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.