Blended Instruction

What is Blended Instruction?

• A learning program that combines technology into instruction, both in a face-to-face setting and online.
• Please watch this video to gain a better idea of what blended instruction is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woN80GiYsEM

How is it Used?

• Blended instruction varies from school to school and from classroom to classroom.
• Online learning may be a small component of a classroom-based course or could be a teacher’s/student’s primary means of instruction.

How is it Used Cont'd

• Percentage of online to in-person instruction depends on a few factors, some of which include: the teacher, students, subject, and learning objectives.
• According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, blended learning is described as "a course where 30%-70% of the instruction is delivered online" (ASCD).

Teachers

• Design blended learning models and determine the percentage or combination that is right for them and their students.
• Don't need to add to already planned lessons, rather can create stations, replace handouts, assignments, and/or create videos of instructionfor students to watch in or outside of class time.

Students

• Blended instruction is student-centered, meaning itallows students to, in part, control the time, pace, and place of their learning.
• It engages students in their learning process through collaborative efforts with the teacher, self-pacing, and easily accessed resources.

Subject and Learning Objectives

• Blended Instruction can be used in virtually any subject.
• With the increase in popularity of both 100% online courses and blended instruction, there are many resources available to both students and teachers for easy implementation.
• It's also an avenue that can ignite creativity in both teachers and students.

Two Examples of Blended Instruction

• Rotation: In the classroom, students rotate to different stations at least one of which is online learning.
• Flex: Learning takes place mostly online, but students have access to onsite/face-to-face teacher support.

21st Century Learners

• Generations are now born into world of technology that has a global influence. This influence directly affects what students need to learn and what teachers should include in their lessons.
• Blended Instruction provides the benefits of both online and in-person learning with supported exposure to & practice with important technological skills.

21st Century Learner Cont'd

• According to a study, “Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction” (...).
• In other words, students in blended instruction settings out performed students in solely face-to-face or online settings.

Personal Thoughts/Pros:

• Gives students the benefit of two learning environments, which supports varied learning styles and needs.
• Provides students with the needed 21st century skills.
• Allows teachers to spend less time giving whole-class lessons and more time meeting the needs of their students.
• Gives students more control over their learning through pacing and teacher availability for questions.

Personal Thoughts/Cons:

• May require teachers to spend more time on building technological skills than in the content area - for teachers who only have their students for only 45mins a day, this could prove difficult.
• If lectures are assigned outside of class, perhaps not all students will participate. These students will miss important information.

Bibliography

• Blended Learning Definition. (2013, August 29). Retrieved January 14, 2017, from http://edglossary.org/blended-learning/
• A. (n.d.). The Basics of Blended Instruction. Retrieved January 15, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar13/vol70/num06/T...
• The Blended Learning Toolkit: Improving Student Performance and Retention. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2017, from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2011/12/the-blended-learning-toolkit-improv...
• What is Blended Learning? (2015, March 12). Retrieved January 13, 2017, from https://blended.online.ucf.edu/about/what-is-blended-learning/