Is Blended Learning the answer?

I've been thinking about the book Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen.  In summary, for an educational model to be disruptive, it must meet the following criteria:

1. It must be cheaper than traditional school.
2. It must appeal to non consumers who will build a sustainable foundation.
3. It must at first be sub par to traditional education for students already succeeding in that model. 

It will likely:

1. Be simpler than a traditional school model.
2. Not appeal to "successful" traditional school students AND teachers AND administrators.

I believe that some of the "non consumers" would include many kids in low-income schools and any kids, anywhere that are failing in traditional schools.  I believe this because the alternative to the disruptive model (Whatever that is) is almost the same as no class at all.   Why?  They are failing anyway.  Then for a disruptive model of education to thrive, it must appeal to said groups and meet their needs.

The blended learning schools I am seeing, reading about, and the one I work at are trying to appeal to students with whom many would consider successful at "playing school".  I believe this is the wrong direction.  We need to appeal to these non consumers that I am talking about and we need to succeed with them.  All we have to do is provide a better alternative than the one that they currently have and we will disrupt traditional schooling.  Innovations will come if we can do that.  In time, we will be able to provide a better product than what traditional schools already have.

Blended learning schools are very expensive.  I don't think it's sustainable.  It needs to be cheaper.  Part of the reason why it's so expensive is because these schools are purchasing learning software and hardware for every student.  This is not a better alternative to traditional schooling.  This is worse!  It must be cheaper than traditional schooling.

I believe that what we really need is innovative teaching and learning, not more technology.  The technology will come with the disruption.  It always does.  We are too worried about that.  We want it to be there, but it just isn't there.  What we really need is to innovate how we teach and how we learn.  Innovating how we teach is simple, it will appeal to non consumers, it will be cheaper, and it will be sub par to traditionally educated students at first.   As we innovate, we will find ways in which technology can better serve us.  The technology that has been developed and is currently being developed is not innovative, nor is it disruptive.  It is a replica of the traditional model.  It will not survive if it doesn't change.  

Whatever ways in which we decide to innovate need to be simpler and cheaper than traditional models.  I think this can easily be done by focusing on curriculum and content.  Many traditional schools purchase computers and textbooks.  The blended learning schools I am speaking about are purchasing computers and digital curriculum.  It's the same thing!  In fact, I think it's more expensive because teacher to student ratios are far below traditional schools.  If we purchase computers and provide our own curriculum, we can still afford to lower teacher to student ratios.  

Computers are not a necessity at this point.  Computers will eventually provide much needed innovation in teaching and learning.  What I am saying is that the innovations need to mostly come without computers at first.  As the innovations in how we teach materialize, the computer will then be used to make the innovations more efficient, effective, and desirable than traditional schooling.  Use of the computer can't be forced.  It will happen because it's needed, but we haven't developed the need yet.

How will innovating how we teach in simple ways be sub par to traditionally educated students at first?  Because they have learned how to play the traditional game.  They won't want to try anything innovative because they don't need it.  They don't want it.  In their eyes, they are already succeeding.  So what does this mean for innovative education models, or those who so seek?  If we are drawing kids who normally succeed or excel in traditional schools, we are doing something wrong!  It must mean that we are offering or trying to offer a traditional education.   Why else would they take the risk?  They wouldn't.  That means they aren't taking a risk.  

When we opened our doors last year, we attracted many students whom I am describing as non consumers.  Many of them have left by now and are being replaced by students who very likely succeeded in traditional settings.  It worries me.  It must mean that we are in competition with traditional schools.  If so, we must be offering a sustaining innovation not a disruptive innovation.  Besides, we can't compete with traditional schools.  We are too expensive.  And if we are competing with traditional schools, what's the point?

Teaching Students to Become Thoughtful: Are we there yet?

As a teacher, I work very hard to help change beliefs about learning math and about education in general.  I'm not concerned so much about my students understanding every detail about algebra as I am that they are learning how to think.  Students will often become needlessly frustrated with specific topics or concepts or problems.  I think they can sense my angst and they automatically assume I am feeling what they are feeling.  But I am feeling that way because of how easy they have given up, because they are afraid of making mistakes and won't take risks, because they are overly concerned with their smart status, and many other things.

I don't care about the problem in the moment.  I'm looking ahead.  I'm thinking about how they are approaching the problem.  I'm thinking about the mathematics of the task while they are thinking about the performance of the task.  I'm thinking about all of the things that puzzle me and wondering why they aren't puzzled.

As the year progresses, the feedback I receive from students becomes more and more positive.  I feel like they are starting to get it.  I feel like they are starting to think like mathematicians.  I think this starts to change my approach a little bit because I start to believe that we are finally thinking alike.  As I start assuming we are on the same page, the negative feedback comes in.  Students are again focused on the performance of the task and the "right" way of doing things.

It's hard to gauge what's really happening though because I have to readjust how my gauge works.  Why?  Because that journey changed me.  Yes, it changed students too, but in the process of converting students, I converted myself on a deeper level.  Now I think differently.  Which makes it harder to gauge where they are at.  

As students change, the temptation is to change the focus in teaching.  But the very things that helped students change their way of thinking, and, subsequently, my thinking, are the very things that will help them keep changing their way of thinking.  "Are we there yet?!"  This is where I have gone wrong.  I have assumed that students would arrive at some end goal.  That journey is never over.  Learning to think is a task with no bounds.  It's the task of a lifetime.