scholarly journals Redesigning Mathematical Curriculum for Blended Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
Gerry Stahl

The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown public schooling into crisis, trying to juggle shifting instructional modes: classrooms, online, home-schooling, student pods, hybrid and blends of these. This poses an urgent need to redesign curriculum using available technology to implement approaches that incorporate the findings of the learning sciences, including the emphasis on collaborative learning, computer mediation, student discourse and embodied feedback. This paper proposes a model of such learning, illustrated using existing dynamic-geometry technology to translate Euclidean geometry study into collaborative learning by student pods. The technology allows teachers and students to interact with the same material in multiple modes, so that blended approaches can be flexibly adapted to students with diverse preferred learning approaches or needs and structured into parallel or successive phases of blended learning. The technology can be used by online students, co-located small groups and school classrooms, with teachers and students having shared access to materials and to student work across interaction modes.

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Adam ◽  
Vimala Perumal

Collaborative student work has taken a stronghold in higher educational contexts due to the paradigm shift from instructor-centered to student-centered teaching and learning. Instructor roles have shifted towards facilitation and students have become more active in their learning, creating and sharing knowledge within their social groups. The availability of online tools enabling peer collaboration has been the main driving force behind this progress. These online collaborative learning environments have been particularly useful for geographically distributed learners with limited opportunities for face-to-face collaboration. With the evidence from literature, this has proven to be applicable to Maldives, with its unique geography of 1190 islands distributed over 20 atolls, with students across the country in executing constructive learning approaches in Maldives.


Author(s):  
Terra Gargano ◽  
Julia Zeigler

As institutions harness the growing mobility in the lives of students and recognize the expanding terrain of possibilities by incorporating innovative active blended learning approaches, it is imperative to reimagine education itself. Connectivity and active blended learning can open doors for focused interactions, fostering deeper understanding through synchronous and asynchronous learning. The level of attention given by programs to active blended learning can sometimes portend success – programs with strong strategies and methods find ways to flip classrooms, deploy practical skill-based experiences, and design rigorous engagement initiatives. How can more programs take advantage of active blended learning methodologies and approaches to engage communities of inquiry for collaborative learning across borders?


Author(s):  
Robekhah Harun ◽  
Zetty Harisha Harun ◽  
Laura Christ Dass

The increase in student enrolment and the need  to cater to students of diverse backgrounds have led to the adoption of blended learning in many higher learning institutions. Blended learning, which allows both face to face interaction and on-line delivery, has been adopted into many curricula. One such institution is University Technology MARA which is slowly introducing features of blended learning in its course syllabus beginning with practice to online assessments. However, to ensure successful implementation of blended learning as part of the curricula, there are several aspects for consideration such as learner and teacher readiness for blended learning. This paper examines issues regarding the use of blended learning as a delivery method at UiTM Kedah . The discussion in this paper focuses on learner’ readiness and perceptions of the blended learning environment. The data collected for this study are responses from learners to a questionnaire survey. The research findings form the basis for recommendations for the development of learning and teaching practices using blended learning approaches to enhance learners' learning experiences.  


Relay Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 360-381
Author(s):  
Gordon Myskow ◽  
Phillip A. Bennett ◽  
Hisako Yoshimura ◽  
Kyoko Gruendel ◽  
Takuto Marutani ◽  
...  

The distinction between Cooperative and Collaborative Learning approaches is not a clear one. Some use the terms interchangeably while others consider Cooperative Learning to be a type of Collaborative Learning. Still others clearly differentiate between them, characterizing Cooperative Learning as more highly structured in its procedures, involving a great deal of intervention by the teacher to plan and orchestrate group interactions. Collaborative Learning, on the other hand, presupposes some degree of learner autonomy-that groups can work effectively toward shared goals and monitor their own progress. This paper takes the view that the distinction between Cooperative and Collaborative Learning is a useful one and that both approaches can play valuable roles in fostering autonomous interaction. It argues that while Collaborative Learning formations may be the ultimate goal for teachers wishing to develop learner autonomy, Cooperative Learning is a valuable means for modeling the skills and abilities to help students get there. The discussion begins with an overview of the two approaches, focusing on their implementation in the Japanese educational context. It then presents seven highly structured Cooperative Learning activities and shows how they can be modified and extended over time to encourage more autonomous interaction.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147490412110233
Author(s):  
Kostas Dimopoulos ◽  
Christos Koutsampelas ◽  
Anna Tsatsaroni

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments worldwide to produce solutions to the abruptly interrupted work in education. School systems appear to have responded rapidly, creating home schooling and online educational environments, where teachers and students would interact with safety. In this paper, we attempt a synthesis of Sen’s capability approach, Bourdieu’s theory of capital and Bernstein’s framework in order to theorize the relationships between home and school conditions and practices, and to analyse the data of the 2nd Survey of Schools: ICT in Education (a survey conducted in 2019 on behalf of the European Commission collecting data regarding digitalization in education and digital technologies in learning in the European Union). The survey is complemented by a second set of indicators provided by Eurostat to further investigate the availability and functionality of household space per family in selected European countries. We find significant differences in important social and environmental conversion factors, likely limiting children’s capability to benefit from digital schooling. The most important differences are found in regard to parents’ familiarity with information and communications technology use, while inequalities in environmental factors, such as overcrowded housing, are also existent. Overall, there are large inequalities within and between countries in Europe, which need to be addressed by policymakers.


Author(s):  
Wing-Kwong Wong ◽  
Sheng-Kai Yin ◽  
Chang-Zhe Yang

<p>This paper presents a tool for drawing dynamic geometric figures by understanding the texts of geometry problems. With the tool, teachers and students can construct dynamic geometric figures on a web page by inputting a geometry problem in natural language. First we need to build the knowledge base for understanding geometry problems. With the help of the knowledge base engine InfoMap, geometric concepts are extracted from an input text. The concepts are then used to output a multistep JavaSketchpad script, which constructs the dynamic geometry figure on a web page. Finally, the system outputs the script as an HTML document that can be visualized and read with an internet browser. Furthermore, a preliminary evaluation of the tool showed that it produced correct dynamic geometric figures for over 90% of problems from textbooks. With such high accuracy, the system produced by this study can support distance learning for geometry students as well as distance learning in producing geometry content for instructors.<br /><br /></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-157
Author(s):  
Hadia Awan

The challenge of teaching a skill-based course online, during pandemic unfolded lasting/ground-breaking opportunities for teachers and students of law alike. For the advocacy skills' training course, a suit for dissolution of marriage was selected and training was divided into 12 steps. The pre-planned semester calendar of the University was followed, but in the virtual learning environment (VLE), sessions were held mostly synchronously by using an indigenized blended learning (BL) model. Station rotation (SR) and the flipped classroom (FC) were also indigenized for effective use. Indigenization of BL was done. SR was done by creating stations comprising research areas involved in the trial for dissolution of a marriage. The FC was used to make students learn lectures beforehand, and all simulations, role-plays and activities were done in class. On-spot grading was done on assessment rubrics by using standard observation forms, generated based on extracted principles. All rubrics and standard forms were shared and discussed with students to build trust in the VLE. The asynchronous mode was also used, but only for the sake of supplemented learning. The grading policy was revised, and the curves of summative and formative assessments were flattened. A total of 45 students were trained, out of whom 26 scored A, four A–, two B, five B+, one B–, one C, one C+, one C– and four got F (for not participating at all). The outcome was encouraging. After completion of the semester, the need assessment survey culminated in a hands-on training session for the Faculty of Law (FoL). Participants designed courses using the BL model and found the methodology effective for future use in regular classes.


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