what’s in the blender b lended l earning f ernando r ubio u of u tah

FERNANDO RUBIO U OF UTAH

What’s in the blender

BLENDED LEARNING


WHAT IS A BLENDED COURSE?

Combines traditional face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction.

The distinction between traditional and blended is often administrative more than pedagogical.

The best of both worlds? (DoE-sponsored meta-analysis) http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

“The difference between student outcomes for online and face-to-face classes […] was larger in those studies contrasting conditions that blended elements of online and face-to-face instruction with conditions taught entirely face-to-face”

http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf


WHY THE ADVANTAGE?

Digital natives vs. Digital immigrants

In his 2001 article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Marc Prensky coined the term digital natives to refer to today’s students, who have grown up with digital technology as an integral part of their lives. “Our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language” (2)


WHY THE ADVANTAGE?

A technology skills survey conducted by the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) in 2007 confirms that most of the currently in-service language professionals fit the description of the typical digital immigrant in that they prefer traditional modes of learning and therefore struggle to cater to the needs of their digital native students. http://www.carla.umn.edu/technology/survey.html

http://www.carla.umn.edu/technology/survey.html

http://www.carla.umn.edu/technology/survey.html


WHY THE ADVANTAGE?

Time on task Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers: The Story of

Success (2008) the “10,000-Hour Rule”: the key to

success in any field

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy


WHY THE ADVANTAGE?

The ideal blended learner (Blake, R. & Bilinski, K. forthcoming)

learners who have low verbal abilities and audio learners depend heavily on and prefer the online textbook in order to stimulate their own learning process.

Non-traditional? students


U OF UTAH 1ST

-YEAR SPANISH

http://vimeo.com/17601140




U OF UTAH 1ST-YEAR SPANISH

Before: Multiple sections of a class are difficult to

manage efficiently.

Classes are too large to facilitate effective communicative teaching.

High cost of instruction.

High number of contact hours = less flexibility.

Many sections taught by 1st-year TAs.


WHAT HAS CHANGED?


U OF UTAH 1ST-YEAR SPANISH

From 4 days a week to 2 F2F + 2 virtual days.

Cap of 25 (vs. 30)

Two instructors per section (lead instructor + assistant)


THE VIRTUAL DAY

A lot of the oral and written input.

Most of the writing.

Interpretive, presentational and (some) interpersonal communication.

Feedback.


CHANGES IN THE CLASSROOM

Emphasis on interpersonal communication all mechanical practice, most grammar and interpretive communication moved to VD.

Less teacher-centered.

More and better feedback (2 is better than 1).

More responsibility for the learning process on the student.


CHANGES IN ASSESSMENT


TRADITIONAL TESTING

Although progress in instructional methods has been made over the past 20-30 years, assessment practices have been slow to adapt

Static, summative (cf. formative)

Limited, unauthentic audience

What are the students showing they can do?

Why are they doing what they are doing?

“Terminal” feedback


PROJECT ASSESSMENT

Our goal was to create a better link between instruction and assessment. The elements:

o Performance-based authentic testing formats with clearly articulated performance expectations

o Feedback from instructor AND from audience. Students perform for each other

o Projects reflect what students do in and outside of class

o Direct application of the course content in a meaningful context

o Combines different types of communicative modes (presentational, interpretive, and interpersonal) and can have written and/or oral portions.

o The project serves not only a diagnostic tool but also a learning tool.


PROJECT EXAMPLE

Restaurant Review, Cooking Show

1. Project Proposal 5% (group)

2. Script 20% (group)

3. YouTube Video 35% (group 15% individual 20%)

4. Peer Review Evaluation 15% (individual)

5. Reflection Paper 25% (individual)

Total 100% (40% group, 60% individual)


PROJECT RUBRIC

Guión (20 points)

4-5 exceeds expectations

3-4 meets expectations, no significant problems

2-3 meets expectations with some basic problems

1-2 below expected level

Script is typed and fits within the allotted time

Is in a dialogue form and clearly indicates what each member will say and the interaction between members

Includes clear and useful annotations (apuntes)

Correct use of grammar and vocabulary


CHANGES IN THE ROLES OF STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTOR


FROM ATLAS…

Traditionally, instructors have wanted to be the source of all knowledge Atlas complex (Finkel & Monk, 1983).

Teachers supply all the necessary knowledge, explanations, feedback... Students supply almost nothing, they are empty vessels waiting to be filled.


…TO ARCHITECT

But languages are different from other subjects. We don’t learn languages by talking, hearing or reading about them, we learn by using them.

Our role is to create the necessary conditions for acquisition; to design a road map to L2 proficiency Architect


RESULTS

WILL TECHNOLOGY INCREASE COSTS?

Technology is expensive. Students served 06-07: 738. Before hybrid

Students served 07-08: 759.

Students served 08-09: 792.

Total spent 06-07: $143,910 ($195.00 per student) Before hybrid

Total spent 07-08: $121,750 ($160.40 per student)

Total spent 08-09: $91,000 ($114.89 per student)

Per student cost reduced by 42%

TECHNOLOGY IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. WILL STUDENTS DROP THE CLASS?

Combined attrition in 08-09: Hybrid course = 8.5% (1st semester:

8.35%) F2F = 16.5% (1st semester: 19.5%)


WHAT ABOUT PROFICIENCY?

If face-to-face interaction is crucial for developing proficiency, learning will suffer with online or hybrid courses.

ORAL PROFICIENCY

NL NM NH IL IM0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Number of students by proficiency level

Hybrid F2F

F2F: (n=22) Hybrid: (n=24)

WRITING PROFICIENCY

NL NM NH IL IM0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Number of students by proficiency level

Hybrid F2F

F2F: (n=22) Hybrid: (n=24)

ORAL FLUENCY

Average # of words per minute: Hybrid: 52 F2F: 55

Fluent runs: Hybrid: 7.9 F2F: 7.7

MLU: Hybrid: 11.67 F2F: 9.85

Lexical diversity (D): Hybrid: 46.27 F2F: 39.56

WRITTEN FLUENCY

Average # of words:

Hybrid: 125

F2F: 113

MSL:

Hybrid: 8.7

F2F: 8.3

Lexical Diversity (D)

Hybrid: 39.7

F2F: 40.2


TEACHING APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES:TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION & BACKWARDS DESIGN


WHAT IS TBI?

Task-based instruction is characterized by activities that engage language learners in meaningful, goal-oriented communication to solve problems, complete projects, and reach decisions (Pica, T. 2008)


WHAT IS TBI?

The essential difference between a task and an exercise is that a task has a nonlinguistic outcome.

Instead of beginning the design process with lists of grammatical, functional-notional, and other items, the designer conducts a needs analysis which yields a list of the target tasks that the targeted learners will need to carry out in the ‘real-world’ outside the classroom (Nunan, D. 2001)


BACKWARD DESIGN

In order to organize instruction based on tasks, you have to go from general goals (course, lesson, chapter) to more specific objectives (activity).

Backward design begins with the end in mind:

What communicative skills do I want my students to develop?

How will my students demonstrate their understanding when the unit is completed?

How will I ensure that students have the skills and understand the concepts required during the summative assessment?


PLANNING LESSONS: F2F VD?


COMPUTER-DEPENDENT ACTIVITIES

They would not be possible, or at least not feasible, without computers. Examples include: posting reactions to a reading online,

reading peers’ postings and commenting on them, posting a video blog, etc.

Accessing a weather forecast on a target language webpage; reading a TL newspaper.


COMPUTER-IMPROVED ACTIVITIES

They work better with technology but can still be implemented without it. Examples include: Using a course management system rather

than/in addition to paper to post the syllabus, hand-outs, and so forth.

doing online mechanical quizzes/exercises with immediate feedback/possibility of multiple attempts.


COMPUTER-INDEPENDENT ACTIVITIES

They can be done without technology or may work better in a traditional format. Examples include: group work, guided discussion,

info-gap

non-verbal communication


FLOW

The key to the seamless integration of the F2F and virtual components is to design F2F activities that require virtual preparation or follow-up and virtual activities that require F2F preparation or follow-up.

F2F Virtual


YOUR TURN (STUDENT)

Lesson

Topic: leisure time, vacation, etc.

Functional goal: Asking questions and talking about what you and other people have done in the past.

Grammatical goal: Use of regular past tense

Virtual day activity

Online survey: What did you do last week and last summer?


SURVEY

Last weekend:

I cooked Yes No

I watched a movie Yes No

I studied Yes No

Last summer:

I played sports Yes No

I travelled Yes No

I worked Yes No


RESULTS

cooked watched a movie

studied played sports

travelled worked0

102030405060708090

100

What did you do?


YOUR TURN

(F2F) In groups of 4 create 5 questions (at least 3 open-ended) to find out more about two topics. Write down your q’s.

(F2F) Find four students from other groups and ask them your questions. Write down anything particularly interesting that you find out.

(VD) Post a couple of sentences about the two most interesting findings. Read your classmates’ postings and find two things that you find interesting and would like to do too. Respond to them and be ready to talk about them in class.

(F2F) Instructor asks some students to share with the class what they found interesting and why.


YOUR TURN (DESIGNER)

Working in groups, design a set of activities for a face-to-face day and the corresponding virtual day activities for a beginning-level language course.

Goals for the lesson:

Topic: family.

Functional goal: describing your family and asking others about their family.

Grammatical goals: descriptive adjectives, conjugating verbs in the present.

what’s in the blender b lended l earning f ernando r ubio u of u tah

Documents

fernando rubio u of

digital technology

digital immigrantsin

u of california consortium

article digital natives

term digital natives

digital immigrant instructors

typical digital immigrant