A new model for education is being tested out, which combines online education with high quality class instruction. This model hopes to target disenfranchised students who live in inner city areas, rural areas, and minorities. The Florida Virtual School (FLVS), begun by Julie Young, has classes across the country and in 65 countries. The blended learning model has provided 15-advanced placement courses to students who had few or none before. The school has rapidly added classes over the past two decades, and estimates that they will have have a majority of high school classes offered online.
The blended learning model seems to really benefit students who are internally motivated over students who are externally motivated and need a lot of outside incentives. Students who work hard and are independent can thrive in this environment which provides more opportunities and is unrestricted by location. Because the curriculum is based on doing classes as fast as possible instead of being confined to the traditional time-frame, a student can potentially go through courses quickly, and graduate early. So, another possible disadvantage would be that students can move through classes at a pace which is faster than traditional K-12 classrooms, leaving a student who graduates at 16-17 with few options. Either the student can begin a college education early or join the military in the meantime. The problem with going to college is that there is a physical, developmental maturity that is not the same between a 16 year old and a 17 year old student.
The Palm Beach model tries to provide a free, creative space with hands-on educators providing instruction, as well as offering FLVS classes in tandem. The Miami-Dade model has two schools, each with their own merits. On the one hand, a student can forget that they are even at school because the rooms are designed to replicate familiar, comfortable places, rather than a typical school building. The other school is more traditional in feel, but places emphasis on the students’ responsibility to manage time effectively/efficiently. However, the school relies on online classes, and facilitators for in-class work aren’t necessarily qualified to be educators, and don’t pretend to be. If students are dependent on help from facilitators, serious problems could occur because the student is simply seeking help from an unqualified “professional.”
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