I have always been that teacher. The one that looks at teaching and learning a different way than most. I don't like to do a lot of cutesie things or all the worksheets and classwork. I don't like to send the normal style of homework home. I never really thought about how I teach, it has just always come natural to me. I teach without thinking. I feed off the imagination and curiosity of my students. 

                                       

I was recently required to read a book called A New Culture of Learning:                              Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. I was not                                  excited to read it but I knew that I had to. The first paragraph I read                                    piqued my interest. As I read it drew me in closer and closer until I was                                almost done with the book 3 hours later. I had read almost the entire                                    book in one sitting. I was underlining phrases and jotting down notes while                            nodding my head in agreement. I even caught myself saying out loud, "YES".                          My mom thought I was crazy and kept asking if I was okay. I was hooked. 

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It speaks about the ideas of learning through doing, playing, and using an 

imagination. Who doesn't want to learn this way? Douglas Thomas and John

Seely Brown have written this book based on these ideas and the importance of 

technology to help improve learning. 

             

           "Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown portray the new

               world of learning gracefully, vividly, and convincingly."

             -Howard Gardner, John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and                        Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education (Thomas & Brown, 2011).                                                                        

My innovation plan of utilizing blended learning into my first grade classroom is the perfect medium for this type of classroom learning. Blended learning, according to Horn & Staker (2017), "is an educational program where students have some control of their learning (in an online method)". It can also involve some imagination, play, and learning by doing, just like the ideas in A New Culture of Learning.

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Many of the ideas that were presented in the book are applicable for my blended learning innovation idea. Those ideas include the following: passion, the collective, and learning as inquiry. 

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                                                   Passion:

                              According to Thomas & Brown (2011), "Learning that occurs outside of                                    schools or the workplace-through hobbies, reading, the media, and so                                  on-is almost tied to their passions" (p. 57). How hard would it be to bring                                this to the classroom? Why can't students learn more about things they                                  are passionate about? My first job teaching was in a very innovative                                    school district. My principal was very passionate about our students finding their passions. The very last hour, of every single Friday (through the entire school year) was set aside for passion hour. Students were encouraged to find their passion and take charge of their own learning to do research on it with a product to be completed at the end of the year.

This type of learning is unique, fun, engaging, and authentic. Learning is student-led and special to each child, igniting a love of learning. 

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The Collective:

"Collectives are made up of people who generally share values and

beliefs about the world and their place in it, who value participation over

belonging, and who engage in a set of shared practices" (Thomas & Brown,

2011, p. 57). Students in a classroom (especially in an elementary classroom)

fall into this category. Many young students tend to like the same things so

it makes it easy to implement blended learning focused on the collective.

Students can work in small groups in the station rotations while using technology to learn together. Social networking such as Facebook and Twitter are places that the collective of adults can learn together and from each other, Why can't our students learn and thrive this way?  Students should have the opportunity to learn with and from each other. Thomas & Brown (2017) mention that "each collective has the potential to make learning fun and easy and to allow people to follow their desires and passions in productive and fruitful ways" (p. 72). 

 

 

 

                              Learning as Inquiry:

                              I have always been that teacher that encourages her students to                                        explore and find their own answers to questions. When my students                                      want to know what a koala eats, I tell them to find it and share it with                                  the class. I encourage learning by inquiry. I like that they ask questions,                                but I love that want to answer them on their own or with their friends.                                  Students, even the younger ones, thrive on this way of learning. While                                    they are finding their answers, they often come up with more. As Thomas & Brown (2017) stated, "no matter what direction [the student] goes in or what he finds, more questions await" (p. 83). This is the type of learning I will encourage in my blended learning environment. I want to encourage exploration of information through the use of tech in the station rotation model. The students will have a better sense of motivation to learn through inquiry instead of filling out a worksheet.

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I do anticipate that there may be challenges I will have to overcome when attempting to use these innovative ideas in my blended learning environment. That is the best way to learn and try new things. Everyone learns from failures more than from success, so I will invite the challenges and embrace the successes. I believe the main challenges will be the management of the students' behavior and keeping them on task as they learn and explore in the new ways. 

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I whole-heartedly believe this new culture of learning will encourage me and my students to learn to become self-motivated learners. My students will use blended learning along with passion, a collective, and inquiry to become better and stronger learners.

          

       My new favorite quote is...

           "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him as long

          the fish supply holds out. But create a collective, and every man will learn how to feed

          himself for a lifetime" (Thomas & Brown, 2017, p. 53) 

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