BlendEd stirs up learning
November 1, 2019
Picture this: a class where you don’t have to be in the class. You are allowed to walk the halls and study for a class in a different location of the school. Can you imagine that? It sounds like something a school would never execute, but believe it when we say that this is a new method of teaching adopted by Grayslake Central High School.
“The biggest difference is that a blended learning class has more independence for students and more responsibility for students. Part of the class is being sort of in charge of your own kind of timeline and how you get things done. And when things get done within a certain timeframe.” says Maureen Ritter, a teacher of the BlendEd world literature class.
To be BlendEd out means you are allowed to leave the classroom. This doesn’t mean you are kicked out of the room. You are allowed to stay in the classroom if you need help that day. To be BlendEd in, means you are required to be in the classroom for a certain time, or the entire period. The teacher is the one that dictates the days you are BlendEd in and out.
“Probably the most visible component of BlendEd is that students don’t have to be in the classroom every single day.” says Ritter “The biggest difference is that a BlendEd learning class has more independence for students, and more responsibility for students.”
As a student who is BlendEd for Pre-Calculus, the leniency is enjoyable. There is more responsibility instilled in a student to complete the work. It’s similar to having your own timelines where you can optimize when and where your assignments can be done. Some days a student can relax with their friends at lunch, and some days a student can stay in the classroom to get help personally from their teacher.
Other students find disadvantages to being BlendEd out, like allowing them more opportunities to procrastinate and getting less work done when not in the physical classroom.
While students will take advantage of this system by not doing their work, others use this system to control their own schedule of when to and when not to do assignments. Having a BlendEd class does give the opportunity to procrastinate. Students would usually go somewhere quiet like in the specified BlendEd areas, the LRC, the Write Room, or the MARC for help. Sometimes students go congregating with friends, but not always. A student who procrastinates has more burden because it is their decision to procrastinate and use the BlendEd day as a relaxation day. This can teach students time management and organization skills.
A BlendEd class establishes trust between the teacher and the student, with a student’s assignments. Having a BlendEd class is a great opportunity to relax and have your own space to organize, prioritize, and accomplish your work. If you’re open to get a BlendEd class, talk to your counselor to take a BlendEd course next year.
