Blended Learning in the Elementary Classrooms

As superintendent of Utica Community Schools in Michigan, Dr. Christine Johns has received national recognition for her success in bringing technology to the classroom. Under its superintendent, Dr. Christine Johns, Utica Community Schools' kindergarten-through-second-grade classrooms have implemented a highly regarded blended-learning program that focuses on individualized instruction.

In the world of education, blended learning refers to a combined approach that integrates digital learning into the curriculum. The online component of the model exists to give students a greater degree of agency in the pace, and occasionally, in the time and place of their learning, as well as to further differentiate instruction and create a tailored education for each student

The blended-learning model may take one of six forms, several of which offer instruction that is entirely, or almost entirely, online. More common in the elementary classroom, however, is the rotation model. This enables students to access online resources for a portion of their day, either every day or a few times per week. In other schools, teachers schedule digital instruction delivery based on the needs of the curriculum and the students.

In both models, teachers select digital activities that enhance the curriculum and the student experience. Students are able to engage in content targeted at their individual levels of mastery, while teachers have the chance to review results and understand how, when, and what their students are learning.

An Introduction to the Montessori Method

Since 2006, Dr. Christine Johns has served as the Superintendent of Utica Community Schools (UCS) in Macomb County, Michigan. As superintendent, Dr. Christine Johns oversees a number of educational programs within the district, including a K-6 Montessori program.

Developed more than 100 years ago by Dr. Maria Montessori, the Montessori Method focuses primarily on the natural desire of children to learn and explore the world around them. The teacher prepares an appropriate learning environment for children and then encourages them to act independently within it. Although teachers create the setting, children ultimately have the freedom to choose how they engage with their surroundings.

Multiage groupings are also a key element of the Montessori Method. This gives older children the opportunity to model learning behaviors and share knowledge with their younger peers, much like in the real world where people interact with individuals of all ages and experience levels. As a result, Montessori education teaches children to think critically and work collaboratively, which sets them up for continued success for years to come.                            

Transformation Talk - Preparing Students for the Future. Superintendent ...

UCS means Success for this year’s graduates and all those to come

Utica Community Schools has sent more than 2,200 new graduates out into the world this year.

 

They are leaving our schools with a wealth of experience, bold determination, a sense of optimism about their futures and that extra something known to our community as UCS means Success.

 

Our district has a long legacy of graduating young men and women with both a solid academic foundation in core areas as well as the skills needed for success in their postsecondary educational pursuits, military service or the workplace.

 

Never before has academic success been as important as it is today, as educators throughout the nation redefine the characteristics students will need in order to be competitive in tomorrow’s workforce.

 

Yale economist Robert Shiller recently wrote in The New York Times about the impact the technology age and automation have had on available jobs (New York Times, May 22, 2015).

He reasoned that because computers are becoming more adept at processing and compiling information traditionally handled by employees, job providers will need a different kind of workforce. He concluded that teachers “should define and provide to our students a certain kind of general, flexible, insight-bearing human learning that… cannot be replaced (by computers).”

 

I am confident our graduates this year and those that follow will continue to be well-prepared for this changing job market – to think differently – thanks to the work of our teachers to provide students opportunities for success at every level.

A prime example is our district’s nationally-recognized use of technology in all K-12 classrooms. Effective technology integration goes hand-in-hand with developing students who are able to work collaboratively, demonstrate flexibility, apply essential problem-solving skills and succeed at the next level.

 

The Digital Learning Media Design (DLMD) course introduced this year in our seven junior high schools already supports the skills Dr. Shiller referenced. Beyond teaching computer expertise, the DLMD curriculum stresses important concepts in using technology in the most effective and appropriate ways.

 

The course has our students put together a complex multimedia presentation that requires them to focus on addressing an important issue such as cyberbullying. Students work in small groups to prepare an overall presentation on the topic and possible solutions they then offer to the whole class for input and discussion. In the process, everyone is accountable for producing a successful project – an authentic workplace skill.

 

Flexibility and creative learning are truly fundamental to all of our programs. Another prime example of teaching our students how to think differently is in the area of language arts. Students are taken beyond basic literacy skills to consider different situations – such as imagining what would happen to the characters in Harper Lee’s novel "To Kill a Mockingbird"
if the story was told today.

 

Dr. Shiller’s observation is correct up to a point, but the reality is that computers can only take us so far. To navigate their future, our students will need to go beyond where technology stops. They must also develop the intrinsic human drive for success – “the grit” – that can never be automated.

 

This June, as I stood on the stage at the district’s six commencement ceremonies and looked out at our collective Class of 2015, I saw that grit and creativity in the faces of each of the graduates.

 

They have that one thing that will always make a difference in tomorrow’s job market and in life – the advantage of UCS Success.

 

Planning tool provides universal resources to make college and career dreams a reality

We are extremely proud of the college culture we are creating in Utica Community Schools

This culture means – and will continue to mean – opening college and career doors for our students by emphasizing the importance of post-secondary experiences – whether that is a technical school, community college or four-year university.

As a result, our students are making conscious decisions to increase the rigor of their course offerings and take advantage of the Advanced Placement opportunities in our secondary schools.

These decisions continue to make a difference. Scholarship offerings for our students exceed more than $30 million annually. It is not unusual for UCS families to save a full year of college costs as a result of their child’s AP success. Our graduation rate at 90 percent is 14 points higher that the state average.

But there is still more work to be done.

For this reason, Utica Community Schools is introducing a new tool that will assist families in navigating the road that leads from students envisioning their careers to realizing and creating their dream jobs.

It is also a tool that is unique to UCS students, as we are one of the first public school districts in Michigan to use this system.

The tool, called Naviance, supports the college and career process by being a universal resource tool for everything post-secondary - resources, applications, admission requirements, financial aid, course recommendations and scholarship opportunities.

The system provides students with a variety of features, including college research tools, course planning, and career and goal assessments to help connect what they are doing in school to what they would like to do once they graduate.

These features are personalized for each student based on their career interests and goals.
Even better, the program takes parent involvement to a new level by making them active partners in this planning process.

An on-line tool called Family Connection provides families with access to resources and other collaborative activities that are supporting their students’ college and career-readiness activities.

These resources include a resume builder that provides students with a structured approach with intuitive instructions. The planning tool also walks students through completion of the Common Application for college admission and targets scholarship opportunities based student’s specific career and post-secondary choices.

Students who piloted the program this fall report that they love the expanded post-secondary opportunities that are identified for them in their field of interest. Students are finding a wide range of post-secondary institutions that support them in their career goals.

Other students and families like the test-prep features that are saving them both time and money. The free service gives students access to tutorials that systematically walks them through what they need to know to be successful on college entrance exams.

Naviance is currently being introduced to all UCS sophomores and juniors. By the end of the school year, all secondary students will have access to the system with parents having this resource by the Fall 2015.

Our college culture is about making sure that our students are on a solid path to their successful future.

The art of navigating that path has just become clearer for our students and their families.