Background/Context:

Blended learning combines face-to-face educational practices with online learning practices.  While it can look different in different schools and applications, essentially students are in the classroom for part of the time, and the other part of their time in “class” is wherever they choose but online.  This theory is needed because it promotes student freedom which fosters a meaningful learning experience. Blended learning is also becoming increasingly relevant at the high school level to prepare students for postsecondary learning.  Whether students go to college out of high school or not, most likely at some point these students will continue their education.  Many post-secondary educational opportunities incorporate online learning, some may seek degree online.  Blended learning prepares students for learning online but with the support of a face-to-face interaction with a teacher and other students.  

Aside from preparing high school students for post-secondaring learning, Blended Learning has research based evidence demonstrating the effectiveness as a pedagogy approach. According to the a report completed in 2010 by the Department of Education, they found that Blended Learning maximizes the benefits of both online learning and face-to-face learning. “In recent experimental and quasi-experimental studies contrasting blends of online and face-to-face instruction with conventional face-to-face classes, blended instruction has been more effective. When used by itself, online learning appears to be as effective as conventional classroom instruction, but not more so” (p. xviii) (Clark, 2012).  Another study done by the University of Central Florida analyzed the student success rates and withdrawal rates of their classes simply by the modality: face to face, blended, and online.  Here are the results:

As the results show, online courses had the highest dropout rates of the modalities and over time, blended courses continued to show the highest success rate.

Explication of the Theory

A Blended Learning environment is not confined by a fixed set of rules. Simply stated, Blended Learning combines traditional face-to-face teacher to student interaction and e-learning.  Different schools and districts can define and implement Blended Learning at their own discretion but it will embody the general combination of in-person learning and online-learning.  Technology resources will be the most influential factor as to how schools or even classrooms utilize a blended model.

Currently, in Education, there is a focus on learning that is personalized and student-driven. Implementing a blended like learning structure promotes personalized learning by providing opportunities for students to learn at their own pace. According to a MindShift article written by Katrina Schwartz, “Shifting some work online to complement traditional classrooms creates much needed time and space in the classroom,” Tucker said. If technology can replace elements of in-class instruction, classroom time can be leveraged to deepen learning. “[Teachers] can embrace project-based learning and create student-centered classrooms to build on the work that’s completed online.”  When students are in the classroom, the environment has the opportunity to shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered.  Students can apply what they are learning outside of the classroom walls in real time with their classmates.  The teacher can facilitate the application of learning and promote collaboration among peers.

Another advantage to the online learning aspect is promotion of media literacy.  Students develop stronger technology skills through navigation of materials and a learning management system. They are using various apps, learning how to research credible sources, collaborate on projects over the web, participate in discussions, and take assessments online, give feedback on peer work...just to name a few.  The skills previously listed will aid in preparing students for their post-secondary life.  Through the blended learning model, students become prepared to become professionals who think critically, collaborate with colleagues, and take ownership for their learning and professional growth.

These ideas are further supported in Graham’s research of Blended Learning Systems.  Author Graham states, “ Some have seen blended learning approaches increase the level of active learning strategies, peer-to-peer learning strategies, and learner centered strategies used” (Graham, 2004, 7). Graham also shares a specific example of how a professor at BYU utilizes Blended Learning.  “Using a similar strategy, a BYU accounting professor uses online modules to help students acquire the tool skills and technical information and then uses precious F2F class time to focus on application, case studies, and develop decision making skills” (Graham, 2004, 8).

Applications of the Theory:

Schools across the country are incorporating Blended Learning whether it be specific classes that students are taking or a school culture as whole.  Here are four different schools and examples of how they implemented Blended Learning.

Huntley High School (Huntley, IL)

Huntley High School, part of Huntley Community School District 158, is a school that utilizes blended learning.  At their school certain classes are blended.  The number of blended class offerings is increasing every year, especially in the upcoming years since they went 1:1 this current school year.  At Huntley High School, students attend class 2-3 days a week; it is contingent on their current grade in the class.  During their “off” class days, they have areas in the school where they can get class work done during their blended time. However, it places the responsibility on the students to complete all work prior to next in-person session. “Blended learning at Huntley follows the Christensen Institute definition, where participating students have some element of control over time, place, path and/or pace of their learning and spend part of their time in the face-to-face school” (Dikkers, Whiteside, and Lewis, 2014). Currently, Blended Learning is only serving the high school students of Huntley Community School District 158.  

Horry County Schools in South Carolina adopted various models of Blended Learning. “there are six models at teachers’ disposal, including a classroom rotation model, where students get a mix of instruction types at various stations, and the face-to-face driver model, where online learning is supplemental and delivered in a traditional classroom” (Mathewson, 2016, 1).  

Oakland Unity High School (Oakland, CA)

Oakland Unity High School (OUHS) is made up of “approximately 95 percent of students are Latino or African-American and 85 percent receive free or reduced lunch”. This school only used a Blended Learning model for math grades 9 through 12. They started implementing this model in 2011 when they wanted to address the issue of a high number of incoming freshman not being ready for Algebra I.  They utilized Khan Academy’s Learning Lab as the online aspect of blended. The program has grown so now that all grades in mathematics can have access to a blended classroom.  At OUHS,”students rotate on a fixed schedule between small groups, mini-lectures, warm-ups, and online work throughout the day and week in each of their math classes”.  They have a period of their day spent in what is called the ‘Learning Lab’ and this is where they work on content the directly supports instruction in their math course. This method is successful at OUHS because “instructors collaborate on a weekly basis to ensure that course curriculum is aligned and sequenced”. After the first semester of incorporating Khan Academy, math scores were higher, and some of the students placed in the blended course scored higher than students who were not.

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School (Gainesville, FL)

P.K. Yonge is a K-12 school district that is very diverse across the board.  They decided to implement blended learning and initially started with the ninth grade level for two reasons.  Those reasons being they believe it was systematically efficient to roll this out one grade level at a time and they felt that ninth grade was the best option because they could roll up or down into other grade levels from there. Once this district established a starting point, they “designed a summer institute that would give teachers the time and resources to think about blended learning. At the institute, teachers had an opportunity to dig into what blended learning was and how to rebuild their course”.  Since Blended Learning embodies a different teaching pedagogy, teachers need support in making such a change.  P.K.Yonge gave teachers a choice in teaching a blended class.  “Interested teachers were asked to fill out a proposal with the ideas they had for transitioning their curriculum. Teachers were asked to think specifically about why they wanted a blended learning environment and what gaps it could address in the classroom. Some of the needs teachers had were to provide students with differentiated instruction, to find quick and easy ways to do formative assessment, and to give students access to content 24/7. Teachers were then asked how those gaps could be filled, what units in their curriculum they could possibly see as blended learning units, and to propose a timeline for the project. Finally, teachers were asked to define specific deliverables for their course. All of this helped build the ownership that was necessary for teachers to really want to do this work.” P.K. Yonge is not 1:1 but they are committed to providing technology and resources for their blended students.  They have 800 computers and have expanded their school library hours so that students can have full access. Lastly, this district allowed teachers to utilize the blended model based on where they saw gaps in their curriculum and how they wanted to structure the class.

Revere High School (Revere, MA)

Revere High School has a population made up of approximately 1,500 students, 60 percent of whom are of color and 71 percent of whom are low-income.  They used to be a low-performing school until they made drastic systematic changes. They made a shift in teaching and learning and embodied blended learning.  The first step taken to becoming blended was adopting a flipped learning model. “In a flipped learning classroom, students might be assigned to create a multimedia presentation of their interpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. This is just an example of how learners develop ownership of learning. The lesson for students is determining how to present and deliver information to a group and initiate substantive dialogue -- the presentation itself is the test. One hundred percent of RHS' teachers are certified in flipped learning.” Next, RHS brought on a culture shift by implementing 1:1 iPads. Going 1:1 gave “teachers 24-hour access to Schoology, an online hub for posting lectures, uploading videos, and sharing assignments. Students can also access Schoology -- any time and from anywhere. Additionally, the school uses PowerSchool, an online platform for storing and accessing information such as attendance records, grades, and evaluations.” The final piece of creating a successful blended learning program at RHS was how the rest of the school embraced the change.  The library changed its name to be “Learning Commons” and was restructured to promote a learning environment and collaborative space for students beyond the classroom.  Blended learning means some of the learning is online and not in the classroom; therefore, students could utilize the Learning Commons to complete their online classwork. The final takeaway from the success at RHS is they created a school culture shift and trained their teachers.  All aspects of school adapted and supported this shift.

Conclusion:

Blended Learning embodies much of the buzzwords surrounding what a 21st century education should consist of.  In any blended learning situation, students are given opportunities to personalize their learning experience because they have flexibility about their pace, where they are learning, when they are learning, and how they learn (this aspect only in the event the teacher provides information in different modes). Blended learning also varies within grade level.  How time is spent online and outside of the classroom is how blended learning will vary between the younger grades and older grades.  However, the theory and learning philosophy remains the same.  The teacher now facilitates learning among the students, and the learning is centered around the students.  Instruction is differentiated among the levels and needs of the students.  The learning environment promotes collaboration among peers and critical thinking skills.  Students are becoming more prepared for the evolving future because they are learning how to collaborate, think critically, and staying technology literate.

Furthermore, blended learning is an educational strategy that fosters student independence and interdependence. Students have a responsibility to themselves to complete the required work and they have a class of peers that will hold them accountable to that work. In the classroom, the students share independence through collaboration and group work. Because there is an online learning component where information is provided, the classroom now becomes the environment for hands-on student driven learning. Lastly, by still maintaining in-person learning, students are able to develop meaningful relationships with their teachers and peers. Developing relationships promotes social learning which is equally important as academic learning. 

References:

Benefits of Blended Learning. (2014). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://blended.online.ucf.edu/about/benefits-of-blended-learning/ 

Blended Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://www.theteslaacademy.com/whatisblended/ 

Blended Learning: Making it Work in Your Classroom. (2014, September 11). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/practice/blended-learning-making-it-work-your-classroom 
 

Bonk, C. J. & Graham, C. R. (Eds.). (in press). Handbook of blended learning: Global Perspectives, local designs. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer Publishing. 

By doing so, this event will be independent of the recurring set of events. (2012, March 22). Unity High School Khan Academy Blended Learning Program - Getting Smart. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://gettingsmart.com/case-studies/unity-high-school-khan-academy-blended-learning-program/ 

Christensen Institute. (2015, September). Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://www.christenseninstitute.org/publications/proof-points/ 

 Clark, R. C. (2012, July 16). Blended Learning Is Better than Instructor-led or Online Learning Alone. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/L-and-D-Blog/2012/07/Blended-Learning-Is-Better-Than-Instructor-Led-or-Online-Learning-Alone 

Dikkers, A., Whiteside, A., & Lewis, S. (2014, December). Do you Blend? Huntley High School Does. Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=2686759#1 

Donohue, N. (2014, July 07). A Working Model for Blended Learning in an Urban School. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/working-model-for-blended-learning-nicholas-donohue-lourenco-garcia 
 

Driscoll, M. (n.d.). Blended Learning: Let's Get Beyond the Hype. Retrieved September 1, 2016, from http://www-07.ibm.com/services/pdf/blended_learning.pdf 

Mathewson, T. (2016, August 31). Former superintendent details district's blended learning transformation. Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://www.educationdive.com/news/former-superintendent-details-districts-blended-learning-transformation/425496/ 

 Schwartz, B. K. (2012, November 02). To Make Blended Learning Work, Teachers Try Different Tactics. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/11/02/whats-the-best-way-of-using-computers-in-schools/