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= Reaching At-Risk Learners Online =

“Many educators are finding that online and blended learning are effective ways to reach students who fail one or more courses, become disengaged, or who seek an alternative to traditional education.” (Watson & Gemin, 2008)

As a dean and classroom teacher in a secondary school in NZ, the disparity between students who adjust well to a traditional schooling system, and those that do not, is glaringly obvious. Students who ‘fit’ adjust easily and find success academically, socially, and/or extra-curricularly. Those that don’t ‘fit’, spend their schooling career battling against the system trying to avoid being socially marginalised. There are proven benefits of higher educational qualification for individuals, firms, and the nation (Ministry of Education, 2009). On average, individuals with no school qualifications will earn $324 per week, those with school qualifications earn 11 percent more on avereage at $360 per week. Individuals who hold a tertiary qualification other than a bachelors degree, earn a massive 89 percent more than those with no qualifications at all (Education Counts, 2010). This difference in income has wide reaching effects the individuals and their families, particularly in terms of standard of living. This Wiki will investigate the issues at-risk learners in New Zealand and identify the link between effective pedagogy and e-learning. Use the buttons at the bottom of the page to navigate through this investigation.

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