Fundamentals of Blended Learning
My name is Michael Thompson,
and I'm the director of school partnerships
at Education Elements.
We work with schools across the country
to help them think about blended learning
and to design instructional models
which use technology effectively.
Our primary product is the HLMS, which I will discuss
in more detail in some of our other videos.
In this video, I want to share
the fundamentals of blended learning.
I'll explain what is meant when someone uses
the term 'blended learning,' describe some of
the blended learning models,
and discuss the results we are getting.
What is blended learning?
If you think about the traditional classroom
environment on one end of the spectrum,
and on the other end of the spectrum is a student
learning on a computer at home,
blended learning is somewhere in the middle.
Now let's ask ourselves,
"How do we differentiate and individualize
instruction in the classroom?"
Frankly, students are not engaged
in lecture-style instruction.
We know that small-group instruction,
personal learning plans, guided practice,
and inquiry-based teaching all lead toward
a better and deeper understanding of concepts.
Unfortunately, differentiation and feedback
doesn't scale without technology.
So blended learning is about leveraging
digital content to provide students
with skills and practice –
meanwhile, the teacher focuses on
depth and application of concepts
to teach higher-order thinking skills.
So what if we can create an environment
where, one,students can get individualized,
self-paced instruction,
two, teachers can provide
differentiated small-group instruction,
based upon weekly or daily data,
and, three, schools can operate
at a much lower cost per pupil –
which will allow them to reallocate resources.
This environment is blended learning.
What are some of the blended-learning models?
Let's go back to the spectrum learning environments.
As we see it now, there are four models emerging:
lab rotation, class rotation, flex, and pod.
I'm going to go over each of these now.
Lab rotation is where students move in and out
of a classroom to a computer lab.
Many people seeing this model will think it looks
very similar to a traditional computer lab.
However, if you look under the hood,
the difference is that in a lab rotation,
the data from the content in the learning lab
informs the instruction in the classroom.
In a class rotation model,
students are broken out into smaller groups.
So a class of 30 may be broken out
into four small groups.
Every 20 minutes,
the groups may rotate between stations.
One station is with the teacher –
two stations are with the computer –
and the fourth station may be guided practice.
In this environment, a teacher has the ability
to monitor the whole class, manage behavior,
and maintain the class culture.
In the flex model, the learning lab might look like
a large call center, with banks of computers.
Around the edges of the lab might be
smaller breakout rooms for classes.
In this model, the students work
mostly on the computers,
and a teacher might pull out a group of students
for seminar intervention or direct instruction.
One of the newer models is the pod concept.
Essentially, it's a school within a school,
and each pod might have multiple grade levels.
In this model the role of the teacher may be
redefined and broken out into discrete roles –
an adviser, a behavior specialist,
or an instructor – to support each pod.
All of these models are rethinking the traditional school,
giving students more control over their learning,
and providing students with targeted instruction.
What are some of the results?
From a student perspective, students are
more engaged using online content
versus paper-and-pencil practice worksheets.
They like getting real time feedback
and knowing where they stand at any time.
Students can control how fast or slow
they need to go through a lesson.
In these schools, we see students accelerating
past the skills for their grade level.
And this is what we call unleashing their learning velocity.
Also, even though the class sizes may be larger,
students feel that their classes are actually pretty small,
because the experience they have
with the teacher is in a small group.
Now from a teacher's perspective,
the teachers we've spoken to find it easier
to plan for small group instruction
versus trying to teach to the middle
and differentiating top and bottom.
Teachers find teaching in small groups more rewarding,
because the students are more engaged.
And finally, teachers are surprised by how much easier
classroom management is with students fully engaged
on the computers versus when students
are doing things on pencil and paper.
Thank you for watching our video on blended learning.
We are excited by the potential opportunities
blended learning brings.
And I hope you found it useful as you think about your own school.