Each new school year is a blank slate, inviting teachers to experiment with new teaching techniques, instructional models, and technology tools. After a challenging 2021-2022 school year, many teachers are searching for new and innovative ways to architect learning experiences that engage students and yield a more rewarding teaching experience. Blended learning offers teachers a path forward.

Blended Learning Defined

Blended learning combines active, engaged learning online with active, engaged learning offline to give students more control over the time, place, pace, and/or path of their learning. The phrase “blended learning” is an umbrella term that encompasses a spectrum of blended learning models that each give students different degrees of control over these various elements of their learning. The rotation models, which include the station rotation, whole group rotation, flipped classroom, and playlist models, work well in a physical classroom, online, or a blend of the two.

Why Blended Learning?

When encouraging teachers to try something new, like blended learning, that will require time and energy, it is critical to establish the “why,” or the purpose and value of this shift. There are two realities in education that are not going to change. First, learner variability is the norm, not the exception. Students will always be different from one another when it comes to their skills, abilities, language proficiencies, interests, and cultural backgrounds. In addition, a single learner’s needs and preferences may change from day to day. Second, technology is here to stay. It has permeated every aspect of life and will always play a role in education. The exciting aspect of this reality is that educators can decide what role technology plays in their classrooms. 

The goal of blended learning is to shift students to the center of the learning experience, allowing technology to do what it does well (e.g., transferring information) and freeing teachers to engage in the human side of this work. When educators use technology to transfer information or position learners to research and discover, they can spend their time working directly with students to support their progress toward firm, standard-aligned learning goals. Teachers need the time and space to respond organically to students’ needs, analyzing data and engaging in conversations with students to understand their specific needs better and tailor the learning experiences to meet those needs. Blended learning can free teachers to invest their time and energy in the human side of teaching, which is more likely to be engaging and rewarding. 

Which Blended Learning Model Should I Use?

When selecting a blended learning model that will work for you and your students, it is essential to consider the following questions:

• How many devices do you have access to in your classroom? Will you need to be strategic about who uses devices and when?

• How do you want to use your time with students? Do you plan to provide instruction, model a strategy or process, give real-time feedback, or guide practice and application? 

• What grouping strategy will help you to be most effective and efficient (e.g., skill level, mixed skill level, interest-based)?

• What do you want students to understand or be able to do by the end of this lesson or sequence of lessons? Would working individually, in pairs, or as part of a small group be most effective? 

• Which elements would be most beneficial for students to control during this lesson or learning experience–time, place, pace, and/or path? 

• What supports, scaffolds, and/or technology tools will help you design learning activities are accessible, inclusive, and equitable?

Once you’ve considered these questions, you can select the model that makes the most sense for a lesson or learning cycle. Below is an overview of the rotation models with a brief description of each and what they allow teachers to do in the lesson.

3 Tips for Getting Started

Shifting practice can be daunting. When working with teachers, I offer the following tips for getting started with blended learning.

Tip #1: Think big, start small.

Given the number of different models available to teachers, I recommend thinking big and getting excited but starting small. Begin with a single model and spend time developing your confidence using that model. In the early stages of designing with a specific model, like the station rotation, it is best to begin with learning activities that you and your students are familiar with so everyone can acclimate to this new way of moving through a lesson. 

Once you and your students are comfortable with a particular model, you can introduce new learning activities and layer in more complex elements, like student agency and differentiation. When you feel confident using a model, you can add another blended learning model to your teacher tool belt. Over time, you’ll develop proficiency with multiple models and transition to a place where you can strategically select the best model for a particular set of learning objectives or the needs of a specific group of students. 

Tip #2 Embrace a “less is more” mentality.

Teachers put pressure on themselves to do it all. However, one of the biggest mistakes I see in early blended learning implementation is teachers who try to do too much at once. They jam a lesson so full of learning activities that students do not have the time or space to deeply engage with the tasks or the other members of the learning community. Instead, I’d like teachers to embrace a “less is more” mentality,  designing lessons that give students the space to explore, discuss, tinker, and make meaning. This means teachers may not cover as much ground in terms of content, but it is more likely to yield rich student-led learning experiences. 

Tip #3 Leverage technology to make time for human connection.

Too often, technology is used to isolate learners. This is a missed opportunity. Technology should be used to create more time and space for human connection in the classroom. Focus your design work on leveraging technology tools to foster collaboration and conversation among students and create space to work directly with your students. 

As you design an online learning experience, I encourage you to use the 4Cs of the 21st century as a lens. Can you prioritize critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and/or creativity? Using the 4Cs as a lens can help you architect online learning experiences that strive to engage students in tasks that require them to interact with each other to make meaning.

In addition, technology should free you from the front of the room to work alongside learners differentiating and personalizing instruction, providing timely and actionable feedback, and conducting side-by-side assessments with learners. When we prioritize these activities in our classrooms, they function to nurture their relationships with students. As a result, students in a blended learning class feel seen and supported. 

Wrap-Up

At its core, blended learning is a shift in control over the learning from teacher to student. The goal of the various models is to position the student as an active agent in the learning process. Students should be the ones doing the thinking, questioning, discussing, collaborating, making, and reflecting. Ultimately, the more autonomy and agency students enjoy, the more motivated they will be to lean into the learning and the more time and space you’ll have to support their individual progress.