This is a great reading experience this week. Dr. Reigeluth talked about a new paradigm of instructional theory. He presented three main factors in the new paradigm: teachers, students, and technology. The role and the function of the teacher should be changed from the old model to a new one, more like a designer, facilitator, and mentor to students. Students also need to change their self-rule from simply learners to self-directed learners. Dr. Reigeluth also emphasized the new role of technology. It should be not only for teachers but also for students, it can be used as a project-based learning tool. It can also be used in a more powerful way to provide support, assistance, and assessment for students which can also save time and energy for teachers who can use that time to produce more and better specific and detailed study leading.
The obvious change the pandemic brings to the teaching and learning field is the much heavier use of technology, an important but not easy immediate observed and adjusted change is the role of teachers and students have been also changing. There is a student in my son's virtual learning class, we knew him from last year's class, he's a very active and fun boy, not very focus on school teaching curriculum but he could always bring the class some fun from his real life and plenty of new things or even knowledge to other students and teachers. He showed the class his family’s barn and many farm animals, he also knew how to grow fruits and vegetables in his garden. He even had a small fair in the garage. However, this semester, he's experiencing some shock and upset or even frustration. The new virtual teacher this semester was focusing much more on what the school curriculum taught her to do, which ends up with the fun boy last semester who turned to be a dejected and unprepared student in the class. I do not blame the teacher for not adjust to adapt to this student, she's working hard and try to help students at her best. However, if there's any systemic change in the school, which gives the teacher more options or a new broader vision about how to collaborate in this different situation, it may be more helpful for both.
Jump back to the new paradigm of the instructional theory that Dr. Reigeluth presenter about 20 years ago, I feel like there are too many things we can do, in the educational field, no matter how small a role I am playing in, keep learning new trend and put it into daily work and teaching would critical and it is possible that can contribute to the better change.
Hi Sungling,
Your sharing about a real case in your children's class was really interesting for us to discuss about the importance of a teacher's role and necesscity of technology implementation planning. In the era of ever faster change, teachers are facing various challenges in daily instructional practices, especially in certain suddent events like this pandemic. As a teacher, it is critical to stay learning to integrate the new things and technologies into teaching, according to the students and environments conditions. After that, all the learning activities could be run as effectively and efficiently as possible.
-Xiaoying
Hi sungling, your this blog is very great. It is so interested that I read it all at once. I'm also strongly agree with your opinion that the teacher should more like a designer, facilitator, and mentor to students. In fact, teacher is an very important role during students' growth. And the situation is more obvious in lower grade，because the lower grade students more rely on the teacher, even in life. When I took in a conference or party, I usually hear some persons said that his/her one teacher encourage him/her to achieve the expected goal, and the others said that he/she did not like one subject because of one teacher, when they learned at middle or high school. So…