{"id":1133,"date":"2020-11-23T02:58:25","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T02:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.educationperfect.com\/?post_type=article&p=1133"},"modified":"2023-04-24T14:09:29","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T03:09:29","slug":"blended-learning-the-best-of-both-worlds","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.educationperfect.com\/article\/blended-learning-the-best-of-both-worlds\/","title":{"rendered":"Blended Learning: The best of both worlds."},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first came across the term blended learning<\/em> in an after-school staff meeting, I was initially a little nervous that this was yet another methodology that we were expected to incorporate into our teaching programmes. However, I was delighted when I discovered that it was a term to define the combining of technology and traditional teaching methods to bring together the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n

In this article, I am going to explore some of my favourite models to support blended learning in the classroom.<\/p>\n

Station Rotation Blended learning\u00a0<\/strong>is where students are required to rotate through a number of different work stations in groups,\u00a0where at least one of the stations is an online learning station. This can be a great option if you have limited access to devices. Even if students do have access to 1:1 devices, it is a great way to break up class time and ensure that your learners get to experience a wide variety of learning activities. The groups can either stay the same each time you run rotations, or they may change from lesson to lesson depending on student needs.<\/p>\n

Rotation stations could include – but are certainly not limited to – a mixture of the following activities: a teacher station, an independent learning station, a collaborative learning station and a digital station.<\/p>\n

The digital stations can be used for many\u00a0different\u00a0learning goals, for example it might be an individualised assignment through an online programme. If this is the case, ensure that the digital activity you select has content available for diverse ability levels and prioritises differentiated instruction. It may also include activities such as research, digital presentations, interactive activities or watching an online video or podcast about a topic and answering questions.\u00a0The collaborative learning rotation station might include: group work with roles, hands on activities, projects, games, debates or discussion. The teacher station could be used for direct instruction, facilitated discussion, real time feedback, assessment or individual conferencing.<\/p>\n

If you are thinking of implementing this model in your classroom, Caitlin Tucker provides some more tips\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to ensure that it is successful.<\/p>\n

Another strategy for implementing blended learning is\u00a0Project-based blended learning<\/strong>. This requires students to use both online learning, face to face instruction and collaboration to research, design, and publish project-based learning assignments, products, and related materials.<\/p>\n

The International Literacy Association<\/a>\u00a0suggests working with your class to brainstorm a project that will address a central question regarding an issue or problem that they are interested in or that relates to them specifically. Once a project is decided on, students are then able to work on one of the following ideas\/products, however, the possibilities for project-based learning are endless! Both online and traditional research and production methods could be incorporated into the following projects:<\/p>\n