Journal # 9: How to Do More with Less

Journal 9: How to Do More with Less

Pape, Liz, Tracy Sheehan, and Colleen Worrell. "How to Do More with Less." Learning and Leading with Technology. 39.6 (2012): 18-22. Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/March-April2012.asp&xgt;.

Summary: The article by Liz Page titled, How to Do More with Less, is about how schools are struggling with our budget while our government is demanding better education. Not only are our students’ classes becoming larger and less teacher-student bond, our digital age is advancing faster than our schools. The two strategies that would help our students in the classroom are blended teaching and flipped classroom instruction. The term blended teaching refers to mixing traditional face to face instruction with online learning practices. If you were to observe a blended classroom you will find students engaging in note taking or lectures as well as online assessments for example online peer editing. Flipped classroom instruction is the idea of replacing homework with classroom practice at home. This is where students are using the time at home to become familiarized with content, or a digital lesson that will be assigned the next day of class. This is designed to increase classroom communication between the students in class rather than the traditional book reading and worksheet. Discussion is just as important for the development of students as much as reading and writing. This change in educating our students is a drastic change, but in the long run more beneficial to our students. They are learning through multiple approaches to allow them to become aware of a variety of teaching styles.

Q: How is this approach working together with the decrease in money in our nations education?

As mentioned in this article our schools are receiving less support from our government spending. These changes in teaching styles are different, but no harm to our spending or our schools. We are working with software that is free and simply needs a user name and password to access. Students are more and more familiar with this because most programs on their latest technology require the same.

Q: Do you think the parent response is positive or negative to this kind of teaching style?

Once I read this article the first thing I thought was what are the parents view on the change in style of classroom structure and homework? At first I felt that parents were opposed to this because they would view the teacher as not doing their job. They are having the students do work, but having them learn on their own. This is one of the most important strategies a student could grasp at a young age, to take resources and teach themselves the material. I think parents should almost feel a relief, because their child is not coming home with pages of math, or worksheets, they are becoming familiar with a software that they will discuss in class the next day. This is way more beneficial than having the students struggle with homework they have to take home and turn in the next day.