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Blended Learning
Achieve3000 Literacy supports the goal of blended learning by helping educators shift from a traditional teacher-led model to one that enables educators to engage in digital student-centered learning experiences.
What Is Blended Learning?
The Christensen Institute defines blended learning as “a formal education program in which a student learns:
- at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;
- at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;
- and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience”
Blended learning expert Dr. Catlin Tucker builds on this definition, emphasizing the role of students as “active agents” of learning.
According to Dr. Tucker, the aim of blended learning is to help educators transition from a traditional teacher-led model, in which teachers disseminate information, to a model that empowers teachers to design student-centered learning experiences that enable learners to build meaning.
Blended learning is active, engaged learning online combined with active engaged learning offline that gives students more control over the time, place, pace, and path of their learning.
Benefits of Blended Learning
In contrast to the whole-group, teacher-led model, blended learning shifts responsibility for learning to the student, resulting in benefits for teachers and learners alike.
Student benefits:
- Gain agency to make key decisions about their learning
- Take control over the pace of learning
- Choose the path they prefer to reach their learning goals
- Flexible ways to interact with teachers and peers
- Increase engagement and reduce boredom
- Share responsibility for their learning to create deeper understanding
Teacher benefits:
- Partner with students to personalize learning paths
- Differentiate instruction more effectively and consistently
- Freedom to design and facilitate engaging learning experiences
- Conduct more meaningful, side-by-side assessments
- Realize their true value in the classroom as a learning facilitator
- More time to concentrate on the aspects of teaching they love
How to Integrate Blended Learning Into Your Classroom
Blended learning instruction starts with understanding how you add value in the classroom. Think about the three primary roles of teachers: instructors, facilitators, and designers of learning experiences. If you spend most of your time at the front of the room and believe you add the most value when disseminating information, you’ll spend less time facilitating learning.
Instead, let technology take care of distributing information when appropriate so you can focus on connecting with students.
The true value teachers bring to the classroom is their ability to connect with learners, build relationships, and organically respond to their students’ needs.
Next, assess the way you teach so you can identify opportunities to incorporate blended learning into your instruction. For example, if you’re explaining a concept in the same way to the whole class, incorporate blended learning by creating a video that students can access at any time. For more detailed explanations, design small, differentiated teacher-led experiences at different levels of rigor and complexity based on student need.