Abstract
Educational structure in the P-12 environment has not changed in a century. However, with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, school districts were forced to become innovative in their lesson delivery models. That necessary shift has provided innovative thinking for administrators and teacher leaders about what classrooms of tomorrow might look like, supported by a hybrid model or completely online courses. This chapter will outline how to design and implement courses for a potential hybrid or online class from a teacher perspective. Further, suggestions for administrators to support the ever-evolving role of the teacher will be shared.
TopIntroduction
The structure of schools has remained stagnant for some time. Schools in the 19th century were not designed for children to learn creatively; “they reflected the factory model of organization resulting from the ascension of industry and economic expansion” (Hayes-Jacobs, 2010, p. 9). While there has been an abundance of innovation, invention, and information advancement in the world since the 19th century, the structure of a classroom environment and the schooling system has not changed as drastically. However, over the last decade, with cost-effective, easier access to information through technology-enhanced learning tools joined with innovative educators, some schools have begun to transform P-12 classrooms for tomorrow (Battelle for Kids, 2020). Current kindergarten students will graduate from high school in 2034; attend college or enter the workforce and likely work until age 70, bringing them to the year 2087. It is difficult to determine what life will look like in 2087, but our students need to be prepared by becoming creative, collaborative, critical thinkers.
The year 2020 brought a pandemic that impacted U.S. school structure in a way that has not happened since the 1918 flu. In the 2020-2021 academic year, teachers were required to think outside of the box, be more flexible, and more intentional with the curriculum that was covered. There were many positives for education during the pandemic that allowed educators and administrators to think differently about curriculum delivery and what it means for the future. To continue this flexibility and innovative thinking in school systems, leaders need to allow more educators to prepare students for the future, by supporting and encouraging them to be instilling an innovative, growth mindset through an infusion of the 21st century learning framework into the curriculum (The Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2015). This chapter will provide administrators and teacher leaders with implementation strategies, based on research and best practices, for supporting the design and delivery of online and blended learning in a P-12 school system.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Connectivism: A learning theory expanded upon constructivism where students work collaboratively amongst themselves to create new knowledge and understanding.
Constructivism: A long held learning theory where a facilitator supports the students in constructing his/her own knowledge utilizing the prior knowledge and new information.
Synchronous Lesson: A live, simultaneous meeting that occurs over the internet between a teacher and the students.
Asynchronous Lesson: A lesson (video recording, reading, etc.) that a student interacts with on his/her own time.
Hybrid: A modified class that utilizes a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities to best support students.
Learning Environment: The environment in which students and teacher interact to facilitate learning, it could be online, hybrid, or in a physical classroom.
Online Classroom: Often a learning management system hosts the online classroom to allow students and teacher the opportunity to interact with one another synchronously or asynchronously over the internet.