The stages educational organizations move through on the journey to blended learning, and their effect on teachers/instructors
As organizations move through various stages in preparation for blended learning, teachers can choose the degree to which they engage with change.
However, once the final stage is reached, this decision is assumed, and visible changes in pedagogy occur; it becomes obvious whether a teacher is using a blended model.
It is at this point that real “disruption” occurs; it is at this point that teachers either become excited by the new possibilities or withdraw in an attempt to stay with the “tried and true” teaching methods of the past. It is at this stage that organizations must “push through” resistance to change by some or risk the possibility of returning to the ‘one pace fits most’ models that are part of the “traditional” teaching paradigm. They must also actively support teachers who are embracing change.
Disruptive change can be unnerving, and it is at this stage that organizations must provide significant support for teaching staff as they work to assimilate new methodologies. This support should be more than “theoretical” professional development; it should also be practical support and modelling in the classroom.
(Next page: Levels of involvement during the change to blended learning)
- The traditional classroom works so why change it? - February 23, 2017
- Are outdated computers reverting students to a prehistoric era? - November 17, 2016
- Blended learning and the paradox of the experienced teacher - September 30, 2014