NEXT GEN TOOLS Strategies and Innovations for Implementing Breakthrough Models
Blended Learning Classroom Design Why was this strategy developed?
“
Merit Prep Newark, Touchstone Education’s first blended learning
TOOL: Large classrooms and breakout rooms for blended learning and team-teaching GOAL: Professional development of teachers and increased student success through personalized learning BREAK THROUGH MODEL: Touchstone Education
With three teachers in the classroom, students have access to the best teacher for the best activity, any time they need it.
”
Ben Rayer, CEO and Founder
school, enables students to advance at their own pace by demonstrating mastery of standards through online educational resources and
Touchstone sees two distinct
individual conference with a teacher,
advantages to designing Merit
or work independently on their
Prep Newark classrooms to
school-issued MacBook Air laptops.
accommodate these large student/
teacher populations. First, teachers
useful when teachers provide
work in teams allowing “master
direct instruction to the entire
teachers” to provide professional
group, but it can also support many
development to less-experienced
students working at small tables
teachers throughout the school day.
on independent learning paths;
Second, students get the benefit of
teachers might roam the room to
personalized learning (working at
provide support as needed or provide
their own instructional pace) but in
direct instruction to small groups of
a large classroom community with
students. The stadiums are subject-
peers they can work with for support.
based, and every two hours students
move to another stadium focusing
How is it different?
The large stadium space is
alternately on English, math, science,
assessments. While the school began
Merit Prep Newark is a
and “flex time” (physical education,
with less than 100 low-income sixth
40,000-square-foot former
music, art).
grade students—many of whom were
commercial office building.
performing well below grade level—
Touchstone acquired the five-story
Merit Prep Newark now has 240 sixth
property from KIPP, a charter school
What is the advantage for students?
through eighth grade students and
organization that had already modified
Ben Rayer, CEO and Founder of
plans to add a cohort each year until
it to have a cafeteria, playground,
Touchstone Education, says that with
the school serves approximately 500
and other typical school facilities. To
three teachers in the classroom,
students in grades 6-12. Touchstone’s
further modify the space to suit its
“students have access to the best
learning approach includes having
model, Touchstone knocked down
teacher for the best activity, any
teachers work in teams of three to
walls to create 3,000-square-foot
time they need it.” The space allows
teach up to 115 students at a time
spaces called “stadiums” to serve as
teachers to work in teams to provide
(when the school reaches capacity)
classrooms. Each stadium has three
the most effective instruction for
in two-hour, subject-specific periods.
glass-walled “skyboxes” directly
individual students. The classroom
This model calls for spacious
connected to it that serve as breakout
design also allows students to learn
classrooms that accommodate a large
rooms. The skyboxes accommodate
in the various modes prescribed in the
number of teachers and students
various configurations of students,
school’s academic model: self-paced,
moving fluidly and gathering in
directed by teachers based on their
mastery-based, blended learning.
various sized instructional groups.
instructional needs; students might
work in small groups, meet in
the student-to-teacher ratio at Merit
When the school reaches capacity,
NEXT GEN TOOLS Strategies and Innovations for Implementing Breakthrough Models
Prep Newark will be higher than in a
daily in-service professional
planning, and a sense of teamwork
traditional classroom (about 38 to 1),
development for less experienced
to establish smooth working
but Rayer expects that student access
teachers. Because blended learning
relationships. “We strongly believe
to teachers, and teachers’ overall
models are relatively new, many
that this is the most promising model
effectiveness in the classroom, will
teachers have not learned blended
for our students,” says Rayer, and
be preserved since a large portion of
classroom teaching strategies, such
that’s why the school is committed to
students work independently and in
as effectively leveraging technology
work through the challenges of co-
groups. Although the open stadium
to provide core content knowledge,
teaching.
space can be noisy and distracting,
using direct instruction time to
students working independently wear
explore complex topics more in-depth,
What’s Next?
headphones, and the intent is that
or assigning a line-up (“playlist”) of
As the school scales up to its
students will learn an important life
online work for a student based on
full enrollment and grade span,
skill: how to stay focused in spite of
real-time assessment data. Teaming
Touchstone leaders will be flexible
commotion.
teachers allows them to also learn
with grouping students in classrooms
classroom management strategies
(whether they continue to be grouped
from one another, such as rituals
by age versus instructional level)
How does it improve learning?
and routines that keep the classroom
and consider different classroom
To effectively teach a large group
running smoothly, managing
configurations for middle and high
of students, teacher teams are
differentiated instruction, and dealing
school students. Rayer says that high
encouraged to use real-time data
with stress. Touchstone hopes that the
school science labs might look more
(provided through Touchstone’s
model will help teachers support each
like traditional classrooms with direct
Scoreboard tool) to strategically group
other as a team.
instruction—they will make those
students so that they can support,
decisions as students begin working
inspire, and learn from one another.
develop their craft in a way we don’t
on the high school science curriculum
Students might be grouped according
usually allow,” said Rayer. “Take heart
and administrators assess their
to mastery, in a peer coaching
surgeons, for example. We don’t
needs.
scenario, or to work on a specific
expect them to finish med school and
project. The learning potential for
then take a heart out. They take many
Matchbook Learning, a school
students working in groups benefits
years to perfect their craft. Likewise,
developer that emphasizes blended
from the larger pool of students
teachers need time and space to
instruction and developing teachers in
in Merit Prep Newark’s stadium
develop.”
a public school turnaround model. As
classroom than found in a traditional
“New teachers must learn to
Touchstone has recently joined
the Merit Prep Newark model scales
classroom. In addition, the stadium
What are the challenges?
and skyboxes give teachers flexibility
The blended learning model and the
on coaching teacher teams to
to create groups of different sizes.
large classroom size and population
personalize instruction will continue
The teacher teams, combined with
are relatively new concepts for
to grow.
the ability to group students according
students and teachers alike at Merit
to instructional need—without limits
Prep Newark. “I had to learn to
that might be caused by the physical
think outside the box,” said master
space—could allow many students
language arts teacher Tiffany McAfee.
to achieve grade-level standards
“And I think that’s the greatest
and beyond more quickly than in a
thing that ever happened to me as a
traditional school setting.
teacher.”
What is the advantage for instructors and administrators?
Another challenge for teachers is
smoothing out the logistics of working together in the classroom (such as figuring out who is in charge of what
Teaming master and apprentice
and when), and effectively managing a
teachers in the classroom provides
large group of students. It takes time,
in this new partnership, the emphasis
NEXT GEN TOOLS Strategies and Innovations for Implementing Breakthrough Models
ARTIFACT: Architectural floor plan of the stadium space (Open Classroom) and skyboxes (Seminar Rooms)
USE IT: • Merit Prep Newark •T ouchstone Education: An Opportunity Culture Case Study
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact: Ben Rayer
[email protected] By Jodi Lewis, Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy ©2014 EDUCAUSE. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License.
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