Blended learning is a common course design due to the accessibility of technology within our schools. Every student in my middle school has a school-issued Chromebook and access to numerous digital platforms. We do not have textbooks, so as a content team, we have to create our own courses and lesson plans based on what is available from our district and the online community. Designing a blended course on electricity for gifted 8th-grade students has been a rewarding yet challenging experience.
This course consists of PhET and Gizmos simulations, an online circuit builder program, hands-on exploration, a flipped lesson, numerous collaboration experiences (both face-to-face and online), and a final project. While the goal was to increase engagement and deepen conceptual understanding, I encountered a few difficulties, mainly because some of the delivery methods were new or not something I typically do with my students.
One of the biggest hurdles was using technology that offered the appropriate level of rigor while ensuring that my lower-level students could also grasp the concept. Tools like PhET and Gizmos offer wonder simulations, but there are times they can be confusing if student directions are not explicit enough. Because these are not hands-on activities, students also struggle to understand the real-world application behind what they are doing in the online platform. I addressed this problem by ensuring the activities were tightly aligned to my standards and had students complete learning checks after they went through the programs to gauge understanding.
Flipped lessons are great in theory, but the biggest issue is that many students do not complete them at home. The concept behind them is excellent, as they allow students to preview the material at home, enabling them to explore and seek help more effectively while in the classroom. Unfortunately, many middle school students do not complete these assignments at home, which creates a significant gap in their readiness and understanding of the class lessons. This requires the teacher to plan for differentiation, allowing students who have completed their lesson to move on and extend their learning, while giving students who did not complete their work a chance to do so during class. Accountability and self-regulation are not always the biggest strengths of middle schoolers.
If I were to redesign this course or create a new one that would enable greater success with my students, I would make a few adjustments. I would start with a better understanding of the final product I want my students to accomplish by incorporating backwards design more than I did this time. I would also build in a few more quick formative assessments and differentiation to check for understanding and provide what my students need. I would also hold students accountable for the work they are supposed to accomplish at home and incorporate more check-ins when students are working on collaborative tasks.
If this course were developed for a different audience, say high school physics, it would be structured differently. I would increase the flipped lessons to allow students to focus on more technical aspects of the design/build process. I would also tie this lesson to the real world by encouraging members of our community to come in and help, and share about various work opportunities that incorporate electricity. It would be great to find a way to offer a small technology certification or help students who show interest in electricity find internships.
Creating this blended lesson was both a great and challenging experience. As I reflect on this course, I will incorporate many of the lessons learned into my lesson planning to increase student engagement and understanding.
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