How to Teach Remedial Students Successfully in K-12 ...



| |

|How to Teach Remedial Students Successfully in K-12 Virtual Learning Environments |

| |

| |

|Karen R. VenDouern-Srba |

|7/19/2010 |

OMDE 610

|Who will be successful in online classes is a topic of broad research for higher education, but in the K-12 arena there is little research to |

|predict these outcomes. In this paper, the author lays out successful learning strategies and content delivery strategies that have made |

|Frederick County Public Schools Virtual School students successful in online classes regardless of their academic achievement or |

|socio-economic status. Important factors of success include the teachers high expectation of successful performance, personal motivation to |

|succeed and pass the course, autonomy to learn anywhere, anytime to avoid classroom distractions, the instructors ability to model effective |

|learning strategies that teach students how to learn, the instructors consistent and supportive communications, and the use of technology to |

|promote individual learning styles that stimulate and motivate students to learn. The author uses her seven years of traditional classroom |

|experience and 2 years of online teaching experience to provide other teachers and content developers with the information needed to make all |

|K-12 distance education students successful. |

Research on K-12 distance education states that remedial or lower level students tend not to be successful in an online environment (Davis & Roblyer, 2007, Matthews & Neil, 2000, Roehl & Snider, 2007). In my experience as a traditional classroom teacher and an online virtual teacher of high school students in Frederick County, Maryland, I have found that remedial students are capable of learning and succeeding in the virtual classroom regardless of their academic background, socio-economic status and culture.

This paper will focus on how remedial students can succeed in distance education. In this author’s experience what makes remedial students successful in online learning is the teachers high expectation of successful performance (Roehl & Snider, 2007), personal motivation to succeed and pass the course, autonomy to learn anywhere, anytime to avoid classroom distractions (Widemeyer in Hanson, Simonson, & Schlosser, 1999, pp. 2-3), modeling effective learning strategies that teach students how to learn, consistent and supportive communications (Bonk & Zhang , 2006), and use of technology to promote individual learning styles that stimulate and motivate students to learn (Chandler, Kalyuga & Sweller, 2000).

Background

First let’s discuss the background of the student in the virtual class. Students in the Frederick County Public High School’s Virtual School (FCVS) have either failed the equivalent classroom course or have transferred in from another state and need the credit for graduation. Those students failing the course in the traditional classroom total around 70% of the virtual class. Sixty-five percent of the students in the classes are black, Hispanic, or Asian. They come from various parts of the county that include inner city schools and highly rural or farm communities. Eighty percent of the students have a “C” or below average in traditional school. Most students have access to a computer either at their home school, a near-by library, or at home ().

Whether or not remedial students succeed in an online learning environment has been the debate for teachers and experts for many years. Many believe that some students who can’t learn in the classroom can’t possibly learn in a virtual environment. This kind of thinking will only lead to low expectations and failure of remedial students (Blomeyer, Cavanaugh, Gillian, Hess, & Kromrey, 2004). At FCVS, most remedial students have performed better in the online environment. One technique accredited with this success is the instructor’s high expectations that every student regardless of their learning background could and would be successful in the online environment.

Studies show that having high expectations of students is critical to their success (Roehl & Snider, 2007). It is crucial in K-12 remedial online learning (Blomeyer et.al). Many FCVS students expressed a personal connection to the instructor and found that her encouragement helped them continue when they felt that failure was eminent (FCVS, 2010). Many low level learners when given positive, consistent reinforcement, asynchronously and synchronously found the feedback to be a motivator to their continued success (Muller, 2009). High expectations for all learners and consistent feedback are important skills for an online instructor of remedial students (Berge, 1995).

Another important factor to the success of online remedial students is their motivation to pass the course (Clark & Cavanaugh). One of the ways students found to overcome failure at FCVS was receiving a passing grade and not having to retake the course. In an FCVS class survey, one of the most important factors students cited for their success in the course was their need and motivation to receive a passing grade.

According to the Bing Dictionary (), motivation is personal goal or ambition that one has projected upon a particular task in order to continue to complete that task. Higher level students tend to be very motivated to succeed and will find little distraction in the virtual classroom. Lower level students usually need a little extra incentive like needing to pass a class in order to graduate or needing the class in order to move on to the next grade(Ronsisvalle, & Watkins, 2005).

Autonomy is another factor that students found to be highly motivating in the FCVS courses. Some students new to FCVS found learning anytime, anywhere and at their own pace to be a preferred way to learn. Many chose to access class at midnight or late afternoon. A downside to this autonomy is having too much freedom and not accessing the course enough. This can be quickly overcome with email, texts, and phone calls to parents and guardians when students fall behind. It is a matter of getting their attention and refocusing their priorities. FCVS provides support for these students such as guidance counselors for additional help and instructors trained in K-12 learner support.

Sometimes the instructor simply needs to be a cheer leader that cheers their favorite team no matter the setbacks. The instructor will need to push, encourage, and hand-hold new learners until they take off on their own and accept the challenge of learning (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, in Bloymeyer, et.al.). Feedback is a critical part of that acceptance and modeling learning techniques along the way contributes to self-efficacy (Conrad in Bullen & Janes, 2007, p. 202). Modifying teaching strategies and helping students realize patterns in their learning will also make them successful (Hung & Crooks, 2009).

Many remedial and younger students lack attention and learning know-how. In order to trigger this learning know how, the instructor should demonstrate problem solving skills and peer collaboration techniques in order to stimulate the student’s own mental models (Clark & Merrill, 2008). In addition good study techniques are also needed. Working on a study plan with the student in the beginning of the course to map out when they would like to access the virtual classroom and how they will navigate the classroom is a must to promote self-regulation and discipline. Make this plan a part of a weekly progress report that gets sent to parents/guardians and guidance counselors. Work on the report with the student so that they are able to take ownership of the learning process and feel good about what they have accomplished. The report should include the student’s mapped out plan to complete the goals and objectives for that week versus the actual learning that took place in the virtual classroom (Heafner, Masey & Miller, 2009). This is a tremendous boost to their egos even if at first there are set-backs. They begin to learn the connection between completing the work and accomplishing the goals they set for themselves. Of course some students can have off weeks in learning because of other societal and cultural pressures, but with good communication between the instructor and the student, these difficult situations can be overcome.

Many learning management systems (LMS) such as Blackboard, Angel and Moodle provide reporting capabilities that allow the instructor to monitor performance against goals set by the student (). A report that details a students’ actions online and the work completed along with a grade for work completed will give the student the necessary feedback to help them see the connection between connecting and getting the work done. This report can be used in the weekly progress report. This report is also good for identifying areas a student may be having trouble. The instructor can easily address such issues and even adjust content and instructional techniques to further assist the student (Heafner, Masey & Miller, 2009).

Many LMS provide the ability for the teacher to provide extra content or changed content to certain student on the fly by changing rights and permissions of that content. This will allow an instructor to further customize the learning for the student and help with the success in the course. This is a technique used at FCVS. In the beginning it is a lot of work for the instructor, but in the long run the students will become more self-reliant and be able to finally make the necessary goals and objectives for themselves (Hung & Crooks, 2009)

This leads us to the next important strategy in teaching remedial K-12 students. The first few synchronous and asynchronous discussions in a virtual environment can lead an instructor to proclaim total defeat in the K-12 environment. Students use emoticons to speak and texting language to address everything but the topic the instructor has assigned. Here’s some advice, “don’t give up”. Discussions and reflective collaborative learning can be a great learning tool for many students (Gilbert & Merrill, 2008). They can watch their peers explain things and watch the instructor respond to their peers and eventually they will be able to duplicate the process and think more critically (Thorpe, 2002, p. 106). First they need to know the etiquette of the discussion area and be confident with the fundamentals of the topic (Booker, 2007).

FCVS students tend converse about unrelated items if they don’t understand the topic. They try to get everyone off topic by writing some ridiculous statement that gets everyone’s’ attention. This is where good moderating skills are important for the instructor (Berge, 1995). Providing rules up-front for discussions and designing a sample post for various topic areas can be very beneficial.

Taking the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions about the topic is also a good idea. Bloom’s taxonomy has been used in most traditional k-12 classrooms as a teaching technique to get students to think critically about their work. This method is great for most, but for some students more time is needed in gathering the general knowledge about a subject before they can write a brief constructed response and synthesize their answer (Booker, 2007). The reason is that many of these younger students have yet to develop critical thinking skills and good learning techniques (Clark & Cavanaugh, 2007).

This is especially true of lower level students or credit recovery students. These students need to be redirected and assisted in obtaining the fundamental key concepts of the lesson. It is the instructor’s job to monitor students’ achievements and assist them in the learning through additional one-on-one communication. Making changes in the instructional content can also assist the learner in obtaining the new knowledge as discussed previously.

Providing one-on-one interaction with the students and having a genuine concern for their individual learning is critical to their success. Some tend to need the instructor more than others, but it is the instructor’s job to find the right balance for each student (Conrad in Bullen & Janes, 2007). This can be very challenging given a virtual class of 25 students. Checking in weekly and for some daily in an email or tracking their logins and engaging them in instant messaging session is very valuable. It gives the instructor a pulse on the student and their level of enthusiasm and it gives the student who needs a little extra attention a chance to get it. FCVS remedial students tend to like interaction with the instructor and sometimes the conversation has to abruptly end to avoid too many off topic discussions. Finding a way to turn the conversation back to their studies and refocusing their attention can do the trick just as you would in the traditional classroom.

This brings us to the next topic on how content can be delivered in order to stimulate and motivate students in the learning process. The K-12 generation is referred to as the Net Generation or “always on” generation. It is harder to gain their attention in the virtual classroom and it is sometimes harder to turn them off when necessary to promote effective learning (Baird & Fisher, 2005). It is necessary to support their need for technology by delivering interactive content in various ways to stimulate their “always on” minds (Bonk & Zhang). They use IPods, IPhone, MP3 players and laptop computers with internet access on a regular basis.

Virtual classrooms are the future for students of the net generation. They are familiar with technology and have used it in since they were very young. They are not strangers to the internet and find You-tube and Facebook to be meccas of social entertainment and education as many students have debated FCVS’s policy to block such social networking sites (Baird & Fisher, 2005). They have grown up with all kinds of digital media including computer games and 3-D virtual worlds such as Action World and Teen Second Life (Dreher, Dreher, Dreher & Reiners, 2009). They chat on Facebook and tweet on Twitter. They bond together using technology as their catalyst. These students expect to be motivated by learning and expect that the learning involved is meaningful to them (Baird & Fisher, 2007). For this reason content in an online learning system must be diverse, interactive and technologically savvy (Bonk & Zhang, 2006).

K-12 virtual environments need to be designed and supported in such a way that young learners can navigate through the material autonomously but yet still have structure presented with specific online pedagogy (Krause, Bochner, and Duchesne, 2003; Woolfolk, 2006 in Dreher, et.al) . Allowing students some autonomy over their learning is one way to accomplish this interaction, stimulation and that important factor of motivation (Blomeyer, Cavanaugh, Gillian, Hess, & Kromrey, 2004). When artificial intelligence or intelligent agents comes into play in LMS, this kind of navigation can be more easily attained (Stoilescu, 2008). In the meantime, by accessing several different assignments that accomplish the same goals is a way to add personalized learning pathways. These assignments will appeal to all different kinds of learner who may be auditory, verbal or visual (Sadler-Smith & Smith, 2004, p. 399).

Another way to motivate remedial students is in delivering content that is meaningful and relevant to the students’ experiences. Young students find that in order for them to find meaning in learning, they need mental stimulation provided by various means of multimedia (Gearhart & Wang). The information also needs to be relevant in their learning experience. This is where knowing the learner and their individual learning style will make a huge difference in their success (Ronsisvalle & Watkins,2005).

In a study by Dunn on learning styles of various ethnic and cultural groups, he found that Latino’s and native Americans tend to value cooperation and loyalty, where African Americans prefer minimal structure with an emphasis on hands-on activity and experience based learning assignments. Most European Americans prefer self-directed, self-reliant learning on their own (Mestre, 2006). Understanding learners in any distance education setting is important, but it is even more critical for K-12 students as many have not yet developed their own learning know-how and self-regulation. By knowing their cultural background, the instructor can address individual learner’s needs directly through communication or by altering lessons in order to create learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful to the student.

This is also a way the instructor can promote a sense of community for those students who tend to find social networking important (Conrad in Bullen & Janes, 2007, p. 199). Using instant messaging to address students while working in the classroom or setting up a blog that stimulates user connections can be valuable to all students. For those participants who tend to over socialize even in an online environment, it is best to address them privately explaining how this environment is for communication related to education and that other means of communicating can be used but outside of the classroom (Berge, 1995).

Often times at the beginning of a course it is helpful to have students make connections with other students through stimulating interaction. Try an online game with the students so they can get to know you and each other. It is a great motivator and provides some community involvement (Long, 2007). I usually issue a challenge in a favorite game that a UMBC gaming professor showed me. It is the Catapult game (). I give students the link and we get to catapult pumpkins. The game is determining who can figure out the way to crack the code on super power boosting. Then we talk about our accomplishments in a discussion board and introduce ourselves by describing our favorite electronic devices and which one we could not live without. This is a great introduction and according Gagne’s Nine events of instruction, gets their attention and gets them involved in technology.

Interactive content is especially important to solving topical problems in an online environment. For students who need a little extra auditory and visual stimulation they may find that pictures and hypermedia pop-ups that give definitions of words is the extra technological magic that can help them become more successful (Roy, 2006). With a high percentage of low level readers in the classes, using various means such as icons, hypermedia pop-ups for definitions, Flash based Powerpoint presentations with narration, Podcasts, and simulations are extremely important as opposed to text only. Content can be delivered to these students in a way that they can understand technical and high level topics even if their reading and comprehension is not on grade level (Chandler, Kalyuga & Sweller, 2000).

Net generation students need more videos, participation in simulations, opportunities to organize data and make mental models necessary for critical thinking (Merrill & Gilbert, 2006, pp. 201-202). Second Life for teens is a great interactive adventure that can be woven into your curriculum. There are hundreds of Worlds already set up for things such as constructing houses, exploring art museums, and even exploring the inside of a computer. Teachers cannot join the teens in the interactive adventure, but they can assist by staying on an island created just for them to monitor and interact with the students (Inman, Hartman & Wright, 2010). Most of all students love it and if it is educational your administrator and parents will love it too.

One last item on technology that when fully implemented into an LMS, will be a wonderful tool for keeping track of learning pathways for distance education. A futuristic approach to designing software where autonomous pathways can be presented is with the use of artificial intelligence or AI. AI will soon allow users actions to be monitored by the software and suggest customizable pathways to learning. By using Spiders or web crawling technology designers and developers will be able to devise customizable navigation much like we can customize the look of a frequently visited web page (Whatley, 2004). Structured customizable content delivery is most advantageous for high school learners so as to keep them on topic and keep them from being inundated with too much information. This technology will allow designers to use a constructivist approach to learning that is so popular with educators and administrators for 21st century learning (Blomeyer, 2002).

In conclusion, the success rate of FCVS students is around 85 to 90% who pass the remedial technology education courses. Some students enroll but never show up and are not included in these statistics. Given that the traditional classroom rate of completion for these students is very low, one could conclude that the teaching strategies and content delivery of the FCVS technology course played an integral part in the success of these students. Providing initial continuous support, modeling good learning strategies, involving students in mapping their own success in units and using technology to enhance reading strategies has made FCVS students thrive in a course where they would normally fall behind. The argument that only advanced students can succeed in an online class is not true for FCVS technology students. Teaching to their diverse learning preferences and one-on-one interaction was the key to remedial student involvement and continued success in a virtual classroom.

References

Baird, D., & Fisher, F. (2005). Neomillenial user experience design strategies: Utilizing social network media to support “always on” learning styles. Journal of Education Technology. 34(1), 5-32. Retrieved from .

Berge, Z. L. (1995). Facilitating compute conferences: Recommendations from the field. Educational Technology, 35(1), 22-30. Retrieved from .

Blomeyer, R. (2002). Online learning for k-12 students: What do we do now? North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved on July 12, 2010

Blomeyer, R., Cavanaugh, C., Gillian, K.J., Hess, M., & Kromrey, J. (2004). The effects of distance education on K-12 student outcomes: A meta-analysis. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved from .

Bonk, C. & Zhang, K. (2006). Introducing the R2D2 Model: Online learning for the diverse learners of this world. Distance Education, 27(2), 249-264. Retrieved from

Booker, M. (2007). A Roof without Walls: Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Misdirection of American Education, Academy Questions, 20, 347–355, DOI 10.1007/s12129-007-9031-9

Bullen, M. & Janes, D. (2007). Making the transition to e-learning: Strategies and issues. Hershey: Information Science Publishing.

Cavanaugh, C., & Clark, T. (2007). What works in K-12 online learning? 5-19. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology Education. Retrieved from Education Research Complete.

Chandler, P., Kalyuga S., & Sweller, J. (2000). Incorporating learner experiences into the the design of multimedia instruction. American Psychological Association, Inc., 92 (1), 126-136. DOI: 10.1037//0022-0663.92.1.126.

Clark, G., & Merrill M.D.(2008). Effective peer interaction in a problem-centered instructional strategy. Distance Education, 29(2), 199-207. Retrieved on June 25, 2010 from .

Davis, L. & Roblyer, M.D. (2007). Predicting success for virtual school students: Putting research-based models into practice. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 11(4). Retrieved from

Dreher, C., Dreher, H., Dreher, N., & Reiners, T. (2009). Virtual worlds as a context suited for information systems education: Discussion of pedagogical experience and curriculum design with reference to Second Life. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 211-224. Retrieved from

Frederick County Virtual Schools. (2010) Angel Learning Report: Pre-assessment survey. Retrieved from mcpsmd..

Gearhart, D., & Wang, H. (2006). Designing and developing web-based instruction. New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Hanson, D., Schlosser, C., & Simonson, M. (1999). Theory and distance education: A new discussion. The American Journal of Distance Education, 13(1), 1-10. Retrieved from .

Heafner, T., Massey, D. & Miller, S. (2008). High-school teachers’ attempts to promote

self-regulated learning: ‘‘I may learn from you, yet how do I do it?’’. Urban Review, 41, 121-140. DOI 10.1007/s11256-008-0100-3.

Hung, J.L., & Crooks, S. (2009). Examining online learning patterns with data mining techniques in peer-moderated and teacher-moderated courses. Educational Computing Research, 40(2), 183-210. Retrieved from .

Inman, C., Hartman, J., & Wright, V. (2010). Use of Second Life in K-12 and Higher Education: A Review of Research, Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(1), 44-63. Retrieved from

Long, J. (2007). Just for fun: Using programming games in software programming training and education — A field study of IBM Robocode community. Journal of Information Technology Education, 6, 279-290. Retrieved from

Matthews, J., & Neil, M. (2009). Does the Use of Technological Interventions Improve Student Academic Achievement in Mathematics and Language Arts for an Identified Group of At-risk Middle School Students? Southeastern Teacher Education Journal. 2(1), 57-65. Retrieved from

Mestre, L. (2006). Accommodating diverse learning styles in an online environment. Reference and Users Quarterly, 46(2), 27-32. Retrieved from

Mueller, E. (2009). Serving students with disabilities in State-level virtual k-12 public school programs. InForum, 5(3B). Retrieved from .

Ronsisvalle, T. & Watkins, R. (2005). Student success in online K-12 education. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 6(2), 117-124. Retrieved from

Roehl, R., Snider, V. (2007). Teachers’ beliefs about pedagogy and related issues. Psychology in the Schools, 44(8) 873-886, DOI: 10.1002/pits.20272

Roy, K. (2006). The impact of learning styles in interactivity in asynchronous e-learning. Performance Improvement, 45(10), 21-45. DOI: 10.1002pfi.026.

Sadler-Smith, E. & Smith, P. (2004). Strategies for accommodating individual styles and preferences in flexible learning programs. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(4) 395-412.

Stoilescu, D. (2008). Modalities of using learning objects for intelligent agents in learning. (A. Koohang, Ed.) Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects , 4, 49-63. Retrieved from

Thorpe, M. ( 2002). Rethinking learner support: The challenge of collaborative online learning. Opening Learning, 17(2), 105-119. DOI: 10.1080/02680510220146887.

Whatley, J. (2004). An agent system to support student teams working online. Journal of Information Technology Education , 3, 53-63. Retrieved from

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download