Future lies in blended mode

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Future lies in blended mode
'We must put learning and learners first, technology second.'

Abu Dhabi - With blended education, teachers can play the role of mentors and counsellors, working with students on all the emotional challenges that could arise from the educational challenges.

by

Ismail Sebugwaawo

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Published: Sat 7 Oct 2017, 9:23 PM

Last updated: Sat 7 Oct 2017, 11:26 PM

Blended education is the future and teachers have a responsibility to empower their students, said Michael B Horn, co-founder and distinguished fellow at Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.
Horn outlined the future of education in the context of technological innovations that continually offer new channels of learning in his keynote speech at a session titled 'Disrupting Class to Reinvent Education' during the first day of the Qudwa 2017 Global Teachers' Forum in Abu Dhabi.
Co-author of Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, a bestseller on Amazon.com, Horn highlighted the benefits of blended education that allows teachers to use Internet in helping students enhance their knowledge and creativity.
Horn questioned the rationale to have an education system that barely optimises learning. He said: "Education institutions follow a fixed-time system where we bring in students, cram their minds with the curriculum, then we test and assess their understanding - just like a factory line works. We do not consider the fact that some students have fully comprehended the class and others haven't, with great variables." 
He stressed the need to customise and personalise the delivery of education. "We are seeing what is now being called the Swiss cheese effect with students developing holes in their learning. Due to the system in place with a running curriculum, teachers are facing difficulties in finding these holes early on."
"With blended education, teachers can play the role of mentors and counsellors, working with students on all the emotional challenges that could arise from the educational challenges. We must put learning and learners first, technology second." 
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
 


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