I explained to the sophomores in my modern world history class that the work of historians is largely finding materials, reading, thinking, and communicating their conclusions to others. As such, that is largely how I’ve developed the course. In practical terms, that means students can do a significant portion of that work on their own… hence the blended-learning elements of the course.[1]
Institutionally, there is the need for parents to acknowledge that when students are reading, watching a TED Talk, interacting with each other in an online forum, or otherwise deeply engaged with the material, and are not in the classroom, they are not under my direct supervision. This necessitates language in the student-parent handbook and in my course description, which parents would sign, about blended-learning and supervision.
If you have any such language handy, I would greatly appreciate seeing it. I’m @eecastro; there is the comments box below; or you can mail the URL of this blog.
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I have written elsewhere about these blended units, such as the WWII lesson. ↩