Too often, schools bring only tepid energy to the blending of traditional and online learning, Charles Mojkowski says.
That sounds promising, but all of that capability must be matched by a worthy partner. And educators have been far from worthy. To the blend, they add a stale array of timeworn and tepid ingredients:
• A 20th-century school organizational structure;
• A fixation on providing the same learning outcomes for every student;
“Educators are failing to exploit the new and emerging technologies in ways that will give student learning opportunities the jolt they need.”• A focus on external motivational techniques;
• A rigid curricular scope and sequence for all students;
• An asphyxiating and narrow assessment system; and
• A separation of in-school from out-of-school learning.
Creativity is an esential part of the blended learning. It is important to highlight the noncognitive skills that students possess. It also important to acknowledge that not all students learn the same. Competency-based education allows non-traditional learnings to compete with traditional learners.