I'm Sold: Blended Learning

When I was first introduced to the flipped class model in 2011, I questioned its effectiveness just like many of my peers. I remember my principal saying that it was, "just as innovative as assigning homework,"- and I pretty much agreed. Students don't always do their homework; only this time, if a student blew off a flipped lesson at home, they would be hopeless the next day in class. Wait, you mean I would have to create all these videos and post them online? What exactly are my kids supposed to be doing in class then?  And how again do I get past the fact that many of my kids don't have internet connection at home?

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Most of us can agree that the more often we do something, we learn and become become refined at our practice or craft. While my growth as a teacher was steady in my first few years, I certainly had a long way to go. As a high school social studies teacher in 2011, I could basically put 184 days worth of lessons into the following 5 categories:

1. Innovative- things I was trying for the first time, redefining strategies of modifying them with tech
2. Collaborative- students work while I circulate, converse and assess
3. Teacher-Centered- lecture, basically just content, funny & entertaining but with passive learning
4. Skill-Based- reading, writing, debating, analyzing, or arguing history
5. Basic- covering material, google docs and web searches, no collaboration, little interaction

If you asked my students which style of learning they probably preferred, I bet they would confirm the order of the list just as it is. If you ask me what I actually spent more time doing, I would probably be ashamed to tell you the truth.

So much of our lesson design centers around self-imposed, curricular restraints that limit our creativity and bore our students to death. 

Every one of us teaches something exciting and worthwhile. There has to be a reason why we went into our respective disciplines in the first place. The best teachers are the ones that bring that passion for their content alive.

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Flipped learning, or blended learning allowed me to explore more options in innovation, and in turn, combined previous "lesson categories" into one giant pool of trial and error. Lessons grounded in collaborative work, skill based practice, content driven specifics and even teacher centered instruction can all be funneled through blended learning. Video curation or creation is possible through amazing sites like blendspace and edpuzzle. Teachers can even use simple tools like google hangouts to record a lecture or screencast-o-mastic to record their lesson online.

So why aren't more teachers doing this? Time is certainly a roadblock to beginning. But looking at the long road, once videos are created or compiled, they are available forever just like your favorite worksheet! Familiarity with technology could be another reason- and a fair one. So many of these tools have become user friendly, truthfully, and with a learning management system in place, teachers already have conquered step one. Finally, I know teachers have a tough time seeing past the need for content driven, skill based instruction that is efficient and has worked in the past.  But the kids are not "us." We liked school- at least enough to choose a carer run by bells. Our kids probably don't feel the same excitement to learn. The last time I shadowed a student, it was the longest day of my life.  Sitting through seven classes was difficult. So how to we change that?

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Maybe the only question we should ask is, "what is standing in our way?"  Asking questions is easy. Instead of starting the blended learning, or even the "innovation" conversation with questions as I did, maybe start with answers.  Engaging students is our number one priority. So...jump in.

Finding Our Strengths

We are overwhelmed. Our curriculum is constantly changing. Illinois is broke and can't pay us our pensions. We are constantly adding and not subtracting. Can you believe he replied to all with that email? Our students are really challenging this year. That parent was really difficult to handle. How did he get that position? My colleagues are judgmental. Society doesn't respect what I really do. Well, I guess that perk was taken away. I didn't get that job I put in for. He has no idea what he is doing. What are we going to do with all this data? I've seen this initiative before. We didn't get a raise. My boss plays favorites. I cannot believe she said that. That kid is going nowhere.

We are working really hard. Our curriculum is what is best for kids. I can't worry about my pension now it has nothing to do with my job today. We can tell the story of our success. We evolve for the best. I love my students this year. I enjoy collaborating with others. Most of our parents give us their full support. Our school leader makes great decisions in tough situations. My colleagues are amazing professionals and I don't know where I would be without them. I have the best job in the world. That is something we can do together.  This is really going to help my lesson today. That kid is hilarious. I take most of the summer off. Our school does amazing things.  My students make teaching worthwhile. Our staff is really dedicated. I cannot wait to get started.

There have been times in my short career that I have been both of these people. Relative to the cloud over education today, I think it is easy to get caught up in the negativity that surrounds our profession. But it's still a personal choice how to approach our life's work.

Whenever I feel the urge to buy into the pessimism, I go back to the reasons why I became an educator. Each one of us has strengths in our jobs- the kind of qualities that our colleagues admire and our students are drawn to. In the myriad of different hats we wear, some hats just fit better and play to our strengths.

In my current position, I wear plenty of hats that just don't fit right. I am learning a new job and experiencing the growing pains of a new challenge. In those moments, I try to find my strengths- perhaps the very things that drew me to education in the first place.

One of the programs we have at our high school is a study program after school for freshmen who are failing two or more classes. The freshmen work one on one with student and adult tutors in the hopes of "graduating out" of the hour-long, daily study program. Some students see it as a punishment, but we see it as a support. It's easy to use this time after the school day to make phone calls, write evaluations, and clean up my emails. But after a day of doing a lot of that already, I enjoy spending time working one on one with our most fragile freshmen. I'm confident that I can forge relationships with those kids, and use those relationships to eventually push them personally and academically.

We have to go back to our strengths. 

All of us have them, and all of us went into this line of work with attributes that feed the "positives" of our profession.  As educators, we can wrap our strengths around us and still be successful in challenging our weaknesses. As a thought for those reading and those in #savmp,  here are three questions to think about:

1. What are your strengths as an educator?
2. How can you add to them?
3. Will you let your strengths forge the positives in your daily work?

The Path We Have Chosen

"So how's the new job treating ya?"

Inevitably and understandably, some people have been asking me that question in the last few months. I am fortunate to be working at West Leyden, a school that his given me everything an educator could ask for. I've taught some awesome kids and worked alongside some amazing colleagues and mentors. I've been gifted all the professional development I can handle and recently, the job of Assistant Principal too. Truthfully, I hope I can give half as much to my job as my job has given me.

"But really, are you getting the hang of it?"

I've tried to embrace the vulnerability that comes with honesty in life, because honestly, I am not very good at what I do yet. I've arrived at school for the past 97 days not really leading anything, but trying to learn from decades of leadership experience around me.  I am new. I am inexperienced. And for the most part, I don't know what I am doing. I walk away from conversations second guessing what I said. I've put so many filters through my emails and letters that I've departed from who I want to be as a school leader. I hear the cynics and skeptics. I try really hard to make it through the day, and then get up the next day and do it again.

Hopefully my transparency can connect me to others who have felt the same way at some point in time, not just with their careers but with their lives. I remember bringing my son home from the hospital for the first time with a restless feeling. So what do we do with him now? How can I stop him from crying, and where did we put that pack of diapers again? Luckily for me, I had the help of my wife and together we are erasing the early self-doubts of parenthood one day at a time. I think.

Like becoming a new parent, learning a new job can be really tough, especially as a first year teacher, coach, or administrator. Having worked here for a few years, I'm lucky to have existing relationships with colleagues around me. There is nothing that we cannot do together. Our secretaries, maintenance staff, teachers, and administrators can attest to that- as I've experienced formal and informal mentoring in these first three months. I am grateful for those moments and can only hope that I will add something to their skill set too. We have to build each other up.

"Do you miss teaching?"

Of course. The best part of our jobs is the daily interaction with our kids, just ask anyone who works at a school in the summer. I miss the kids but still try to manufacture interactions with students whenever I can. I'm convinced that teaching five classes for 35 years is the toughest job in education, but I also believe that being a teacher is the most rewarding job in the world. Our kids fill our souls in ways that we cannot quantify -and that, of course, is something I miss.

"Well, you will get the hang of it eventually..."

I know. I just hope I can look back at the totality of these days and find humor in it all. Until then, I appreciate the patience and collegiality of all my peers as I make the journey.

"This is the path we have chosen. We are responsible for modeling what we expect from others, especially when we don't get it right. Let us not be fools when the criticism comes, but take time to reflect and make the necessary changes in order to grow."

-Jimmy Casas.