5.1 Blending in Science Teaching

The first question you should ask yourself before embarking on the journey of blended teaching is “Why blend?” Teachers who are still searching for their answer to this question may end up spending a lot of time and energy implementing changes that do not serve any larger goal or purpose.

Teachers Talk: Hands-on Learning

Meredith Brady

In science, I try to do as much hands-on learning as I can. Blending my class with technology gives me the chance to have more hands-on learning. even though students can't actually experience it. I'm trying to get everyone involved. A huge benefit to blending is increasing the engagement of students.

Teachers Talk: Benefits of Blending (3:42)

Reflection Question: How could blending your teaching help your students?

Teachers Talk: Use Blended Teaching to Engage Students (5:44)

Reflection Question: How does blended teaching involve every student

5.2 Reasons for Blending

There are three primary reasons why teachers choose blended teaching:

• Improved learning outcomes—Blended classrooms can increase personalization, allow for more individual and small group instruction, and make better use of classroom time.
• Increased access and flexibility—In blended classrooms students have access to materials anywhere and anytime. In addition, they have access to resources and activities that are unavailable to them without an online component.
• Increased efficiency/cost—Blended classrooms can help students complete learning activities in less time and with less energy, reduce printing costs, and help students stay more organized (less likely to lose assignments).

Matthew Harris and Patrick Hemmingsen have experienced the benefits of these reasons for blended teaching. As you watch their videos below, listen for how they use technology to allow them more time in class to work on individualized and deeper thinking.

Teachers Talk: Blended Learning Allows More Individualized and Targeted Instruction for Students (2:16, 3:05)

Reflection Question: How does Matthew Harris use technology to allow him more time to do things that only he can do?

Teachers Talk: Why Use a Flipped Model in Science?

Reflection question: How can blended learning improve students learning outcomes through individualized instructions?

Teachers Talk: Helping Students Set Up Goals and Pacing (2:11)

Reflection Question: How does Matthew Harris increase access and flexibility by helping students set goals and personalize pacing?

Teachers Talk: Advantages of Blending

Patrick Hemmingsen

In science classes, hands-on labs are great, but they cost time and money. One lab can last 90 minutes, and if you mess up something, that's a waste of a class. Some universities use PHET simulations, and they are Chromebook compatible. They work really well with the devices we've given to our students, and if you mess up on that, you just hit reset. The simulation takes about five minutes, not 90. So even though I still do some things hands-on, using the blended learning approach is imperative.

When we do hands-on activities, students can work on it for 20 minutes and see the data. Then I stop them and ask, “Why do you think those things happened?” Once they have sparked the idea, I will do a lecture. Because this method is a little more flipped, I don't have to spend 45 minutes talking to them; I can say what they need to hear in 15 minutes.

Blending is also helpful when we study the atom. Since the atom is so incredibly small, it can be really difficult for students to imagine what it could look like. So, I've really leaned on online simulations to model the atom when we've done molecular geometries and, in AP, the actual three-dimensional shapes of the molecules. Anything that's not macro science, I've really learned to use technology to support student learning.

Oftentimes teachers have multiple reasons for blending, but one of these three reasons is almost always primary in their minds. Table 1 below shows some simple examples of purpose-driven blended teaching in science and how it might help teachers achieve multiple purposes simultaneously.

As you go through the science chapters, you will be able to reflect on what you have learned and design your own activities and classroom in the Blended Teaching Workbook. Click on the "Blended Teaching Workbook" button to access your workbook.

Table 1

Examples of Multiple Purposes for a Blended Science Activity

Think about why you would like to blend your classroom. In your blended teaching workbook, write your thoughts, creating your own purpose.

5.3 Common Challenges to Teaching/Learning Science

Teachers Talk: Hard to Provide Authentic Feedback in Traditional Classroom

Matthew Harris

When I was a teacher in a traditional classroom, it was very challenging to give authentic, real feedback in a way that actually benefitted the individual student. And I feel like the biggest way that blended learning improved my teaching is that it makes a difference, allowing me to provide feedback that is more targeted to each student. And that's a system that didn't exist in the same sense previously. Now, the blended learning model specifically enables me to gather data on what students are thinking and how they are doing. Gathering that data is helping me become more than I am. Now it's like I have 10 teaching assistants with me. I can provide individual feedback to students based on those data.

Reflection Question: How can the advantages of blended learning help you overcome the challenges you face in the traditional classroom?

Your choice to blend will be more meaningful to you and your students if it helps address challenges that you and your students face in the traditional non-blended classroom. We refer to these challenges as “problems of practice.”

5.4 Problems of Practice

Problems of practice can fall under any of the three purposes outlined in section 5.1 and 5.2. However, the most meaningful and powerful problems of practice for teachers deal directly with improving learning outcomes for their students.

Figure 1

Problems of Practice in Science

These five pathways are a powerful tool to help you think deeply about problems of practice that are relevant to you. Once you identify specific challenges in your current approach to teaching, you will be able to explore what online approaches may be combined with your in-person approaches to create a better learning experience for your students and you alike. While implementing blended learning can be valuable to both teachers and students, its implementation is not without its challenges. Teachers, Meredith Brady and Alan Schwalb, talk about some of the barriers they have faced with implementing blended teaching and provide ideas for overcoming those barriers.

Teachers Talk: Common Challenges to Teaching: Student to Student Interaction

Reflection Question: What were some of the challenges that Alan Schalb faced with blended learning? What are some ideas for overcoming those challenges?

Finding Your Problems of Practice

Now that you have reviewed the five pathways to identifying problems of practice, it is your turn to look at your own practice and try to identify a couple of challenges that you can consider as you continue throughout these science chapters. What student outcomes and teaching practices would you like to improve? What stands in the way of your teaching having the impact you would like it to have?