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Blended Learning Strategies For Grades 6-12 - Edutopia
Blended Learning Strategies For Grades 6-12 - Edutopia
GEORGE LUCAS E D U C AT I O N A L F O U N D AT I O N
BLENDED LEARNING
Think about the last time you used a recipe to cook a meal. Perhaps you were hosting
friends for dinner and wanted to make lasagna for the first time. The recipe identifies
the ingredients you need, the order in which you should combine them, and the time
and temperature required to cook the dish to perfection. This guidance is useful when
But most people wouldn’t want to cook every meal using a recipe. At some point,
directions become restrictive, limiting your creativity. Over time, you may want to make
adjustments, removing garlic for a friend who is allergic or substituting mushrooms for
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meat if you’re cooking for a vegetarian. The freedom and flexibility to modify that recipe
The same is true for the adopted curriculum that many teachers use. At first, it’s helpful
to have a clear path to implementation; however, as you gain confidence, you will want
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As a coach and professional learning facilitator, I work with teachers shifting from
learning models. Blended learning combines active, engaged learning online and offline
to give students more control over the time, place, pace, and path of their learning.
There are several models under the umbrella of blended learning: station rotation,
whole group rotation, flipped classroom, and playlists, all of which position students at
Adopted curriculum is often written for a whole group, teacher-led model; however, that
isn’t the only way to use it. Teachers are architects of learning experiences. They
deserve the flexibility and freedom to make the curriculum work for their students using
S TAT I O N R O TAT I O N
Station rotation frees the teacher to work with small groups, differentiating instruction,
This model comprises a series of learning experiences that students rotate through,
of the lesson is most challenging for students and requires significant teacher support?
Which activities benefit from variable time on task? Which activities will be enhanced
The answer to question one will determine which activity the teacher might include in a
teacher-led station. The answer to question two will determine which learning activities
work best as self-paced tasks. The third will identify the learning activities that work
AN ELA EXAMPLE
StudySync is an ELA curriculum that includes a library of digital texts paired with audio
tracks, video models of various skills, a peer feedback tool, and automated scaffolds.
Let’s take a linear, whole group lesson from StudySync and reimagine it as a station
rotation. I’ll use the eighth-grade First Read lesson for A Celebration of Grandfathers,
by Rudolfo Anaya.
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This StudySync lesson asks students to watch and discuss a video preview and build
strategies; annotate and discuss the text; engage in grammar practice; and answer
“think questions.”
modeling a reading strategy using gradual release; an offline station for independent or
students make vocabulary predictions, read, and annotate the text; and an online
Station rotation frees the teacher from the front of the room to work alongside students,
A M AT H EXAMPLE
sequentially. Some students get content quickly, while others need more explanation
and support. If we want learning to be equitable, with all students receiving the input
During a recent blended learning training, a teacher was in tears. She knew her current
approach wasn’t working for most students but wasn’t sure how to use blended learning
Like most adopted curriculum, a Swun lesson has more than a teacher can cover in a
class period: a problem of the day, vocabulary, the input model, structured guided
practice, a final check for understanding, student practice, challenge problems, and an
extension activity.
In a reimagined lesson, the teacher could allow for student control by beginning with
the whole group using Problem of the Day and Vocabulary Building as warm-ups. Then,
the teacher could use Swun’s Input Model to provide direct instruction introducing the
day’s topic.
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Instead of having the class move as a unit through the remaining lesson elements,
since students require variable time on task, the teacher can transition them into skill-
level groups. That frees the teacher to provide more support to the students in the
lower-level group as they work on Final Check and move to Practice Problems.
Students in the midlevel group can watch the video of the input model if they need
additional instruction while the teacher is working with the lower-level group. The
teacher then transitions from the lower to the midlevel group to review and support
work.
The high-level group will need less teacher time and complete more lesson elements.
When they finish Challenge Problems, they can decide how to use their time. They
might move on to the next video lesson, complete the extension activity, or grab a
“student tutor” lanyard and assist other students. Not only do students in the high-level
group move at a pace that works for them, but they can choose to serve as valuable
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
learning experience for all students, but a one-size-fits-all approach rarely meets
everyone’s needs. Just as a traditional meat-filled lasagna won’t work for a dinner party
that includes vegetarians, a teacher-led whole group lesson won’t meet the wide
Teachers must bring their creativity and knowledge of their student population into their
provides transferable instructional models that teachers can use to modify their
curriculum to ensure that learning is designed to meet the needs of all students.
S H A R E T H I S STO RY
FILED UNDER
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