EDTC 610 Final Exam

Matthew Miller

Dr. Glenn Shepherd

April 26, 2015

Introduction

So you want to implement online unit of study that is both interdisciplinary and blended?

Be forewarned that it will take a lot of work and communication between you and your peers.

But when the product is complete, it will pay off because your students will have participated in

a unique learning experience. This workshop will be a lecture on how to best implement a unit

like this. We will cover topics such as the definition of an interdisciplinary approach and some

examples of it, the definition of blended learning and examples of it, a review of the unit that I

was able to create with my graduate school colleagues, some tips for implementing and

managing a unit like this, and some of my personal thoughts and recommendations for making

this a successful experience for you and your students. Let’s get started.
Definition and Example of Interdisciplinary Approach

The ultimate goal of secondary education is to mold students into well-rounded, college

and career ready individuals. In many scenarios beyond high school, people use multiple

disciplines in order to solve a problem. Preparing students for this is the goal of an

interdisciplinary approach. “The hall mark of interdisciplinary education is integration of

notions and guiding principles from multiple disciplines to systematically form a more complete,

and hopefully coherent, framework of analysis that offers a richer understanding of the issue

under examination,” (Goldsmith, Hamilton, Hornsby, & Wells).

An example of how the interdisciplinary approach works can be seen in a lesson where

students examine causes and remedies to the racial achievement gap in education. Students learn

about what the achievement gap is, examine theories on it, look at data, and write a paper about

what they learned and possible ways to address the issue (Hamilton). A lesson like this covers

multiple disciplines such as Economics, Education, Sociology, English, and Mathematics.

Students look at the issue from multiple angles in order to make an informed, well-rounded

argument for closing the achievement gap.

Research has shown that an interdisciplinary approach to education provides gains for

students’ ability to recognize bias, think critically, and embrace ambiguity (Goldsmith, et al.). In

order to “help students overcome a tendency to maintain preconceived notions,” teachers can

“recognize the source of the preexisting understandings [students] arrive with, and by

introducing students to subject matter from a variety of perspectives that challenge their existing

notions,” (Goldsmith, et al.). In the achievement gap example, students looked at reasons why

black students score lower than white students and discuss how to remedy those preconceptions,
hopefully to challenge the students’ feelings on the beliefs they have been exposed to.

Interdisciplinary learning helps students acquire perspective, develop structural knowledge, and

integrate conflicting insights from alternative disciplines which all contribute to raising critical

thinking ability (Goldsmith, et al.). When examining at a problem from one angle, aspects can

be hidden from that view. “When learning is confined to a single disciplinary perspective,

ambiguity is considered a shortcoming of the analytical framework,” (Goldsmith, et al.). By

gaining perspective from multiple disciplines, the interdisciplinary learning process promotes

ambiguity by providing the means to see things from alternate perspectives “thus, students

acquire a better understanding of the complexity of problems of interest and the associated

challenges of solving them” (Goldsmith, et al.).

Definition and Examples of Blended Learning

Blended learning is a method of teaching that I am really excited about. It can be simply

defined as “combining online and face-to-face learning,” (Yapici & Akbayin, 2012). Teachers

balance traditional teaching methods that are classroom based with self-paced online lessons for

students to work on independently or collaboratively. For schools that are implementing a bring

your own device policy or have the capacity for each student to use a computer, a blended

learning approach to teaching provides many ways that students can be engaged in their

education.

Many schools around the country have already adopted blended learning approaches in

various successful ways. Schools are limited in the amount of courses they can offer, but with

the internet and blended learning, students can access more courses than their school can offer.

In order to maximize educational opportunities, a school in New Hampshire set up remote

classrooms for students to virtually participate in courses in other high schools which allowed

them to choose from an expanded list of courses (Riddell, 2012). Similarly, in Miami, college

prep courses are offered online and complimented with tutoring and practical learning situations

located at local high schools (Riddell, 2012). Blended learning is not only for high-achieving

students, it can also be successful with students who need serious help. In some New York City

schools, blended learning is being used to help students recover credits for classes they have

failed in order to graduate on time. A similar system in Virginia has helped a school lower its

dropout rate and sent 84% of graduates to college (Riddell, 2014).

Blended learning has some great benefits for students such as higher achievement,

improved attitude, and ability to reach multiple learning styles. A study conducted with Biology
students in high school where some were taught with a blended learning approach and others

with a traditional approach had students take a pretest and posttest. While the pretest scores for

both groups were virtually the same, the posttest scores were significantly higher for the blended

learning group. “Depending on this result, it could be stated that the activities carried out on the

basis of blended learning were more effective on students’ achievement than the traditional

teaching method,” (Yapici & Akbayin, 2012). This same study also measured the blended

learning group for their attitude towards the internet before and after the experience. The results

showed that “it can also be stated that blended learning environment has positive effect on the

students’ attitudes towards the internet; especially use of the internet for education, research, and

information sharing,” (Yapici & Akbayin, 2012). We know that our students have various

learning styles and many visual learners struggle in non-visual classes. However, blended

learning, with the use of the internet, allows teachers to reach those visual learners and also

students of other learning styles. “The augmentation of visual images embedded into the

materials assures higher levels of learning will occur for those participants with a related visual

learning style. The case of working on asynchronous projects on a schedule that is internally

geared to a learner’s cognitive level of available focus of time, leads to documentable increased

levels of achievement (Pregot, 2013).

Description of My Unit of Study

For my UMUC Graduate School class, I was partnered with four other students and

tasked with the goal of creating a unit of study that is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and

blended. Our group consisted of two French teachers, a Physics teacher, a Health teacher, and a

Math teacher. In order to involve the most disciplines as possible, we decided to drop the idea of

using French, focused on the others, and settled on a unit where students would be learning about

arm motion, specifically bending at the elbow. The goal for the students was to determine

essential, contributing factors in the effectiveness of an arm brace, present their findings, and

determine in what ways an arm brace may or may not be beneficial. The timeline for the unit

was to complete the unit in approximately four weeks. In that timeframe, students would be

learning from the subjects of Geometry, Algebra 1, Health, and Physics in order to gain

perspective from multiple views. Each subject was set up to have a few blended lessons and

once the students progressed through each subject, they were to have discussions online about

what they had learned and how that applies to the effectiveness of an arm brace.

One of the main focuses of this unit was to be teaching with a blended approach. Each

discipline was responsible for having some online and face to face teaching elements that would

supplement each other. During the Physics part, students were learning all about torque. They

started by visiting three online experimental sites to play around with torque and build their own

ideas about how torque works. Then in the classroom, they read about torque from a textbook,

took notes, and related what they read to what they saw online. During the Algebra 1 part,

students were learning about how to collect data, display it, and analyze it. Students were

required to pre-watch an internet video introducing them to random sampling. Then in class,

they actually conducted a random sampling experiment. At the end of the lesson, they took an
online quiz and submitted the score to the teacher. For the next lesson, students again pre-

watched a video on scatter plots to prepare them for class. Then they did an activity where the

gathered data, created a scatter plot, and analyzed the data. Health students were to learn about

arm muscles and causes of muscle loss, deterioration, and injury. Through a combination of

teacher-led discussion and online research, those students were able to complete a research

paper. Geometry students focused on the range of motion of the arm. They independently

visited websites to review angles, gathered data on arm dimensions, and created presentations

online using Emaze or Prezi to present findings.

Once the classes completed their lessons, the project became collaborative. Each class

was responsible for posting on a Google discussion board about how their discipline is involved

in the effectiveness of an arm brace. Physcis students posted about what torque is, how it is used

to operate the arm, and how it can be used to improve the arm. Algebra 1 students shared how

they collected data on arm measurements, created scatter plots, and analyzed the data to come up

with ideal arm dimensions for using the least force to lift objects with the arm. Health students

posted about their research on arm muscles, deterioration, and injury. Geometry students posted

their online presentation. Once all the information was out there, groups of students looked at

the issues from all possible angles, consulting with the “experts” from each discipline in order to

decide what makes an arm brace effective and what ways an arm brace can be beneficial.

Students were graded by rubric individually within their own discipline and by group through the

discussions.
Tips for Implementing and Managing the Unit

Creating a unit that is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and blended is no small

undertaking. There are many factors to consider and a lot of planning that needs to go into this

type of project before ever beginning to implement it. Teachers thinking about implementing a

unit like this must look at factors like is it worth it to do this online, how to plan and prepare for

a unit, ways to organize and facilitate a telecollaborative activity, and how to create effective

learning groups online.

Using the internet to teach is not always the best method. This day and age with almost

everything going digital, teachers are pressured to use new technologies to enhance their

teaching. But simply using technology for the sake of using technology does nothing to help

students learn better and often makes things more difficult for the teacher. The SAMR model of

classroom technology integration is something to consider before taking parts of a lesson online.

SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition which are the four

levels of implementing technology in the classroom (Oxvenad, 2013). At the Substitution and

Augmentation levels, “technology acts as a direct tool substitute,” or “as a direct tool substitute

with functional improvement” (Oxvenad, 2013). At the Modification and Redefinition levels,

“technology allows for significant task redesign,” or “creation of new tasks previously

inconceivable” (Oxvenad, 2013). Using technology at the Modification or Redefinition levels is

called “teaching above the line” and is truly when technology is transforming teaching and

learning. This aligns with Judi Harris’s definition of taking a lesson online as opposed to in the

classroom is “worth it.” Harris asks teachers to consider two questions when deciding if online

tasks are worth it; first, “will this use of the internet enable students to do something that they

couldn’t do before?”; second, “will this use of the internet enable students to do something that
they could do before, but better?” (1998). If the answer to both of these questions is “no,” then

the lesson is probably not worth it to do online and would not be at the Modification or

Redefinition levels of the SAMR model.

Once it’s determined that going online is worth it, it is time to design the unit.

Collaborating teachers should consider using the ADDIE model for instructional design when

entering this phase. ADDIE stands for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate

which are steps to help teachers think through a course’s design (Raleighway). A unit is

obviously not an entire course, but the model can be used nonetheless. Most of the work is done

in the Analyze and Design stages where teachers should be pre-planning, thinking about the

course, then designing the unit on paper (Raleighway). If those parts are done thoroughly, the

Develop and Implement stages should be easy to develop the unit materials, assemble the unit,

and teach the unit (Raleighway). After the unit is complete, it is important to Evaluate by

looking at the outcomes of the unit with a critical eye and thinking about did students achieve

goals, and how the unit can be made better (Raleighway).

When in the Analyze and Design stages of the ADDIE model, teachers should examine

Harris’s steps to organizing and facilitating telecollaborative projects. Step one is to choose the

curricular goals. When choosing curricular goals, Harris suggests that “it is very important to be

sure that the learning goals that you specify for the activity are: tied directly to the curriculum

and could not be accomplished at all, or as well, using more traditional teaching/learning tools”

(Harris, 1995). Step two is to choose the activity’s structure. Decide whether your unit falls

under the category of Interpersonal Exchanges, Information Collections, or Problem-Solving

Projects (Harris, 1995). Step three is to explore examples of other online projects in order to

gather ideas rather than starting from scratch. Step four is to determine the details of your unit
such as its educational purposes, the number of collaborators, a timeline, and procedures (Harris,

1995). Steps five and six involve inviting collaborators and forming the group. Step seven is to

communicate which is potentially the most important step. Setting deadlines and reminders to

the group is essential in proceeding through the process. The final step is to create closure,

hopefully with seeing students engage with a top-notch unit that grows them intellectually.

During the unit, it is inevitable that students will need to work in groups in order to

perform a task. Creating effective groups can be challenging but many strategies to use in order

to give groups the best chance to be effective. Scaffolding to build skills for group work is

important for small group projects. This can be achieved by “sequencing activities that build on

previously learned skills and positioning small group activity later in the course when students

have acquired the confidence and skills to be successful,” (Brindley, Walti, & Blaschke, 2009).

Another strategy would be to balance clarity and flexibility within the task. “Effective course

design will make the purpose and parameters of group tasks and the learning goals clear and

explicit while still allowing students flexibility, such as choice of group membership, member

roles, and specifics of the topic” all while heightening student engagement, responsibility, and a

sense of relevance (Brindley, Walti, & Blaschke, 2009). Finally, teachers must monitor group

activity actively and closely. “The instructor needs to be available for feedback, general

information, and private counsel” and “intervene as required to keep discussions on track,

support and animate dynamic conversation, help students stay focused on the task, assist with

relationship building, and provide reassurance” (Brindley, Walti, & Blaschke, 2009).
Personal Thoughts and Recommendations

Let me be clear in saying that implementing an online unit that is interdisciplinary is not

going to be an easy thing to do. Working with other teachers who could have differing opinions

can be very challenging at times. The information that I have provided is a great place to start

but you will inevitably hit times of rough patches during planning and implementation. My top

three recommendations for making this a successful experience are making sure teachers meet

face to face, making sure students meet face to face, and following a timeline with deadlines.

My group attempted to exclusively use discussion boards for communication during the

creation of this unit. I would highly recommend against that. If you are collaborating with other

teachers, definitely set times to meet face to face so that you can talk out issues that may arise. I

felt that my group could have easily resolved any issues or clarified any misconceptions through

a one hour Skype or Google Hangout session. Instead, we put our thoughts on a discussion

board and waited, sometimes for days, for others to respond, hoping that they have read

everything. It was a nightmare at times. In most situations, I would assume teachers would be

collaborating in their own schools so this shouldn’t be very difficult. Meeting personally will be

much more time effective than exchanging emails and waiting.

Similarly, do not expect students to be able to communicate exclusively online either. If

college graduated adults struggle with that strategy, it would be crazy to expect students not to.

Make sure time is scheduled for students to meet with collaborators. If during school is

impossible due to class schedules, set up time before or after school in order for students to talk

to each other face to face. Make it an event and have snacks to motivate them to come. If that’s
still not possible, encourage them to use Skype or Google Hangouts to get them to speak to each

other. If there’s a will, there’s a way.

Lastly, setting up a timeline with deadlines is a key to success for this type of planning.

Start with the end in mind by determining when you would like to implement the unit. Work

backwards from there with group deadlines for aspects such as finished product, role assigning,

meetings, and reviews. Also, set up individual deadlines such as lesson completion and role

tasks. Be sure to plan some wiggle room in there because sometimes life happens and people are

pulled away for more pressing things. Group members might need to pull together in order to

help finish another’s responsibilities.

 References

Brindley, J., Walti, C., & Blashcke, L. (2009). Creating Effective Collaborative Learning
Groups in an Online Environment. The International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/675/1271

Goldsmith, A., Hamilton, D., Hornsby, K., & Wells, D. Interdisciplinary Approaches to
Teaching. Pedagogy in Action. Retrieved from
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interdisciplinary/index.html

Goldsmith, A., Hamilton, D., Hornsby, K., & Wells, D. Why Teach with an Interdisciplinary
Approach?. Pedagogy in Action. Retrieved from
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interdisciplinary/why.html

Hamilton, Darrick. What are the Causes and Remedies to the Racial Achievement Gap?.
Pedagogy in Action. Retrieved from
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interdisciplinary/examples/43466.html

Harris, Judi. (1995). Organizing and Facilitating Telecollaborative Projects. The Computing
Teacher, 22(5). Retrieved from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/Mining/February95-TCT.html

Harris, Judi. (1998). Wetware: Why Use Activity Structures?. Learning and Leading with
Technology. Retrieved from http://virtual-architecture.wm.edu/Foundation/wetware.html
Oxnevad, Susan. (2013). Using SAMR to Teach Above the Line. Getting Smart. Retrieved
from http://gettingsmart.com/2013/07/using-samr-to-teach-above-the-line/

Pregot, Michael. (2013). The Case for Blended Instruction: Is It a Proven Better Way to Teach?.
US-China Education Review A, 3(5). Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED543176.pdf

Raleighway. What is Instructional Design?. Instructional Design: Using the ADDIE Model.
Retrieved from http://raleighway.com/addie/

Riddell, Roger. (2012). 13 Blended Learning Uses in K-12 and College Classrooms. Education
Dive. Retrieved from http://www.educationdive.com/news/13-blended-learning-uses-in-
k-12-and-college-classrooms/77416/

Yapici, I.Umit, & Akbayin, Hasan. (2012). The Effect of Blended Learning Model on High
School Students’ Biology Achievement and on Their Attitudes Towards the Internet. The
Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 11(2). Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ989031.pdf