Innovation Proposal
Teaching 21st Century Skills in a Blended Learning Environment
Mathematics is perceived as a static subject with little room for exploration or creativity because of our past experiences stemming from the development of education in the United States as a factory model with assembly line structures and processes. How many times have we been frustrated at our high school students for being seemingly disengaged, lacking the ability to think for themselves and take responsibility for their learning because of this system? What would our classrooms look, sound, act, and feel like with engaged students, critically and creatively thinking about mathematics, the world, and their own thinking? What if we could change the impact we have on our students as mathematicians and as current and future members of society?
We have the power and opportunity to finally break the bonds of 20th century education and transform our classrooms into one that aligns with the 21st century by implementing a blended learning classroom that will promote real 21st century skills, such as effective communication and collaboration, through the lens of mathematics. This opportunity will be addressed by creating intentional learning experiences through a blended learning environment, which deliberately integrates online and technological learning experiences into the physical classroom. Possible scenarios include collaborative problem solving using open-ended or open-middle questions, exploration of real world authentic application of observations and patterns, small-group interventions to address fundamental skill gaps, and reflection on learning through discussions and writing. These various situations can be executed in a wide variety of digital modalities and the connections between mathematics and the outside world become intertwined as students grow to be exceptional people with 21st century skills, ready to confront and tackle any problem, issue, or obstacle with confidence and assurance that they can prevail.
The proposal is to develop a more innovative model of blended learning where students engage and develop their own thinking, communicate their learning, and adapt their ideas and perspectives as they explore and collaborate more. The experience would transition from the factory-model towards station rotations with intentional explanations of the changes being made to promote buy-in from the students and their families. Their mindsets are engrained to expect a traditional setting, so this transition begins the progression from the familiar classroom to an environment that more closely aligns with the real world jobs and careers they will acquire within the next five years while developing 21st century skills. We do not want our students to just move on from high school, but thrive on and positively impact their communities with strong, independent, comprehensive characters.
Our society is asking questions and solving problems that we wouldn't have been able to appropriately imagine five, ten, twenty years ago, so we need to be proactive in providing a safe setting and culture where students can develop and sharpen the 21st century skills and mindsets needed to be able to confidently identify and solve future problems. While the focus of this proposal involves using blended learning to stimulate and strengthen 21st century skills, it will also address the overwhelming concern of standardized testing because the assessments are now starting to incorporate questioning that students have a familiarity with the concepts but are applied in novel scenarios simulating actual application while also indirectly gauging their 21st century skills.
To embrace this opportunity, I am seeking to pilot a blended learning classroom environment in my classroom and be able to remain in the same subject content area over the next three to five years to develop a comprehensive blended learning program that reflects and adapts to feedback and student need. The support of colleagues, administration, and community to be open to learning, growing, and adapting through this innovation process and to recognize that these changes are with the students' futures in mind is vital to the success of this profound but imperative change. We need to transform our classrooms to promote 21st century skills through the lens of mathematics and blended learning is that way.
We have the power and opportunity to finally break the bonds of 20th century education and transform our classrooms into one that aligns with the 21st century by implementing a blended learning classroom that will promote real 21st century skills, such as effective communication and collaboration, through the lens of mathematics. This opportunity will be addressed by creating intentional learning experiences through a blended learning environment, which deliberately integrates online and technological learning experiences into the physical classroom. Possible scenarios include collaborative problem solving using open-ended or open-middle questions, exploration of real world authentic application of observations and patterns, small-group interventions to address fundamental skill gaps, and reflection on learning through discussions and writing. These various situations can be executed in a wide variety of digital modalities and the connections between mathematics and the outside world become intertwined as students grow to be exceptional people with 21st century skills, ready to confront and tackle any problem, issue, or obstacle with confidence and assurance that they can prevail.
The proposal is to develop a more innovative model of blended learning where students engage and develop their own thinking, communicate their learning, and adapt their ideas and perspectives as they explore and collaborate more. The experience would transition from the factory-model towards station rotations with intentional explanations of the changes being made to promote buy-in from the students and their families. Their mindsets are engrained to expect a traditional setting, so this transition begins the progression from the familiar classroom to an environment that more closely aligns with the real world jobs and careers they will acquire within the next five years while developing 21st century skills. We do not want our students to just move on from high school, but thrive on and positively impact their communities with strong, independent, comprehensive characters.
Our society is asking questions and solving problems that we wouldn't have been able to appropriately imagine five, ten, twenty years ago, so we need to be proactive in providing a safe setting and culture where students can develop and sharpen the 21st century skills and mindsets needed to be able to confidently identify and solve future problems. While the focus of this proposal involves using blended learning to stimulate and strengthen 21st century skills, it will also address the overwhelming concern of standardized testing because the assessments are now starting to incorporate questioning that students have a familiarity with the concepts but are applied in novel scenarios simulating actual application while also indirectly gauging their 21st century skills.
To embrace this opportunity, I am seeking to pilot a blended learning classroom environment in my classroom and be able to remain in the same subject content area over the next three to five years to develop a comprehensive blended learning program that reflects and adapts to feedback and student need. The support of colleagues, administration, and community to be open to learning, growing, and adapting through this innovation process and to recognize that these changes are with the students' futures in mind is vital to the success of this profound but imperative change. We need to transform our classrooms to promote 21st century skills through the lens of mathematics and blended learning is that way.