When it comes to the idea of something new within the field of education, sometimes it can be tough to understand WHY and even tougher to consider HOW.
But it doesn’t have to be tough at all!
The more knowledge shared beforehand, the easier it is for smooth implementation and for seeing the immediate benefits.
“Blended Learning” is one of those ideas.
Broken down within Simon Sinek's TED Talk, he explains how great leaders can inspire action (Sinek, 2013). So what are those benefits of “blended learning?” Let’s break it down:
WHY? - The Purpose
We believe that every student deserves a safe and hopeful future through the utilization of optimal 21st century educational experiences.
HOW? - The Process
“Blended Learning” creates personalized and competency-based learning, educational efficiency, increases content and contextual relevance, authenticity, and provides opportunities for individualized differentiation, remediation, and extension.
WHAT? - The Results
The “blended learning” approach will create communities of students who are critical and analytical thinkers, creatively discussing ideas, and pacing themselves while seeking out questions and challenges to differentiate their learning and understanding.
Upon Speaking to the Heart
When you were little did you ever ask your family “why?” Understanding the WHY of a situation can oftentimes have a huge impact on your participation and overall task motivation. For example, if your father said you had to fold the laundry, it might not get finished quickly unless he explained that you could get an ice cream cone after the task was completed!
So what about “Blended Learning?” Why should we care?
One example was explained within the opening chapter of Horn & Staker's book Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. The success of this model was introduced by Jack, a fifth grade student in California who started the school year off at the very bottom of his math class. However, his school decided to make a change. After seventy days of utilizing a “blended learning” math model in the classroom, this same student, Jack, rose to become within the top four students of his class! (Horn, Staker, 2017, p. 5) This was only one small example showing the power of “blended learning” within classroom environments.
Creating A Sense of Urgency
Our current teaching strategies should focus on the strengthening of self-paced learning outcomes, introducing skills for our future world instead of the present, and increasing the use of personalized instruction to better fit the needs of each individual learner. These concepts can balance out the important implementation of best practices within a classroom learning environment, creating a safe haven for knowledge to blossom and student self-discovery to take place.
In conjunction with personalized learning structures and tasks, 21st-century skills should be taught and demonstrated today by teachers who understand best teaching practices. Within his academic report, West (2011) explained that “sticking to a 20th-century production model makes little sense when there are 21st-century technologies available that enable different instructional approaches and delivery systems. The key for educators is to figure out how to use digital technology to engage and instruct students” (p. 2).
When implemented correctly and efficiently into the classroom, these skills can assist with learner knowledge retention and in the creation of a safe learning space for collaboration and open student discussion. “Blended Learning” can help students TODAY for their own world of TOMORROW.
References
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2017). Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation To Improve Schools.
Jossey-Bass.
Sinek, S. (2013, September 29). Start with why - Simon Sinek TED Talk. YouTube.
https://youtu.be/sioZd3AxmnE
West, D. M. (2011, October 6). Using Technology To Personalize Learning And Assess
Students In Real-Time. Brookings; The Brookings Institution.
https://www.brookings.edu/research/using-technology-to-personalize-learning-and-
assess-students-in-real-time/
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