Running head: LEARNING BEYOND

Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls Terry Gallivan Liberty University EDUC 631 June 24, 2012

LEARNING BEYOND Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls Abstract The 21st century has brought to light the need to assimilate technology beyond the classroom walls. Classrooms are overcrowded causing students to be left behind without the

teacher being able to assist individually or in small group. At-Risk students are simply putting in their time until the day comes when they can drop out of school. Parents are opting to home school for various reasons among which the school environment being at the top of the list. The Hybrid class can promote smaller class sizes allowing the teacher individualize instruction. At-Risk students can learn from the innovation that technology has to offer and, thus, heightening the motivation to learn. Students that have not performed well in the traditional classroom setting would have the opportunity to explore learning from beyond the walls of the classroom. Keywords: hybrid course, technology, At-Risk, ADD / ADHD, traditional class, motivation, multi-diverse instruction, teacher.

LEARNING BEYOND Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls Todays classrooms are integrated with a diverse group of students ranging from the interested learner to those who would prefer to be anywhere but school. No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has mandated classrooms have a multi-diverse setting with little to no exclusion of students present. The student population has changed for the teacher but the classroom setting remains the same. One teacher usually becomes responsible for the students who are lower performing or may have disruptive tendencies in the classroom. This has caused an impact on

the teachers ability to maintain classroom management if the student population has disciplinary issues. As laws, technology and students continue to change so must the teachers role in implementing learning to students with special needs. Distant learning has been available to adult learners for some time but remains a mystery to young learners. The prospects are endless if students receive the opportunity to choose the method and location of learning. In exploring the meaning of distance learning, a position will be to examine the viability of students selecting a hybrid class where distance learning and traditional class settings merge. One definition for distant learning is a formal education process in which the student and instructor are not in the same place. (Parsad & Lewis, 2008, page 1). The traditional class setting is where teacher and students meet to complete the educational learning itinerary. A combination of the online course and the traditional setting class is a hybrid course. It is designed to integrate face-to-face and online activities so that they reinforce, complement, and elaborate one another, instead of treating the online component as an add-on or duplicate of what is taught in the classroom. (University Of Wisconsin, 2012). The hybrid course design needs to meet a multitude of means to fit the curriculum objectives. For purposes of this paper, the course selection will be Science. The distant learning

LEARNING BEYOND will address higher order cognitive thinking skills. Students will be required to participate in assigned readings, discussion boards, quizzes or tests, and projects to simulate subject matter learned in the traditional class setting. In order to meet the needs of students with reading difficulties the teacher will have the ability to enable a text to speech program as necessary. There will be assigned times for face-to-face class setting for laboratory experimentations and teacher with student conferencing. Students will be held to a higher standard in regards to ethical and honesty policies, assignment completion and grade average. According to Salloum, 2011, discussion board forums relate a teacher presence and e-mails maintained a social

presence. Students are to be encouraged to help each other without any dishonest practices. The primary purpose for online learning is to elicit communication, knowledge, ideas as well as shared resources among participants. A viable online course must encompass active course interaction, collaborative learning, discussions to form understanding, shared resources and feedback from both the teacher and other students. A well-developed and implemented course design will result in a student population of critical thinkers. The objective would include students who prefer the exploration, brainstorming, discussion and reflections found in the non-threatening atmosphere of the online learning design as opposed to the everyone sees me in the traditional classroom setting. How does online learning affect classroom management? Simply put, it is said, idle hands are a devils workshop. Students who are engaged in their learning are less likely to educe class disruptions. Traditional class settings have a tendency of having durations of time where a student may become bored from inactivity, thus, creating a chance for class disruptions. This can be especially true for students with ADD / ADHD or learning disabilities which cause a state of frustration. Another consideration is the students who are labeled at-risk of dropping out

LEARNING BEYOND of school. Can an alternative school setting motivate at-risk students to become responsible for their educational outcome? The majority of the at-risk students this teacher has met are capable of exceeding expectations of those who placed the label on them. These students are either

bored or frustrated with the current educational system; therefore, they either act out for attention or shut down to become invisible to the world. A final consideration, for this paper, when students are assigned to a class time for the computer lab the number of students in the classroom has been reduced, thereby, dropping the classroom management issues significantly. Currently, in the State of Texas, Science classes are to have laboratory 40% of class time, which equates to almost two classes during the week. If the students are rotated between the online learning computer lab and the class real-world science labs the teacher can more effectively manage the smaller class size. The science class will be divided into teams. For instance, a science class of twenty students will have four groups of five on a rotation schedule. An example schedule is demonstrated in the following tables. Mrs. Jones class - Week 1 WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Team 1 Online Team 2 - Lab Team 3 - Lab Team 4 Online Team 1 Online Team 2 - Lab Team 3 - Lab Team 4 Online

MONDAY Team 1 Lab Team 2 - Online Team 3 - Online Team 4 Lab

TUESDAY Team 1 Lab Team 2 - Online Team 3 - Online Team 4 Lab

FRIDAY Team 1 Lab Team 2 - Online Team 3 - Online Team 4 Lab

MONDAY Team 1 - Online Team 2 Lab Team 3 Lab

TUESDAY Team 1 - Online Team 2 Lab Team 3 Lab

Mrs. Jones class - Week 2 WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Team 1 - Lab Team 2 Online Team 3 Online Team 1 - Lab Team 2 Online Team 3 Online

FRIDAY Team 1 - Online Team 2 Lab Team 3 Lab

LEARNING BEYOND Team 4 - Online Team 4 - Online Team 4 - Lab Team 4 - Lab Team 4 - Online

The key to learning for any student of any age is the momentum for sustaining motivation. Students have to be able to reach obtainable challenges. Students surveyed stated they believe web-conferencing aids to the effectiveness of learning opposed to receiving asynchronous lecture notes alone according to Salloum, 2011, p. 21. Discussion boards are a valuable resource for motivation if the topic is interesting and the incentive for participation is substantial. Discussion forums can encourage higher order thinking and reflection, but may be underutilized. (Repman et al., 2005). Videos are helpful in emphasizing comprehension of difficult concepts for the visual learner. Studies have shown the voice maintains a human aspect to distance learners through webcast, video conferencing with other students and podcast with expert lecturers. Audio alone may hamper visual and kinetic learners so care must be taken when creating or choosing media for the students. Multiple media has at least four conjectures to be observed: a) information is processed through different brain channels for audio and visual learning; b) consideration must be taken for the working memory consumption; c) learning takes place when students are actively processing learned materials; and d) knowledge must be retrievable according to Clark and Mayer (2008). A major issue to these conjectures is any extraneous information delivered through multi-media, which could hamper the learning process. Teachers must ensure the majority of the instructional material is on topic. It is important to maintain students involvement while still providing a good education through online learning. Proponents of the cognitive theory and constructivist theory agree there are advantages for online learning. The cognitive theorist believes information in different forms of communication aids the retention of knowledge. Learners benefit from reflection, collaboration, application, and problem solving activities. The constructivist theorist propose students in an

LEARNING BEYOND online setting must be engaged and have control in their learning environment. They support collaboration among students to reinforce memory retention and encourage interaction between students to foster the social aspects of learning.

A sub-population of students who may benefit exponentially are those considered ADD / ADHD. Online courses have multiple assignments during an assigned week, e.g. discussion boards, presentations, readings, research papers, and quizzes or tests. A student has the option of completing the assignments in order or switching between assignments to keep motivated and interested. Teachers have maintained students with ADD / ADHD often cause disruptions to the learning environment for others and themselves in the traditional classroom setting. Since students with ADD / ADHD have problems with organizational skills, a well-organized online curriculum may elevate this stressful concern. Teachers who use technology in the classroom often have found students that are typically a disruption to the learning environment are less likely to act out. The students academic progress significantly improves in courses offering a higher level of technology usage. When an online course offers technology opportunities through web-casting, video production and various projects the students involvement for learning rises. In addition, the ADD / ADHD student becomes an expert user of the technology introduced, that they quickly became the resource person amongst peers in matters of computerized learning and information, this itself acting as a boost to their self-confidence and social recognition. (Fovet, 2007). Teachers are apprehensive in relying on a distance-learning curriculum, as the sole means of instruction, therefore, they must be able to monitor their students through activity reports, web-cast and / or video conferencing. The future in education seems to be evolving into studentcentered instruction with online classes not far behind. A hybrid class can be the answer to

LEARNING BEYOND bringing students one-step closer to learning from home. Student-centered classes can be described best as students setting goals and determining by what means to accomplish the goal. Students naturally become self-motivate in their learning when the interest is self-serving. The teachers role now becomes a facilitator in the classroom to ensure students are working on task and offer support as needed. A key factor to the role of facilitator is to foster students to take ownership for the execution of the assignment. The process includes asking higher order questions by the facilitator but not directly answering questions posed by the students. This promotes the critical thinking skills necessary to become productive citizens in the future. The online learning experience in itself inspires the motivation, which in returns reduces issues of behavior or academic failure. Since the hybrid class is optional, there will be students who prefer the traditional class setting. Some students need the teacher to direct them and without the support wonder in a meaningless way in trying to complete assignments. In this case, there will remain a conventional teacher to accommodate the needs and interest for the traditional student.

The extension of learning styles can only enhance the success for all students. The online learning environment encompasses the learning styles for audio, visual, and kinetic learning with a well-developed curricula design. The excitement of students taking ownership for their education is beyond success. Students enjoy the time spent on the computer as well as the extension on written communication, video conferencing, and projects assigned. In order to meet with the demands of the 21st Century we must include developmental activities and incorporate multiple forms of media, which relate to real world applications. Technology is essential in todays educational classroom in order to meet the needs of the community. In viewing the current traditional classroom, we see technology is limited due to

LEARNING BEYOND expenditure restraints of the districts budget. The districts must find a way to implement computer labs for a hybrid course to be achievable. Additionally, teachers need to be proficient in technology for teaching to be practical, interesting, engaging and definitely fun. Although, teaching by Power Points can provide information for the learning styles of audio and visual it lacks kinetic aspects. Elmos are a great tool when students are able to explore its uses. In a computer lab with an online course implemented students have opportunities to expand their experiences by using technology first hand. It is increasingly important for teachers to design and implement lessons requiring students to engage in the mindful use of technology to find useful information, to learn new skills, and to create documents, designs, and other products. Mindful use of technology implies using critical reading skills to decide what is likely to be true. (Slavin, pg. 277). Do not forget that a teacher is using and promoting

technology to enhance the students knowledge and exploration of their world broadening their vision rather than creating barriers to it. All students are brilliant and can learn if given the opportunity. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalm 82:5-7). The distance-learning lab integrates the imagination, creativeness, curiosity and the need to explore back to the classroom. If learning is taught with real world applications in mind, why do the students stay within the four walls? A hybrid course can bring students closer to experiencing real-world concepts and applications by exploring through virtual video lessons. The consensus remains among educators, researchers, and policymakers that the paramount and foremost environment is all children should be part of inclusion classes. By changing to a type of class where students are motivated in their learning, therefore, retaining knowledge. The issues arising are how should instruction be delivered to maximize lifelong learning? The hybrid class prospect is a dynamic approach of responding positively to pupil

LEARNING BEYOND diversity and seeing individual differences not as problems, but as opportunities for enriching learning (Golmic & Hansen, 2012). In order to become responsible individuals in the nearing future students need to be responsible for their learning. The responsibility that a hybrid class offers is self-direction and

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autonomy during the online portion. When a student is challenged in a positive and motivating way, the outcome tends to lean toward a successful goal being met. For instance, when given a choice of assignments, in the discussion forum, to choose from a student knowingly takes ownership of the assignment. The following is an example of assignments in a Science class: Week 1 Discussion Forum (choose 1) Explain Newtons 1st Law of Motion; give examples in your explanation. Explain Newtons 2nd Law of Motion; give examples in your explanation. Explain Newtons 3rd Law of Motion; give examples in your explanation. Readings Read chapter 3 in your online textbook and submit a minimum of 500-word summary. Project Create a multi-media presentation on one of Newtons Laws of Motion. You may have a partner for this assignment. See syllabus for examples. Quiz Complete the closed book no note quiz on chapter 3 in the TUESDAY Discuss Isaac Newtons contributions to Science.

LEARNING BEYOND computer lab Note all assignments are due Friday at 3 P.M Remember you must reply to 2 classmates in the Discussion Forum and reply to 1 classmate on their summary of the readings.

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Another consideration is whether students should have the ability for remote access. If the goal is for students to learn responsibility than the answer is yes, remote access should be granted. This is no different from assigning homework. An additional benefit for remote access is absent students doing the work from home do not fall behind. This does give way to a disadvantage for students who do not own a home computer. Perhaps a laptop loan program can be implemented at a nominal fee for insurance coverage. Wi-Fi internet connections could be negotiated through student programs with an internet provider to reduce the cost to the student and parents. Reasons for possible student failure is inability to adjust to the new environment of learning. We need to look back on Vygotskys theory of learning. Vygotsky states students must be instructed within their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is the optimal learning window of opportunity and students working within their optimal ZDP have a greater excitement and desire for new knowledge. A shepherd guides his sheep, using his rod and staff to nudge them in the right direction. (Van Brummelen, pg 42). Vygotsky believed to achieve cognitive developmental areas of critical thinking, reasoning and remembering the student must be challenged to look beyond the obvious. The opposite of this would be what Vygotsky theory called disequilibrium where the student / child is in a state of anxiety or disorientation. The

LEARNING BEYOND mind wishes to become at an equilibrium state again and thereby naturally explores options to

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learning. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. (Psalm 78:71-72, KJV). The instruction must be self-paced with mentoring opportunities and authentic learning experiences. There must be a social networking involvement to communicate new found information for memory retention. Vygotsky emphasizes learning is obtained when there is social interaction otherwise the lesson is not meaningful and thereby will not be retained to memory. A note for teachers is as a facilitator you must remain involved in student participation. Students do not automatically become self-motivated or self-directed overnight. Expectations need to be presented during the course orientation and must be adhered to during the duration of the course. If teachers are enabled to see those who are network-poor earlier in their candidature, it becomes possible for them to make timely and strategic interventions to address this issue. (Dawson, 2010, p.738). If a student still cannot meet the expectations after counseling than a course change to the traditional setting may be necessary. Social networking is a key component in a hybrid class. Students will be successful when the concept of working together is established. The massively multiple online (MMO) gamers rarely reference manuals to learn how to play a game such as World of Warcraft (WOW). It is the social aspect of experienced players where the rules, language and culture are learned. It is the same with online learning students helping each other is how success will be obtained for all students. The teacher is the expert and thereby through facilitating online communications sets the tone for culture, language and rules in which all students learn proper online etiquette.

LEARNING BEYOND In regards to the students it should be noted the different learning style each student brings to the online environment. Not all students are eager to jump right into the social networking, which is essential to success in the course. It may be advisable for students with unwillingness to collaborate with many students at one time to have a small group to communicate with initially. A key component to grouping students into small groups is the teacher should pair students with a variety of abilities to ensue growth and all students gain understanding. As confidence increases the group size increases accordingly. Students must understand the viable resources at hand when sharing information within a larger population.

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Content comprehension grows in depth as more information is provided from the exposure of a variety of viewpoints. This implies that academic teachers should be seeking to ensure that their students network density (number of possible social ties) is maximized. (Dawson, 2010, p.748). Student outcomes should foster the collaboration necessary through shared resources and information required to meet the common goal of completing assignments. Since the hybrid course relies on student collaboration to be successful there may be apprehension on the part of higher performing students. These students must be made aware they receive their grade based on their participation and assignment completion. Avoidance to social cliques can be avoided by teacher assignment of groups. The teacher or facilitators role is to maintain open communications with the students. This can be accomplished through monitoring discussion boards post, teleconferencing the class as a whole unit, web casting, and Skype type video calls. Feedback given in a timely manner will further assist in fostering communication. Typically, if feedback can be given in a timely fashion, pre-determined in the syllabus, the students can expedite any necessary changes to the assignment as necessary. During the learning curve of starting a hybrid class, students should be

LEARNING BEYOND allowed to resubmit assignments. This gives the student a sense they are not being set up for failure. Time must also be allotted for students to form a social network where they feel confident and comfortable with collaborating with others. For instance, if a student is not receiving responses to their post the teacher can monitor for a cause and rectify the problem if

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possible. A possible solution is students must reply to a different student each time they post or if someone has not responded to an individual a reply must be made to them first. The dynamics of implementing a hybrid course has its challenges. The first challenge is secure the equipment necessary to set up a computer lab for an ample amount of accessible student computers and multi-media paraphernalia. If the core subjects of reading, mathematics, history and science are to be the immediate hybrid courses a schedule for student participation needs to be constructed. The executing of state requirements set forth in curriculum guidelines need to be addressed for the curriculum design. The scope and sequence must be attainable for the grade level being instructed in the hybrid course. Teachers should develop the scope and sequence that follows closely to that of the traditional class setting, therefore, teacher input is essential. A project designer must be designated that will work with teachers closely in the course design. A parent and student meeting needs to be scheduled to communicate the requirements for the hybrid course and how it will differ from the traditional class setting. In conclusion, the opportunities for entering into the world of higher cognitive learning starts with a step in the right direction a hybrid class. Students who do not perform well in the traditional school setting may find the interest and motivation to succeed in a revolutionary educational setting. Although, the hybrid course is open to all students a strong focus should be on students considered at-risk for failure. The financial start-up expenditures should not outweigh the advances for student learning. The success of distance learning courses has been

LEARNING BEYOND witness on the college and university levels and has the potential of thriving in the upper elementary and secondary levels.

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LEARNING BEYOND References Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for

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consumers and designers of multimedia learning (2nd ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dawson, S. (2010). Seeing the learning community: An exploration of the development of a resource for monitoring online student networking. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(5), 736-752. Fovet, F. (2007). Using distance learning electronic tools within the class to engage ADHD students: A key to inclusion? 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, 15-20. Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom (2nd ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Parsad, B., & Lewis, L. (2008). Distance education at degree-granting postsecondary institutions: 2006-2007. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009044.pdf Repman, J., Zinskie, C., & Carlson, R. (2005). Effective use of CMC tools in interactive online learning. Computers in the Schools, 22(1), 57-69. doi:10.1300/J025v22n01_06 Salloum, S. R. (2011). Student perceptions of computer-mediated communication tools in online learning: Helpfulness and effects on teaching, social, and cognitive presence. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 1-172. University Of Wisconsin (2012). Hybrid Courses. Retrieved June 24, 2012, from http://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/hybrid/about_hybrid/index.cfm Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational Psychology, Theory and Practice (10th ed.). The Bible, King James Version. (n.d.).
01-Jul-2012

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Dear Mrs Gallivan: Your manuscript entitled "Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls" has been successfully submitted online and is presently being given full consideration for publication in Cognition and Instruction. Your manuscript ID is HCGI-2012-0045. Please mention the above manuscript ID in all future correspondence or when contacting the office. If there are any changes in your street address or email address, please log in to Manuscript Central at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hcgi and edit your user information as appropriate. You can also view the status of your manuscript at any time by checking your Author Center after logging in to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hcgi . Thank you for submitting your manuscript to Cognition and Instruction. Sincerely, Cognition and Instruction Editorial Office

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