrieved December 10, 2016 from http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/a-roadmap-for-implementation.pdf

Elley, R. A. Z. (November, 2015). Using the blended learning method in a literature classroom: a case study on teaching sonnets. Retrieved December 9, 2016 from http://www.kuis.edu.my/icomm/2nd/download/IC%20010.pdf

Horn, N. B., Staker, H. (2015) Blended: using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass. A Wiley Brand. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/viu/reader.action?docID=10955318

Hudson, T. (June, 2013) How to implement a station rotation blended learning model. Dreambox Learning. Retrieved December 9, 2016 from http://www.dreambox.com/blog/thoughts-implementing-blended-learning-model

Khan Academy (Producer) (2014) The station rotation model. Retrieved December 10 from https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/ssf-cci/sscc-intro-blended-learning/sscc-blended-learning-models/v/sscc-blended-station Mekhitarian, S. (September 15, 2016). 4 Tips for developing effective professional development for blended learning. Retrieved December 11, 2016) from http://www.blendedlearning.org/4-tips-for-developing-effective-professional-development-for-blended-learning/

Sarria, A. Carrandi Molina, E. (2012 ). An innovation sensation: shifting charter schools from traditional to blended learning models. Broward College. Retrieved December 11, 2016 from http://www.charterschoolconference.com/2013/handouts/Carrandi_Blended_Learning_Model.pdf