Monday, May 9, 2011

Mastery, Learning Objectives and Blended Learning

At my school this year we have unofficially adopted the motto: "Not all students will learn in the same way or on the same day".  I think this is true and with the recent focus on student success and credit accumulation I think that institutionally we have come to understand this.  However, we have not made any significant changes to support this.  Students still have to be in class for a specified number of days and they still have to learn a specified number of learning objectives.

This means that a student who has difficulties still has to grasp the concepts within a prescribe period of time, even though we are insisting that not everyone learns at the same rate.  The flip side to that coin is that a strong student must still move along at the same pace as the other students who may need more time to grasp the same concepts.  So while we recognize that students learn at different rates, we have made no significant changes to support this.

If we were to make the necessary changes to support this what would they be?  I think that part of it has to be the notion of mastery.  The curriculum is currently divided into strands with both overall and specific learning expectations.  This organization lends itself to the notion of mastery.  To have learned something you need to show more than simply remembering the facts, you need to show that you understand or have 'mastered' the information.  The students need to absorb the information, and then apply levels of higher order thinking.  The next step is to demonstrate their 'mastery'.

So, what does this process look like in a classroom?  We need to remember that we are talking about a digitized classroom with universal access to mobile devices.  I think that learning objectives need to be listed and made evident and clear to the students.  As teachers we need to find ways of getting some of the info (key concepts) to the students.  This can be achieved through video tutorials, podcasts, notes, Keynote or Powerpoint presentations, teacher created websites, Prezis, etc...  

We also need to have students find their own information.  Let's remember that we are trying to get the students to think critically, not only about the information we provide them, but about the mass of information available on the internet.  Our main function as educators should shift from being the 'sage on the stage' to being a guide towards understanding.  As such we need to lead the students towards understanding.  Part of this can be accomplished through Differentiated Instruction.  When given choices students often respond with interest.

The accumulation of credits will proceed at different rates for different students.  Classes will become much more 'fluid' in their makeup.  Students will move from one group to the next as they demonstrate the appropriate levels of mastery.  Much like swimming lessons, once you have demonstrated that you 'know' the required learning objectives you move on to the next, higher level.  

We are already starting to see a similar model in Blended Learning.  This is a class that combines students being in the classroom with students who are online.  This model is starting to be used more widely in my board in order to deal with declining enrolment.  It allows for students to take credits that may not be offered at their school because of low numbers.  It also allows the 'host' school, for the credit, to run the course despite low numbers.  Within the model I am proposing students would be placed according to their 'mastery level' and work with students of a similar level.  This model is not age dependant.  You could potentially have a student in grade 9 working on their grade 11 math by the end of the year, while still completing their grade 9 french.

In my next post I'll explore the role of the teacher and the student.

No comments:

Post a Comment