Teachers to step aside for virtual learning

(CHINA DAILY) Educationexpertsarepressingthecaseforonlinelearningprograms,toimprovetraditionalclassroomteachingbyhelpingstudentstoabsorbandretaincoursematerialsmorereadily.

Theapproach,oftenreferredtoas“flippedclassroom”study,allowsstudentstostudytheirclassroomlessonsinadvanceusingonlinecomputerprograms.Onlineprogrammedlearningpreparesstudentsforrealtime,in-classengagement.OriginallyproposedbytwoAmericaneducationistsnearlyadecadeago,theconceptisbasedonthetheorythat“pre-learning”onthecomputerallowsstudentstopickupessentialconceptssothattheyaremorereadilyabletoabsorbknowledgeintheclassroom.

ResearchbytheHongKongFederationofYouthGroup(HKFYG)foundthatmorethanhalfof423studentrespondentsfromsecondaryschoolssaidtheirindependentlearningskillsimprovedwiththehelpofonlineprogrammedlearning.Theysaidtheywerebetterabletoengagetheirin-classstudies.Over40percentsaidthatthe“pre-learning”studieshelpedtobecomemoreinterestedinlearningaboutcertainsubjects.

ExpertsatHKFYGanticipatethatlocal,secondaryschoolswillexperimentwiththenewlearningenvironmentandtheylookforwardtoagovernment-sponsoredpilotschemetogivetheapproachwiderexposure.ResearchconsultantSteveMansaidtheflippedclassroomhasbeenwidelyadoptedinUSandEuropeancountriesandisbeginningtocatchoninSingapore,TaiwanandJapan.TheapproachremainsnoveltoHongKong.

Mannotedthathoweveronly30percentofstudentssurveyedsaidtheywouldbeinclinedtologontoopentheonlineprograms,topreviewlessonsbeforeclass.GigiAuYeung,whowasinvolvedinpreliminaryresearch,saidevaluationshouldbeprovidedforvirtualclassroomstudiestoensurethatstudentprogressandefficiencyareevaluated.Whilestudentsmaybeunsupervisedonthevirtuallearningsystem,shesaidthereareotherevaluativemeanstodeterminehowwellstudentsfarewiththeprogramincludingobservationbyteachersandbytesting.