Blended Learning: Caveats, Cautions, and Adjustments

The Move From Sage to Guide

I currently teach at a school (Mountain House High School, California) that has implemented a 1 to 1 method, with Chromebooks being the tool of choice. We are a Google (Google Apps for Education-GAFE) campus--all students have a school-issued Gmail account which enables access to Google Drive, Docs, Spreadsheets, Drawing, Slides, etc. This basic suite of tools alone can make your life so much easier. There are some shortcuts and tips to using these tools which Alice Keeler has demonstrated. Be sure to follow her on twitter and/or on her email list. I will make another post about things to definitely do and things to avoid while using the GAFE tools.

One of the biggest things to become accustomed to in the blended learning environment is no longer being the person at the front of the room with something to do all the time. You will experience some cognitive dissonance. They key is how you will resolve that internal conflict. How will you overcome the old habits and expectations that have become engrained in your schemas about the education process?

Over the years, I had created many daily lessons that involved me at the heart of the classroom asking questions, being the primary reviewer, going at my pace, doing what I wanted/needed to do. What students did I leave behind? What advanced students did I slow down in order to keep them in lock step with my calendar and pacing? How can I use the tools at my disposal to expose them to a variety of psychological content? How can I use those extras to enhance primary content without losing the primary content? How can I leverage what I've learned from other teachers

As adults, when we are learners, we are busy, occupied with reading or solving problems or thinking of ways to address various issues we encounter. We may be deep in thought one moment, though ready to converse or ask a question at another. When we allow students to take the time to learn in class, there can be periods of silence where there is nothing immediately for teachers to do. This can make many of us very uncomfortable. This could be down time or sit at the computer time, but I see that as a waste. In my opinion that "down time" can be incredibly valuable.

The teacher can walk around to:

• make oneself available for questions as they arise
• make sure students are on-task
• ask questions of students--have them explain what they are reading or HOW they are solving a problem, depending on the work being done by students
• identify students who complete the work early or quickly and ask to check out their work and question what they have learned--often, students overlook key feature/aspects of an assignment when it is done too quickly
• get their ten thousand steps in
• identify classroom relationships and interactions

When a teacher is freed up to allow the students to work, something potentially magical can happen. Rather than 30+ teenagers looking bored, falling asleep, or using their phones, we treat them like adults, let them know what they are responsible for and allow them to live up to expectations.

One Tough Change

Let go of your ego. Many of us who have been teaching in the traditional style see ourselves as an actor, entertainer, laugh maker, steward of knowledge, and more. We need to change from being the focal point of the classroom to being "only" another important part of the classroom. This switch is more difficult for some than others. Instead of preparing lectures to be delivered at our pace, we will be creating learning experiences that students can follow at their own pace.

You must reexamine what you want students to get out of your classroom and your subject matter. Do you want them to "know things" or do you want them to be able to "do things"? What is more important, that students know about Ghrelin and Peptide YY and be able to recall the difference in a multiple choice question? Or is it more important that they learn about the hormonal processes about hunger and take that knowledge and be able to use it while explaining eating disorders to a wider audience in a student-led TED-style talk/presentation? Goals may change with blended learning.

Cautions

If you are anything like me, you will love getting out from under the literal mountain of paperwork that comes with traditional teaching.

• It will take time to become accustomed to not having handouts all the time
• Get used to asking students for technology help
• Learn to be comfortable with the potential chaos and the unknown
• As my principal, Ben Fobert says, "embrace the ambiguity"
• The more you get used to the internet as your best friend, the happier you will become
• The more you get used to the internet, the more frustrating it will become if it does not work
• The internet will not always work
• I repeat, the internet will not always work
• As with other methods, become knowledgeable enough to have backup plans in case your primary ones do not work

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Hyperdocs: A Key Part of Blended Learning

Graphic by Diana Mancuso

My first experience with the internet goes back to roughly 1992 and my TA Eric. I purchased a 14400 baud modem from him to use with my Macintosh Classic. He told me about bulletin boards online and I had recently learned about this strange new thing called AOL. They had been sending 3.5 inch floppy disks to my apartment. Later it was CDs. I must have received at least 50 of those over the years. Thanks to that student, I began learning about the internet, email, TCP/IP, modems, handshakes, FTP, and so much more. He became my teacher. For those of you not old enough to remember this, 1992 was before the World Wide Web had been "invented." The Web was born in 1989, but the general public was not using it until 1994 or later. At that time, many teachers were wondering how to use their Apple IIe or Apple IIgs, the one with a color screen and a mouse.

I digress.

Frontloading Content

If done well, the most work/effort will go into creating learning opportunities that allow students to think and grow at their own pace. Yes, we usually want them to grow so we can assess at the same time, especially true for those of us who teach Advanced Placement courses. At this early point, I like to create study guides that hit upon key ideas.

• I review the text
• I create a google doc as a study guide; questions/terms in the left column--student responses in the right column--this format makes grading so much easier than traditionally formatted documents.
• I may add video links with questions
• I may add memes and ask the kids to interpret them within the reading
• I may add songs/lyrics for the students to interpret within the current unit
• I definitely add multiple choice questions for practice AND short answer for FRQ practice
• FRQ practice is done in class

In class, I ask the students to be done with a particular reading by certain dates so we can discuss and do activities/demonstrations in class that can extend the book learning. My first hyperdoc is for motivation for my AP Psych course using Myers for AP 2nd Ed. (the online version). Any feedback and suggestions are quite welcome. I will be the first to admit that my first attempt falls short of the goals in the image above.

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I must confess that I had not heard the term "Hyperdoc" until this most recent winter break when I was doing some research and purchasing. That said, I've created various kinds of hyperdocs without realizing it before.




Creating hyperdocs, planning projects, and creating anything resembling blended learning will require a great deal of planning, perhaps even more so than lecture since we want to ask questions and elicit particular kinds of thinking and responses. After developing the initial lessons for your units, you can make changes each semester, or even class period to class period--there are no master copies to fix--just edit your primary document!

The Internet

Become very familiar with resources on the internet. They will be your best friend. You will need to give up the control I gave up when showing videos to class. I would pause the videos, asking questions, pointing out subtleties, making arcane (and sometimes irrelevant) references to ideas the students would never need or remember. I would go for the easy laugh. I learned I can still be a good teacher, perhaps even a better, without showing off some obscure thing I happened to recall in the moment.

Creativity in assessment will allow you to use assessments that can be evaluated without relying on multiple choice exams


posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Teaching Wundt's Research

I'm not a huge fan of TEACHING the history of psychology in the first days of class. There's no frame of reference for students and it just seems confusing to them. Structuralism? Functionalism? What? 

I recently came across this on Twitter and was very intrigued. It is a Psych Inquiry by Connie Varhagan of the University of Alberta. It is about a ten minute activity that can be used in explanation with Wundt's initial study on consciousness. It looks to test sensation and sensation/perception with cognition. The kids easily see the difference in their scores and hopefully have an "aha" moment.

Try it out here! http://www.gmw.rug.nl/~psychinquiry/01/reaction_times/reaction_times.swf

Has anyone used this in their psychology course to help teach the early foundations of psychology?

- Posted by Amy Ramponi 

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Brain Internet Search and Discover

Below is an assignment I do when I can get a computer lab for my regular psychology class.  Our school of 3000 has only two labs.  I love each of these sites--I use this assignment as a springboard into the brain and neuroscience after my students have become familiar with the brain (after about a week or two).  It is NOT a webquest, but rather a search and discover (my term, nothing official).  I checked all the links this morning and they all work. Many of my students are also poor and do not have computers and/or internet access at home to complete the assignment.

We have an alternating block schedule.  Given that, I added the last two sites on optical illusions for the students who work more quickly and give them something that could be endlessly entertaining.  My biggest goal is exposure to the possibilities of the brain and topics that interest them--that's why I began with sleep ;)

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

Mr. Schallhorn's Psychology/Brain             Name                                                                                                     Per         

Internet Search and Discover (rev. 10/13)

Follow ALL Directions: ·         Today's exercise is designed to take your through some excellent sites about the brain and help you review and understand the ideas for the unit. ·         Complete each section before moving on to the next one. ·         Go to my web site to access all these specific sites without having to type in each link.

Site 1: The Teenage Brain: Why We Sleep http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/from/sleep.html This link examines why teens sleep so differently than other people.  Read the first several sections and explain what the research says about teens and sleep.

Site 2: The Brain in 3-D Form-- http://www.g2conline.org/ --once here, look to the right and view the 3-D brain section This link shows the brain in 3-Dimensional form.  Play with the simulation to get a feel for the brain and how parts relate to one another.  Do this and read the descriptions at the right of the page.  Spend about five minutes doing this.  Name three things you learned about the brain by using this tool. 1. 2.  3.

Site 3: Brain Scans—http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/scanning/index.html This link explains in detail and great color just how science can scan the brain. What does each do and HOW does it achieve its measurement of the brain. EEG CAT PET MEG fMRI/MRI

Site 4: Brains in the News--http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html Neuroscience for Kids--in the News Choose one of the articles and give a four-six sentence summary of its contents.

Site 5: Brain Games Neuroscience for Kids--Neuroscience Games Choose a game that is for kids in high school. Play it and report back as to what you learned from it.

Site 6: Topic of Your Choice Scan the article titles on this page. Make a list of topics  (at least 8x) the magazine is currently offering. http://www.sciam.com/sciammind/

Site 7: Medical News Today Article—Search this site for articles dealing with the brain (easy search box at the top).  Choose and article.  Choose one and create a mini-report (summarize in 4-6 sentences on the article topics about which you read).  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

Site 8: Sheep Brain Dissection http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory/braindissection/index.html This link takes you through the dissection of a sheep brain and the connection to that of a human brain.  Please take key notes (at least 8) that are important to understand the brain.

Site 9: Society for Neuroscience: http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=brainfacts Take a look at the page.  Choose one of the topics under “main page.”  Read that section and summarize it here.

Optical Illusions Sites Go to the following links and experience the world of optical illusions. What do you see—what illusions grab your attention and why http://www.grand-illusions.com/ 1. 2. 3. What is happening to you when you view these illusions?  What is your reaction to it? http://www.youramazingbrain.org/supersenses/illusions.htm

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Internet Search and Discover Activities

One of my favorite things to do is share new ideas and perspectives with my students--especially ones that I do not necessarily have time to do within the formal curriculum.  Since I teach on a 100-minute alternating block schedule, I have created a couple of activities that have the students go to web sites that deal with aspects of a unit, read through the sites, and answer questions.  As much as anything, it exposes them to new resources that I've already checked for accuracy and appropriateness (front-loading).  I also ask questions that have them consider issues that I have some personal interest in.  Perhaps, at some point, they will continue asking questions themselves about obvious things within the context of their own lives.

Here is my first one for this fall for Social Psychology.  If you'd like a .docx version of this document, email me at psydways AT gmail.com.  I've also made one for the brain and biology unit later in the term.

Psychology: Web Exploration          Name                                                                          Per     

Social Psychology Edition rev. F2011

Be sure to read the instructions on each one to make sure you are doing the proper action.

#1  http://www.beyondprejudice.com/reduce_your.html   Read the page and list ten things people can do to reduce their prejudicial behavior (I know there are more than 10). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

#2   http://about-face.org/r/facts/    List two facts each about: Body Image: Media: Eating Disorders: Children and the Media: Appearance Messages: Socioeconomic Status, Ethnicity, and the Thin Ideal:

#3   http://about-face.org/goo/archive/   Choose a brand from repeat offenders______________________. What messages do this company’s ads send?

#4   http://about-face.org/goo/archive/ Choose a media literacy category.__________________________ What messages do ads from this category send?

#5   http://www.about-face.org/gallery-of-winners/top-ten-winners/1-2/ Examine these ten ads.  Why are these ten ads seen as being better ads in terms of their portrayal of women?

#6    http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005059    Describe where the term “ghetto” comes from.  Can you really describe something as "ghetto" now?  Explain.

#7     http://www.understandingprejudice.org/nativeiq/ Take your native IQ.  This is a test about your knowledge related to Native Americans and their history.  How did you do?  Explain why you did as well or as poorly as you did.

#9  So you are curious about brainwashing?  Check out this site: http://health.howstuffworks.com/brainwashing.htm Find terms and ideas we’ve studied so far to find out what you can discover about brainwashing.  Write down at least 5 things. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

#10  This site is a blog about relationships written by an author in the UK.  Choose one of the sub-articles and write down four observations/conclusions the research found about your topic.  http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/02/psychology-of-relationships.php Title of sub-article here: 1. 2. 3. 4.

#11  Go to this site:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/01/11/culture-affects-the-way-we-use-our-brain/1773.html Write a five sentence (one paragraph) summary of the findings.

#12  Can we avoid segregation? http://www.understandingprejudice.org/segregation/ Go to this site, read each short page and do the exercise.  Describe the Schelling Effect and the Anti-Schelling Effect. Schelling Effect Anti-Schelling Effect What you learned as a result of doing this exercise:

#12    http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007679 Describe what Nazi racism was about.

#13  Go to this site:  http://www.tolerance.org/activity/si-se-puede Read the article and list three key questions this raises in your mind. 1. 2. 3.

#14    https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/selectatest.html Take two of the demonstration quizzes on this page.  Which two did you take?  How did you do?  What surprised you? Explain. Quiz 1 Result: Quiz 2 Result: Explain why you think you scored this way.  How did it surprise you?

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Famous Psychologists Wiki Website

As many of you are aware, the latest revision (May 2010, May 2011) of the AP Psychology Course Description book, commonly referred to as the "Acorn Book", includes listings of famous psychologists in almost all of the unit descriptions. Throughout the course of this past school year many of us have gone to great lengths to include these psychologists in our AP Psychology units and assessments.

As we rapidly approach the day of the 2010 AP Psychology Exam, I was looking for a way for students to study/review these famous people from the history of psychology. Last year I had students in my AP Psychology classes form study groups to create Wiki outlines of the fourteen AP Psychology units (http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/2009/05/wiki-pages.html). My students seemed to find the outlines very helpful. This year I would like to expand the idea to the famous psychologists and beyond my school.

I have created a Wikispace page of famous psychologists at http://famouspsychologists.wikispaces.com waiting to be completed by AP Psychology classes from throughout the United States and possibly the world. My hope is many of you AP Psychology teachers and students will join forces to create a fantastic review tool. Together I'm betting we can create the world's largest AP Psychology study group.

Please take some time out of your busy schedule to visit the Famous Psychologists Wiki page and see if you and/or your classes would like to help with the project. I could see this as a great one or two day lesson in your classes as they prepare for the AP Psychology Exam. I am sure students will be excited about having your name and school name included on the Wiki site.

Lastly, as this is the first time I am taking on this type of adventure, please be patient with all those technological problems that I know are going to happen. It is one thing to try something of this nature with my students knowing when (not if) something goes wrong they will understand I am learning right along with them. It is a completely different thing to do the same in front of my peers throughout the country. I thank you in advance for your help and patience.

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Online Responsive Face

Ken Perlin, professor of Computer Science of the New York University Media Research Lab has developed an online program called "Responsive Face" in which the user can manipulate various aspects of a computerized virtual face.

The site includes preset faces for various emotions including: frightened, disappointed, annoyed, surprised, happy, arrogant, and angry. Users can changes many aspects of the face to create their own set of emotions. The Responsive Face can be found at http://mrl.nyu.edu/~perlin/facedemo/

Faceland, a distant cousin of the Responsive Face, is a computer program for sale from Do2Learn for $179. From what I can tell by the promotional information, the program is a very sophisticated version of Responsive Face. If anyone has purchased Faceland for use within a high school psychology class, I would love them to leave a comment below detailing their experience. For more information on Faceland go to http://www.do2learn.com/subscription/product_details/cd_Faceland.php

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Memory Studies on APA's OPL

Back on April 24th of this year (2009), we posted a blog entry with information on the APA's highly interactive Online Psychology Laboratory (OPL) (http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/2009/03/opl.html). The laboratory has a number of memory activities for students to partake in. In fact, the memory unit is second only to sensation and perception for the amount of studies.

Below you will find a listing of the seven studies currently on the OPL. Simply click on the item below to go to the study. Please be aware, the site requires teachers register and obtain a class ID.

To register your classes go to the homepage for the OPL at http://opl.apa.org/Main.aspx

Memory

• Be A Juror
• Learning and Memory
• Numerical Memory (Requires headphones)
• Object Location Memory
• Pitch (Requires headphones)
• Word Recognition
• Facial Recognition

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