Dr. Christopher Chandler, Dean of Education | Genesis University
Perspectives About Blended Learning.
The benefit of face-to-face communication is the live feedback translated through body language and facial expressions.
1. What do students gain from face-to-face discussions with peers that they cannot get through written interactions?
Forms of communication can never provide the advantage. One can also hear the tone of the voice which makes it easier to interpret the person’s feelings. Fact to face communication establishes more trust than other modes of communication and allows for better rapport and trust building than audio of written communication which can make the difference in reaching agreement ensuring that each party understands one another.
2. What does the growing body of research about mirror neurons suggest about importance of face-to-face interactions for language development?
In the light of recent discoveries in neuro-science it turns out that humans, primates, some birds, and possibly other higher animals have mirror neurons that fire in the same pattern whether performing or just observing a task. These mirror neurons clearly play an important role in learning motor tasks involving hand eye coordination, and possibly also acquisition of language skills, as well as being required for social skills. But the exact processes involved are only being just discovered. Stay tuned for further developments.
3. If mirroring facilitates learning, what are the implications for teachers trying to promote the behaviors necessary for effective group interactions?
Teaching students in public schools is demanding as the multiple dynamics of the classroom can pose many challenges. In addition to addressing the challenging behaviors that many students without disabilities exhibit, more and more students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are being included in the general education classrooms. Effective instruction and the development of effective instructional environments have been demonstrated to decrease problem behaviors in the students with histories of failure in schools. Positive behavior support (PBS) provides a framework for considering developing instructional environments that increase the teachers ability to deliver effective instruction to all students.
4. During group work, what kinds of student interchanges should teachers listen for as evidence that students are helping each other learn (and not simply telling one another the answers)?
Teacher centered instruction typically refers to learning situations in which the teacher inserts control over the material that students study and the ways in which they study. the shift to a learner-centered environment facilitates a more collaborative way for students to learn. The teacher models instructions and acts as a facilitator providing feedback and answering questions when needed. In this paradigm its the student that chooses how they want to learn, why they want to learn that way and with who. The teacher listens intently taking into consideration the what works for one student may not work for another and at the end of the day it is about not what was taught but what is learned.
5. How can an independent activity, such as a quick write, improve the quality of face-to-face interactions among students? For which students are quick writes a particularly valuable preparation for face-to-face interaction.
A quick write is a brief written response to a classroom probe that requires students to rapidly explain or comment on assigned topic. quick write can be used at the beginning, middle or end of the class. Instructor may give a prompt or pose a question then give students several minutes to form a written response either as a review or a synthesis of learned materials as a preparation for new instructional content (especially when initiated at eh end of a class). Quick writes may involve students writing about what they learned, what problems they encountered, what likes and dislikes they have about the lesson and what they learned bout the concepts quick writes present a more acceptable way to use writing as an instructional tool.