Blended Learning a Solution to Today's Educational Challenges

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Blended Learning Models

When examining blended learning for its appropriateness for your classroom, building, or district - a goal for the program must first be defined. What are the goals of your blended program, credit recovery, remediation, enrichment, new course credit...? After determining your goals a model or models must be selected. These are fluid models that can be adapted for the specific needs of your students, staff, and district. The whole idea of this method of teaching is to be fluid and adaptive to the changing needs of the end user.

According to the Innosight Institute, Classifying K-12 Blended Learning, there are four common blended classroom models:

1. Rotation Model.
2. Flex Model.
3. Self-Blend Model.
4. Enriched Virtual Model.

This blog will define, give real examples for each model, and if available statistical success for each model. Often multiple models are used in the same building based on the needs of the student population that is being served, remember the goal of blended learning ultimately is to better meet the needs of the student - models can be adapted as necessary.

1. Rotation Model - Within this model students rotate between traditional direct instruction, collaborative
learning, 1 on 1 or small group tutoring based on student need, online instruction, etc... The rotation is
fixed or at the teacher's direction and students take part in each station.

Station Rotation - individual stations are setup within a classroom and students rotate through each station. Denver School of Science and Technology uses this model. DSST has the second highest growth rate in student test scores statewide and 100% of its graduates were accepted to four-year colleges and only 1% of those students needed remedial courses.

Lab Rotation - this model is similar to station rotation but students rotate among areas within a building - one of which is a computer lab. Rocketship schools, have had tremendous success in a very short period time according to the California school report card, the charter schools currently rank 4th,5th,7th, and 10th most successful high poverty schools in the state. Rocketship schools are composed of 75% free and reduced lunch, 80% minority, and 85% English as a second language.

Flipped Classroom - online delivery of content and instruction is delivered outside of the normal school day as homework, leaving classroom time for guided practice, small group or 1 on 1 tutoring... This models allows teachers to remediate and enrich within the normal school day.

Individual Rotation - students rotate between stations within a classroom or school but do so based on individually created schedules. Students may not visit each station. This is a combination of a station and lab rotation model. Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School boast an average 85% graduation rate over the past six years compared to the state average of 75% for the state of Arizona and math and reading scores 10% above the state average.

2. Flex Model - In this model, the computer is the primary method by which content and instruction are
delivered. Teachers are available to provide support as needed by each individual learner and the goals
of the program, intensive data gathered on the individual learners progress is used to guide all aspects of
the student learning experience. Immediate interventions are put in place to provide immediate student
support and prevent student failure.

3. Self-Blend Model - this is a student guided model in which students decide to take one or more classes
online as a supplement to what is received in the traditional school. These courses may or may not be
part of the schools defined curriculum and may not be associated with the school the student is attending.
According to the NCLB reportcard 2012 for Quakertown Community School District is one of the
highest performing districts in the state of Pennsylvania with an average of 85% of all students scoring
proficient or above in all tested subjects.

4. Enriched-Virtual model - This model has evolved from schools that began as fully online to a blended
classroom - as these schools have found that a blended model of remote online instruction combined with
an on-site experience works best for students. In this model students do not attend a school building on a
daily basis - the amount of on-site attendance is based on the program and student individual needs. This
is a whole school model - not a classroom model and is a combination of many of the above defined
models. eCADEMY, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The models of blended learning defined above are general and broad, the beauty of blended learning is it flexibility. Blended learning is about flexibility, providing an opportunity to create the model of learning that best meets the individual needs of the student, program, teacher, and school. There are always tweaks to be made to make the system better. The idea is to individualize instruction - to "demassify" it - combinations of these models can be used for greatest effectiveness.

Bibliography

Associated Press. (2013, May 31). Philadelphia School Leaders Approve 'Doomsday' Budget.
(2011, January). Blending Traditional and Online Learning. National Science Teachers Association Reports!. 8-9.
(2012) California State Report Card: Rocketship. http://school-ratings.com/school_details/43104390123281.html

(2012) Carpe Diem: Seize the Digital Revolution. http://www.educationnation.com/casestudies/carpediem/
Cincinnati Enquirer. (2013, June 4). Cincinnati Public Schools Multimillion Budget Gap.

Dessoff, A. (2009) Reaching Graduation with Credit Recovery. District Administration, 45(9), 43-44.

Education Week. (2013, May 30) Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts

Eisenberg, M. & Fullerton, S. P. (2012). Ed and INFO 2052: Oh, the places you’ll go! IOS Press, 32, 103-115.
Feng L. & Cavanaugh, C (2011). Success in Online High School Biology:Factors Influencing Student Academic
Performance. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 12(1), 37-54.
Hernandez-Ramos, P & De La Paz, S. (2010). Learning History in Middle School by Designing Multimedia in a Project-
Based Learning Experience. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 42(2), 151-173.
Lincoln, M. (2010). Information Evaluation and Online Coursework. Knowledge Quest, 38(3), 28-31.
Nastu, J. (2010). Blended Learning on the Rise. Education Today, (6), 22-28.
National Educators Association. (2013). Impact of Sequestration on Federal Education Programs State by-State.

Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/52610.htm

McLester, S. (2011). Building a Blended Learning Program. District Administration, 47(9), 40-53.

(2012) NCLB Report Cards: Quakertown Community School District. http://www.qcsd.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=265
Rud, D. (2010, April). Effects of the Financial Crisis on American Education. European School Heads Association. p

10-14

Schorr, J. & McGriff, D. (2011). Future Schools: Blending Face-to-Face and Online Learning. Education Next, 11(3),

10-17.

Staker, H. & Horn, M. (2012). Classifying K-12 Blended Learning. Innosight Institute, 12(5), 1-22.

Varlas, L. (2011) Getting to Graduation, Can Blended Learning Curtail the Dropout Crisis? Education Update, 11(8), 2-

5.
(2012). Weathering the Storm: How the Economic Recession Continues to Impact School Districts. American
Association of School Administrators. 1-20.

Wise, B. & Rothman, R. (2010). The ONLINE LEARNING Imperative: A Solution to Three Looming Crises in
Education. Alliance For Excellent Education. http://www.all4ed.org/files/OnlineLearning.pdf.

Blended Learning a Solution to The Perfect Storm

Educational systems across the nation are in the midst of the perfect storm

massive funding shortfalls,
the impending shortage of qualified teachers,
and a growing gap between what education in today's current structure provides and the needs of the corporate world.

Rather than a doomsday situation, this could be viewed as an unprecedented opportunity to use modern technology and blended learning to revolutionize and transform the entire educational structure. It is an opportunity to completely restructure and greatly improve education in a way an truly:

improve and individualize instruction,
save money,
and do so with fewer highly qualified teachers.

What is Blended Learning

Blended learning is the umbrella term used to describe various models of flipped and hybrid classrooms. According to the Innosight Institute "blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns, at least in part, through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and mortar location away from home."(4)

A blended classroom model has several common features:

The course has parts offered both online and in a brick and mortar classroom.
Learning can occur at any time more conducive to the student's needs.
Students control the pace, at least in part, at which they learn.
Learning is a-synchronistic giving authentic learning and assessment opportunities that best meet the students individual needs. In other words, students are able to choose/create various ways to learn the content and to demonstrate their understanding of the content.

Advantages of Blended Learning

A blended classroom offers numerous advantages to students, teachers, and districts simply by embracing an out of the box way of leveraging and using current technologies and resources.

Student-centric Learning

Anytime learning, materials are available 24/7 so students can learn at a time that is more conducive to their learning style.
Students learn at their own pace - for instance in a flipped classroom, students can continuously review materials, for instance rewinding and reviewing videos until they get the concept - and if they are still struggling have small group instruction with the teacher during class time.
Anywhere learning students can learn at a place that best fits their needs.
Blended learning allows for asynchronistic learning, students do not have to learn the same materials at the same time in the same way as everyone else in the class - a true demassification of education.
Courses not available within a building can be made available to students - enhancing the student learning experience and making more appropriate to an individual learning path. This allows for original course credit and enrichment.
Teachers have more time to work with students individually as teachers move into the role of guide focusing on individual student learning.

Better Prepares Students for College and Career Training

The technology creates opportunities for authentic learning and assessment - in a properly constructed blended learning environment, students choose how they will learn and demonstrate their learning of a concept. This creates an environment of true learning and the development of critical thinking skills.

Allows for collaborative learning in a building and/or online. Tools like Google Docs, Hangouts, and moderator allow students to work and learn with and from each other outside of single location.

Students learn and develop 21st century technology skills.

Cost-Savings

Based on the model used this can be done with fewer teachers and in a smaller space than traditional classrooms yet still giving 1 on 1 time not currently available in a traditional classroom.
Digital resources can be used instead of print materials saving money. These digital resources can easily be shared across a district.
Highly qualified teachers can be shared across a district or districts. A teacher can be "shared" across buildings and district's better utilizing the teacher's time by increasing class size, sharing the teacher salary across districts, and providing courses to students not previously available at a fraction of the cost of hiring a teacher.
Lab courses can be enhanced thru digital labs and simulations - for instance the disection of a frog may not be possible due to space, costs, or student issues with disecting an animal - these simulations can be completed digitally enhancing the learning experience at no cost or moral stress for students.
On-going remediation is provided immediately to assure students are not struggling with the concept avoiding student failure. This saves districts money as remediation occurs during the school day not after-school or during the summer these funds can be re-allocated. This also saves society money as the drop-out rate is reduced and students are better prepared to enter college and career training without the need of remedial classes before entering a college or career preparation program.
Credit recovery programs can be provided using current courses and teachers depending on the model selected - decreasing the drop-out rate and better preparing students for entry into the business sector.

It is said that "necessity, is the mother of invention," blended learning offers promising solutions to today's educational woes and gives society a unique opportunity to revolutionize the educational institution if we as a society are bold enough to step out of the classroom, re-evaluate and re-design the education from the ground up.

Bibliography

Associated Press. (2013, May 31). Philadelphia School Leaders Approve 'Doomsday' Budget.
(2011, January). Blending Traditional and Online Learning. National Science Teachers Association Reports!. 8-9.
Cincinnati Enquirer. (2013, June 4). Cincinnati Public Schools Multimillion Budget Gap.

Dessoff, A. (2009) Reaching Graduation with Credit Recovery. District Administration, 45(9), 43-44.

Education Week. (2013, May 30) Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts

Lincoln, M. (2010). Information Evaluation and Online Coursework. Knowledge Quest, 38(3), 28-31.

Nastu, J. (2010). Blended Learning on the Rise. Education Today, (6), 22-28.

National Educators Association. (2013). Impact of Sequestration on Federal Education Programs State by-State.

http://www.nea.org/home/52610.htm

McLester, S. (2011). Building a Blended Learning Program. District Administration, 47(9), 40-53.

Rud, D. (2010, April). Effects of the Financial Crisis on American Education. European School Heads Association. p

10-14

Schorr, J. & McGriff, D. (2011). Future Schools: Blending Face-to-Face and Online Learning. Education Next, 11(3),

10-17.

Staker, H. & Horn, M. (2012). Classifying K-12 Blended Learning. Innosight Institute, 12(5), 1-22.

Varlas, L. (2011) Getting to Graduation, Can Blended Learning Curtail the Dropout Crisis? Education Update, 11(8), 2-

Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Perfect Storm: Today's Crisis in Education

According to the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) "while the institution of public schooling has demonstrated a capacity to successfully cope with many threats, the scope and number of challenges presented by recent developments are unprecedented and threaten to overwhelm even the resilient public school system." (19)

District's are facing three major crisis:

1. Substantial federal and state budget cuts to education - this is having a significant impact school districts nationwide.

Philadelphia School Leaders Approve 'Doomsday' Budget, Associated Press, May 31, 2013.
Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts, Education Week, May 30, 2013.
Cincinnati Public Schools Multimillion Budget Gap, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 4, 2013.

2. According to numerous studies student learning and skills attained in today's classroom do not align with global demand.

The graduation rate in the U.S.A. is approximately 70%.
Half of those who graduate high school are not college or career ready and will require remedial classes in college.

3. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics a severe teacher shortage is on the horizon.

Half of the teaching workforce will be eligible for retirement within 15 years.
Currently, almost 1/2 of all new teachers leave the profession within 5 years.
There are not enough highly-qualified and experienced teachers to replace those nearing retirement.
The experience level for teachers, the most important indicator for student success, has dropped dramatically from 15 years in 1988 to 2 years in 2008.

What does this mean for America's students?

Nationwide the country's educational system is facing approximately $350 billion in budget cuts compounded by the fact that many states reduced funding of the educational system in amounts equal to the federal infusion of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So schools are facing a double whammy of cuts from both the federal and state.

What does this means for the nation's students and teachers:

Services cut for millions of students - with an especially dramatic impact on the countries already disadvantaged children.
Exploding student to teacher ratios.
Cuts in extra-curricular programs including sports and after-school remediation/enrichment programs.
Cuts in essential materials for learning: technology, learning programs, digital/print materials, lab materials...
The end result will be a loss of the academic gains many of our weakest school's have made.
Lower graduation rates.
Students will be even less prepared for college and careers.

Our students' and our nation's future are at stake! Everyone loses as we face this "perfect storm" crisis.

Blended Learning: A Realistic Solution

So the question becomes how do we meet student needs and improve learning for all students during these lean economic times?

The answer in many school district's and classrooms has been to think outside the box and to leverage current technologies and resources differently to create a blended learning environment.

Why is blended learning the answer to many of the issues students and teachers are facing today? Blended learning:

Creates equitable educational opportunities across districts - regardless of student location.
Provides opportunities for individualized instruction even with high student to teacher ratios.
Naturally provides differentiated instruction for all students better meeting student needs thru the use of asynchronistic learning and assessment opportunities - where students are active participants in their own learning process.
Teaches students 21st century technology skills better preparing students for college and career opportunities.
Provides immediate remediation opportunities which has been shown to reduce failure and dropout rates.
Provides enrichment opportunities by allowing students to take courses that don't fit into their current schedule.
Can be cost effective saving districts money by leveraging current technologies and free resources more effectively.

Blended Learning will be explored as a viable option to help minimize the impact of the educational fiscal cliff society is facing and to assure the learning process isn't compromised with the looming teacher shortage but could in fact be enhanced and better prepare students for college and careers. This crisis is an opportunity for educator's to embrace new ways of thinking about the when, where and how of education as well as what defines authentic learning and assessment.

It is time to work smarter, to change our view about technology from a teacher delivery tool to share knowledge, to a student-centric tool which creates authentic learning and assessment opportunities.

Bibliography

Associated Press. (2013, May 31). Philadelphia School Leaders Approve 'Doomsday' Budget.
(2011, January). Blending Traditional and Online Learning. National Science Teachers Association Reports!. 8-9.
Cincinnati Enquirer. (2013, June 4). Cincinnati Public Schools Multimillion Budget Gap.

Dessoff, A. (2009) Reaching Graduation with Credit Recovery. District Administration, 45(9), 43-44.
Education Week. (2013, May 30) Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts

Eisenberg, M. & Fullerton, S. P. (2012). Ed and INFO 2052: Oh, the places you’ll go! IOS Press, 32, 103-115.

Feng L. & Cavanaugh, C (2011). Success in Online High School Biology:Factors Influencing Student Academic

Performance. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 12(1), 37-54.

Hernandez-Ramos, P & De La Paz, S. (2010). Learning History in Middle School by Designing Multimedia in a Project-

Based Learning Experience. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 42(2), 151-173.

Lincoln, M. (2010). Information Evaluation and Online Coursework. Knowledge Quest, 38(3), 28-31.

Nastu, J. (2010). Blended Learning on the Rise. Education Today, (6), 22-28.

National Educators Association. (2013). Impact of Sequestration on Federal Education Programs State by-State.

Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/52610.htm

McLester, S. (2011). Building a Blended Learning Program. District Administration, 47(9), 40-53.

Rud, D. (2010, April). Effects of the Financial Crisis on American Education. European School Heads Association. p

10-14

Schorr, J. & McGriff, D. (2011). Future Schools: Blending Face-to-Face and Online Learning. Education Next, 11(3),

10-17.

Staker, H. & Horn, M. (2012). Classifying K-12 Blended Learning. Innosight Institute, 12(5), 1-22.

Varlas, L. (2011) Getting to Graduation, Can Blended Learning Curtail the Dropout Crisis? Education Update, 11(8), 2-