Three years of research for the ED PACE project indicates that the Virtual School Spanish program works. Students learn, they are engaged—especially in activities that involve technology and culture— and they develop not only language skills but also positive attitudes, and work habits, all of which serve them well in Spanish II in high school. The program has been well received by students and their parents, and by school administrators, who believe the program helps them successfully meet the state mandate to offer foreign language instruction. As it has matured over the last four years, the program has drawn on the foreign language expertise of lead and adjunct teachers, and established a cadre of facilitators who have incorporated their own teaching expertise into classroom practice.
Our data also suggest that the effective use of some key elements of the blended model is associated with more successful implementation and powerful student outcomes. When implemented as such, this blended model provides not only effective instruction to students, but also a model for effective virtual instruction, one we believe could and should be replicated to ensure that students can continue learning Spanish in high school and to deliver courses in other foreign languages.
Do students learn?
1. Findings from our research indicate that students in the Virtual School Spanish program learn Spanish. Data collected over three years show that students in virtual classes performed as well as those in face-to-face classes on the Spanish Assessment, and maintained a relatively high level of achievement over the three years of assessment. Their scores on the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA) showed similar trends and consistent improvement in performance over three years.
2. Virtual School Spanish students do well in high school Spanish II classes, often out-performing some peers. High school Spanish II teachers say that students from the Virtual School Spanish classes are well prepared, and often better prepared than students who take Spanish I in high school. Students from the virtual program excel in language proficiency, especially in pronunciation and vocabulary, and demonstrate better work habits, participate more in class, and take more responsibility for their learning.
3. The Virtual Spanish program helps students develop positive attitudes towards learning a foreign language and strong work habits. Student survey and interview data indicate most students not only feel that they learn a lot in Virtual Spanish, but also like learning a foreign language, think it is important, and want to continue Spanish in high school. Students also think that learning Spanish will prepare them for high school and college, for a workplace where others speak Spanish, and for a more diverse world.
4. The Virtual School Spanish program gives students valuable technology skills. High school teachers report that virtual Spanish students are comfortable finding online language resources and using technology to complete assignments. Teachers believe that the technology skills gained through the virtual Spanish will equip students to take challenging classes, including AP classes, only available online.
Does the model work?
5. Levels of satisfaction in the Virtual School Spanish program are high—among students, members of the instructional team, parents, and site administrators. ¬Feedback from the students and instructional team members who actively participate in the program, and from the school administrators and parents who support it, was positive and consistent across the three years of our study. Students report that taking Spanish through a program is challenging, but that it makes learning fun. Most would take another virtual course such as this one, and recommend one to their friends. (Scattered feedback from students taking differently designed high school virtual programs suggests that the blended nature of the Virtual School Spanish model contributes to students’ satisfaction.)
6. The three-member instructional team and the communication between them and with students support learning and provide multiple opportunities for students to interact and gain feedback. There is general agreement that the team model works well, in large part because of a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities and ongoing communication between team members themselves and with students. Continuous feedback builds a sense of community and ensures that students get the kind of support instructional team members believe students, especially middle-school students, need—and the level of support and interaction not available in online programs that do not use a blended model.
7. Virtual School Spanish students are engaged in their classes, especially in technology activities and hands-on cultural activities. Observation and survey data, and feedback from facilitators indicate that students are generally engaged in the virtual classes. The activities that students find most engaging often involve technology or learning about Hispanic culture—activities that reflect the intentional instructional range built into the model. Cultural activities appear to be appealing to students because they are hands-on, and allow students to be creative, and because they help students learn songs, dances, and recipes they can share with friends and families. Students also seem to respond positively to hands-on activities because they alter the pace of instruction and provide variety.
What attributes of the implementation model are associated with student learning outcomes?
8. Interaction with students, instructional scaffolding, and active involvement on the part of the facilitator are associated with positive learning outcomes. In classes when there is more interaction with the instructional team (facilitators or lead teachers) and team members make connections to and provide scaffolding from other subjects, students tend to learn more Spanish and be more engaged. The same is true in classes where the facilitator is actively involved in the learning process and guides students smoothly through the daily lessons by maintaining flow, giving directions, reviewing activities, and asking questions.
9. Using Spanish, and providing high-quality and frequent feedback about learning, are associated with oral proficiency, engagement, and the value students attach to learning Spanish. In classes where students hear more Spanish, from either the facilitator or the lead teacher, they perform better on SOPA, are more engaged, value foreign language more, and want to continue Spanish in high school. High-quality and frequent communication with the instructional team is also associated with these outcomes.
10. Access to functional technology is associated with student learning outcomes and with effective support and communication. In classes where technology works well and students have access to the necessary tools (e.g., headsets and microphones) students learn more Spanish and are more engaged. In these classes, facilitators provide more instructional support and feedback to students, and communication and interaction between facilitator and students is more frequent and of higher quality.
11. All exposure to Spanish—writing on the computer, listening to Spanish via technology (CDs, Wimba tools), listening to facilitators, lead teachers and peers—enhances language learning. In classes where students write more on the computer—filling in blanks, writing words or phrases, or composing open-ended responses—they have higher Spanish achievement and oral proficiency. (Writing on paper is associated with lower Spanish Achievement and oral proficiency.) Hearing Spanish is also associated with higher writing and oral proficiency.
12. Site support can contribute to a robust, effective Virtual School Spanish program. When there is a high level of school support—support from administrators, support from other teachers, an appropriate time in the school schedule, an appropriate class space—students tend to be more engaged and learn more Spanish, value learning a foreign language, and want to continue Spanish II in high school.
