Educator at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School teaches online course to students in Albania

On a Friday afternoon in August, Bronwyn Histand, curriculum director at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, received an email with a challenging proposition: Would she like to teach British literature to students in Albania starting on Monday? The question came from Elaine Moyer, former principal of Dock who is now senior director for the Mennonite Education Agency. Moyer is also on the board of the Lezha Academic Center in Albania, a faith-based private school staffed by English-speaking American teachers designed to give Albanian students an American education. The school opened its doors in the fall of 2011 and teaches grades 7-12. It had experienced such growth so quickly that they were short a teacher, and Histand seemed like the perfect fit. The instruction would be done via Moodle, an e-learning platform that allows educators to create and teach courses online, rather than face-to-face. ‘Elaine knows I enjoy technology and I have a background as an English teacher, so that’s why she thought of me,’ Histand said. This was to be the first class to be taught online at the Albanian school, so the infrastructure needed to support online learning had to be established and the students had to learn how to use the platform. That happened quickly, and within about a week, Histand was teaching 21 high school seniors. The course is one semester and ends in January. The school provided a course outline, and she’s creating lesson plans as she goes. Histand puts her assignments online and students are able to complete them at their own pace. She recently had them write an analysis of a sonnet, and watch a video and write a response. Although she’s not in the same room to see their eyes light up when a concept clicks in their heads, she said, ‘It’s really rewarding when they show that they really understand something. It’s not the same as when you’re standing in front of them face to face, but it’s still rewarding.’ Histand did get the opportunity to stand in front of her students – she visited Albania for a week at the beginning of November and taught her class in person. They met daily for 90 minutes, and she taught them about ‘Jekyl and Hyde’ and the struggle between good and evil. She also had the chance to see some Dock graduates who are now teaching at Lezha Academic Center, as well as meet the mother of an Albanian woman who attended Dock for her senior year and now attends college in the U.S. Albania is a former Communist country situated in southeastern Europe across the Adriatic Sea from Italy and bordering Greece to the south. Lezha Academic Center is well-respected in the community, Histand said, and an American education, which the school offers, is coveted. ‘The aspiration to attend an American college is huge,’ she said. ‘Parents would love to send their children to college here.’ Many Albanians also have a strong drive to return to their country to help improve it, Histand said. There have been a few challenges. It’s important to be responsive when students have questions, but Albania is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, which means she can get messages at unusual hours. ‘Within reason, I try to answer them promptly,’ she said. In Albania the Internet goes offline on a regular basis too, Histand said. It happened twice while she was visiting, once for the whole day. But she accommodates students if they’re late in completing their work because of technology issues. Using technology in this way can also benefit Dock, which is already ahead of the North Penn and Souderton districts by establishing a 1:1 iPad program for all students. Students and teachers are always discovering new ways to incorporate them into their education, ranging from preparing for chapel to doing math assignments. ‘We’re right at the point where we’re asking, ‘How can we use technology here? and ‘How is technology part of the learning process?” Histand said. ‘This has given me really concrete experience in that.’ Follow Jennifer Lawson at @byjenlawson and at facebook.com/byjenlawson. For breaking news SMS alerts from The Reporter, text LANNEWS to 22700 from your mobile phone. Msg & data rates may apply. For help, text HELP. To cancel, text STOP.