Topic 19: A new way to learn

A (1) ______ teacher can reach thousands of students in an online course, opening up a world of knowledge to anyone with an internet connection. This limitless reach also offers substantial benefits for school districts that need to save money, by reducing the number of teachers. (2) __________, in high schools and colleges, there is mounting evidence that the growth of online education is hurting a critical group: the less proficient students (3) _______ are precisely those most in need of skilled classroom teachers. Online courses can be broken down into several categories, and some are more effective than others.

In “blended” courses, for example, students don’t do their work only online: They also spend time in a classroom with a flesh-and-blood teacher. Research suggests that students — at nearly all levels of achievement — do just as well in these blended classes as they do in traditional classrooms. In this model, online resources supplement traditional instruction but don’t replace it. In the fully online model, on the other hand, a student may never be in the same room with an instructor. This category is the main problem. It is where less proficient students tend to (4) _________ trouble. After all, taking a class without a teacher requires high levels of self-motivation, self-regulation and organization. Yet, in high schools across the country, students who are struggling in (5) ________classrooms are increasingly steered into online courses.

A (1) ______ teacher can reach thousands of students in an online course, opening up a world of knowledge to anyone with an internet connection. This limitless reach also offers substantial benefits for school districts that need to save money, by reducing the number of teachers. (2) __________, in high schools and colleges, there is mounting evidence that the growth of online education is hurting a critical group: the less proficient students (3) _______ are precisely those most in need of skilled classroom teachers. Online courses can be broken down into several categories, and some are more effective than others.

In “blended” courses, for example, students don’t do their work only online: They also spend time in a classroom with a flesh-and-blood teacher. Research suggests that students — at nearly all levels of achievement — do just as well in these blended classes as they do in traditional classrooms. In this model, online resources supplement traditional instruction but don’t replace it. In the fully online model, on the other hand, a student may never be in the same room with an instructor. This category is the main problem. It is where less proficient students tend to (4) _________ trouble. After all, taking a class without a teacher requires high levels of self-motivation, self-regulation and organization. Yet, in high schools across the country, students who are struggling in (5) ________classrooms are increasingly steered into online courses.

Digital learning is replacing traditional educational methods more and more each day. With (1) ____ rapidly classrooms are changing, it is best to forget methods you may remember from when you were in school and start thinking about newer teaching and learning techniques based on digital learning tools and technologies. The inclusion of digital learning in the classrooms can (2) ____ from simply using tablets instead of paper (3) ____ using elaborate software programs and equipment as opposed to the simple pen.

This could entail using sites, services, programs, teaching tools, and technologies like study aids built for at-home (4) ____. Even social networks and communications platforms can be used to create and manage digital assignments and agendas. (5) ____ of how much technology is integrated into the classroom, digital learning has come to play a crucial role in education. It empowers students by getting them to be more interested in learning and expanding their horizons.

If you find yourself learn better by making notes during the lecture, or when the teacher uses a new word, you want to see it written immediately, then you are very likely to be a more visual learner. You prefer to see the written words. You learn by reading and writing. Visual learners often think in pictures. If you find a particular task or text difficult, look for sources that will suit your learning style, e.g. sources with illustrations, charts, tables, or videos.

If you prefer recording the lecture and listening again to taking notes, or you memorize something by repeating it aloud instead of writing it out several times, you are probably a more auditory learner. You prefer to learn by listening and speaking. Auditory learners often learn best from lectures, discussions, by reading aloud, and by listening to audio material.

However, it is probably that you, like most people, learn through a mixture of styles. Sometimes you may prefer to learn by reading, at other time by listening. Ask yourself which is the best style for the particular task you are doing.