I have been visiting a wide range of schools on this trip: everything from run down urban high schools in Washington D.C. to run of the mill rural junior high schools nestled in the rolling Virginia countryside. It is exhausting but fascinating.
It has been years since I have been in American schools and some things just never change. The yearbooks, clubs and mascots are all appealing elements in the creation of school identity and individual school culture. German school culture seem somewhat boring and devoid of clear character in comparison. To walk the corridors again, to experience this system again by talking to teachers really drives home how particularly unique school cultures are.
Which elements of school culture transfer well to schools in other countries?
Which elements affect quality in education positively?
Unfortunately, after visiting over 10 schools, I have not really discovered too many innovative blended learning programs. Technology seems to be used to monitor students more than to engage them in learning interaction and collaboration. Of course, the kids engage themselves in technology, no problem there. The digital natives here are extremely skilled, but what I have seen so far indicates that those skills are not being channelled as well as they might be for useful learning effect. This is a bit of a disappointment as I had incorrectly assumed that American schools would generally be much more advanced in terms of blended learning than the schools I have had the chance to see in Europe. My assumption was based on the simple fact that the ratio of computers to students has been so much higher for so long. What I have seen so far is a range of programs parents can use to monitor homework, grades and the academic progress their children are making. While monitoring progress is important, it has little to do with the realisation of the potentials real blended learning could offer in schools.
I will return here, but I now realize that more careful preparation is required. Who can provide me with more positive examples?
Where is hybrid learning used effectively in schools?
www.greatschools.net/modperl/go/VA