I
am completing the first week of a new course on Technology-Based Learning
Environments. As part of the first week’s assignments, we were asked to read Savery
& Duffy’s article on problem based learning as well as to find our own
article on the instructional design of an online/blended environment. As I read
through the other students posts, I found another article that I found
interesting by Dalsgaard & Godsk on transforming traditional lectures into
problem-based learning. With our school district piloting the use of a blended
learning environment in two classes, I found these articles to be beneficial as
I wrap my mind around this learning format. This post is my reflection on each
of these articles.
Savory
& Duffy (2001) are proponents of problem-based blended learning because
they feel that this model allows for constructivist learning to occur. Constructivists
believe that students learn through interactions with their environment to
construct new meaning to questions that they have. As these question arise,
students can collaborate together to find the answers and construct new
meaning. When a problem-based learning (PBL) instructional design is
implemented, it fits right into this theory. As I read through the article, I
reflected back on a class that I was fortunate to observe last school year. One of our Junior English teachers, James
Ivey, had his students participate in a problem-based learning environment for
the final six weeks of the school year. I observed what Savory & Duffy
established as necessities for a problem-based learning environment to be
successful. Students were presented a problem of how to create a lesson plan
for teaching a novel. Students formed small groups and each group selected
their own novel. Students worked together in and out of class to create their
lesson plan. Each group then worked on a presentation to present to district
administrators to pitch their lesson plan. The teacher acted as facilitator of
the project and would give feedback at scheduled checkpoints as well as during
class time. Savory & Duffy concluded that a problem-based learning
environment allows students to take ownership of their own learning. This is
exactly what I observed in Mr. Ivey’s classes.
Francis
& Shannon (2013) also propose that a blended learning environment where
face-to-face learning infused with online components is a best practice teaching
style. However, for this change to take place, pedagogies must shift from the
traditional classroom where the teacher is the owner of all knowledge, to a
classroom where the students take control of their own learning. For this
change to take place, adequate professional development and support must be
established to reduce teacher fears of this change. Additionally, for students
to be successful in a blended learning environment, they must receive authentic
feedback to keep them engaged in their learning. When the teacher facilitates
the learning by continuing to guide students with probing questions and constructive
feedback, student satisfaction increases. I look forward to working with
teachers to begin to transform their classrooms into a blended learning
environment.
In
reading the third article by Dalsgaard & Godsk (2007), I found that their
description of transforming traditional courses to a blended learning
environment was tight in line with the other two articles I read. They also believed
that a blended approach aligns perfectly with the constructivist model where
students create new meaning to questions posed. However, they did propose that
there can be challenges in making this transformation. In a blended
environment, students are presented with a problem with an open-ended solution.
The challenge is to create support materials that allow for open ended
solutions. Another challenge is changing
the roles of the student and the teacher. Even as I observed Mr. Ivey’s
classes, I could see that this is a difficult switch for both parties. Students
are used to the teacher just giving them the answers. Students must be taught
how their role is changed and that they have the opportunity to search for
answers in a way that the teacher may not have thought about. Additionally, the
teacher must accept their new role and continue to lead by asking probing
questions and facilitate by providing constructive feedback. Addressing these
challenges will help produce a successful blended environment where students
take control of their own learning.
References
Dalsgaard, C., & Godsk, M. (2007).
Transforming traditional lectures into problem‐based blended learning: challenges and experiences. Open
Learning, 22(1), 29-42.
Francis, R., & Shannon, S. J. (2013).
Engaging with blended learning to improve students’ learning outcomes. European Journal of Engineering
Education, 38(4),
359-369.
Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (2001).
Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist
framework. CRLT Technical Report No.
16-01.
