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| Orefield Middle School teacher Jackie Hege leads instruction in a blended learning math class. Photo: Allentown Morning Call |
Parkland's Blended Learning Program, implemented last fall primarily
in high school math classes, has kept students engaged and motivated to
keep pace with their peers in the classroom, administrators say.
The
program was launched with 13 teachers, seven at Parkland High School.
The teachers volunteered to create new lesson plans and scrap
traditional classroom techniques in favor of a concept embracing 21st
century learning, according to Assistant to the Superintendent for
Operations Tracy E. Smith.
"They started from scratch," Smith said
during a recent presentation to the school board that included video
shot in the classrooms.
Implemented with the aid of Kutztown-based
consultant Dellicker Strategies, teachers divided 800 students into
rotating groups that split their time between one-on-one instruction,
independent computer study and collaborative groups where they are
exposed to dialogue and team building with their peers.
Students
have no time to linger and daydream in these classes — they are
circulated in 10-minute rotations from one activity to the next.
Parkland
High math teacher Kate Robbins said she was initially concerned about
the pacing of the pilot instruction, but was put at ease after seeing it
play out in her classroom.
"I am confident that students have a stronger mastery of the material and are more fully engaged," she said.
Lisa
Pany, whose sixth-graders at Springhouse Middle School also are
participating, said the format simulates environments they will be
exposed to when they leave the classroom and enter the working world.
"It's like real life — students get a daily agenda that tells them what they need to get done," she said.
Source: Allentown Morning Call
