Sarah Garber's Mini-Course on Blended Learning
Course Topic and Purpose
The MATH model of blended learning is a stations lesson that has four stations: M stands for "Meet with the Teacher", A for "At your table", T for "Technology", and H for "Hands-on activity". These stations not only provide students with engaging educational technology opportunities, but they also allow for small group and one-on-one instruction, independent or collaborative learning activities, and movement about the classroom. Once a teacher holds knowledge of what level their students are at and they are able to select appropriate activities for their class, this course is designed to be applicable to all teachers from any K-12 subject area. This style of blended learning is a great tool for teachers to use to target common misconceptions, provide differentiated instruction to meet each student's needs, and make class time more interesting to students. I often use the MATH model of blended learning as a way to review for an upcoming assessment.
Learning Outcomes for the Course
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will identify the structures/types of learning environments for each of the stations within a blended learning lesson.
- Participants will understand the principles to guide the selection and integration of different types of learning activities/designs.
- After exploring sample activities for each station, participants will use a template to construct their own blended learning lesson following the MATH model that they can use in their own professional practice.
Curriculum Map
- In this unit, we will discuss how to incorporate direct instruction within a blended learning lesson. This station can be used for differentiation, individual support, remediation, or review before students move on to an independent or collaborative station. It can also be used to teach a brief introduction to new material.
- In Unit 2, we will discuss options for independent or collaborative activities in a blended learning lesson. At this station, students could analyze an article, complete a worksheet, or quiz each other to review for an assessment.
- Unit 3 explores different uses of technology in a blended learning lesson. Some examples may include students watching a video, creating their own video, playing an online game, or visiting websites to work on extra practice problems.
- The final station in a blended learning lesson is discussed in Unit 4. This station can involve a non-typical activity such as a lab where students create a catapult, a matching activity, or a mini-poster project.
Unit 5: Designing your own Blended Learning Lesson
- Finally, in Unit 5, you will work on planning your own blended learning lesson. Non-content related items to consider will be discussed as well as final suggestions. A template and checklist will be provided as a guide to lesson planning.
References and Resources
Here is a link to my portfolio page: Sarah Garber's Portfolio Page
