In this weeks
class there was a main focus on the concept of blended learning. Before
teachers college I really did not have any idea about what blended learning
was. I obviously figured it was something like mixing two or more styles
together in the classroom but I now think that I have a much better grasp of
what blended learning is, and how to incorporate it into the classroom. My
first encounter with blended learning was the first year courses in the
bachelor of education program at Brock. We were told that we would be partaking
in blended classes, which meant that the first two hours of class were in the
physical classroom, while the last hour of class would be spent online doing
activities on our own. My first understanding of blended learning was just
this, online and in class work used together. However, I have come to learn
that blended learning is much more than simply two hours in class and one hour
online.
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| Blended Learning, 2014 [online Image] http://bit.ly/2ejKO06 |
Pat had us go
through some resources in class this week, and fill out a booklet with information
about blended learning. My personal definition of what blended learning is as
follows, both teacher led, and student led and focused activities; both in
class and online modules in which students are responsible for their own
learning. Blended learning is more than just technology, although technology
can be a major tool used in blended learning. Rather, blended learning is about
the teacher stepping back, and allowing the students to really take control of
their learning on their own, whether it be through inquiry, or technological
applications that the students use individually or group work where the
students have to regulate and govern themselves.
Our online
module this week was focused on the premise of teaching mathematical concepts
rather than memorization of formulas, as well as the importance of intuition in
math, and using visual representations and drawings to help students
understand. I have found these online modules to be very enlightening to me as
Jo Boaler does a great job of explaining these concepts. I particularly liked
the idea of teaching concepts rather than memorization. There are really only a
few basic mathematical concepts that are built upon and added to, as we advance
in our mathematical career. If we are successful in teaching our students to
understand these basic concepts, moving up in their mathematical career will be
easier for them as they have a strong base understanding of the concepts needed
to be applied in advanced math. Understanding these concepts allows students to
have enough knowledge to be able to rely on their mathematical intuition, which
is an extremely useful mathematical skill that we use almost everyday.
Lastly, this
week was the week Peter and I were responsible for leading our peers in our
webinar. We chose to tackle the issue of financial literacy and I think we did
an amazing job. Our main focuses were that times have changed since we were in
school, and there is a much bigger focus on financial literacy. This is due to
the influx of entrepreneurs entering the business sector, as well as the
general population taking more control over their personal finances rather than
just allowing the bank to take care of everything. We also wanted to focus on
fun student centered ways to incorporate Fin. Lit into the classroom (Real
World game I was sent by my T.A), as well as providing students with math that
they will actually use in their everyday life, and that will give them a head
start when they enter the real world in terms of knowing concepts such as
mortgage rates, RRSPs etc. Instead of recapping our whole webinar I will provide
a link to the video below. If you also would like more information regarding
the Real Game, feel free to comment or email me and I would be happy to send
some information along.
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