Education
Blended Learning in Today’s Classroom
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peech-language pathologist Christine Worthington serves as psi's speech therapy supervisor and Virtualpsi coordinator. Here she provides ways that blended learning is enhancing traditional classroom learning outcomes.
With the use of digital formats like prerecorded lessons, videos, small group sessions and interactive learning experiences, a blended learning approach affords students with the opportunity to learn, relearn, repeat and review content at their own pace and control when, how, and where learning occurs.
What is blended learning?
How does this approach benefit students with special needs?
Blended learning is an educational concept that combines traditional classroom teaching, technology, online teacher-student interaction, and digital media. This hybrid model is intended to enhance traditional learning outcomes while students engage in self-paced and customized online learning activities. Blended learning is considered to be a progressive approach to education. However, in reality, educators have been integrating blended learning elements into their classrooms for quite some time with the use of digital materials and internet resources. What types of blended learning can parents and students expect?
By integrating and connecting traditional face-to-face learning with digital technologies and resources, a blended learning environment emerges. Some types of blended learning styles may include, but are not limited to: rotation, flex, online labs, flipped classrooms, a la carte and enriched virtual experiences, to name a few. These learning styles utilize technology at varying levels, yet all combine opportunities for face-to-face and online instruction, guided practice, self-paced learning opportunities, fixed and flexible scheduling, and access to digital resources. What is the pace of blended learning?
Blended learning can occur at the student’s pace and accommodates the student’s need to review and relearn material. In a traditional classroom setting where the teacher provides information through a lecture-style format, students have only one opportunity to hear and process the information.
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Some of the major benefits of blended learning are self-paced instruction and differentiation of content material. For students with special learning needs, blended learning may be a perfect model. Students who learn differently or need a slower pace of learning can receive their instruction through varying modes, such as pre-recorded lessons, home-based experiments, videos or collaborative assignments. Content can be repeated and reviewed through different learning opportunities, thus reducing stress to keep the pace of their peers. Blended learning can offer more engaging and self-tailored learning experiences for students with different learning styles or needs, and also can benefit students who need a more accelerated pace of instruction. Opportunities encouraged through blended learning, such as collaboration, exploration and examination of learned material, enhance the learning experience for all students by expanding the instructional environment outside of the classroom. Furthermore, blended learning reduces the traditional lecture-style instruction seen in traditional teaching, which results in increased student engagement for all learning styles. How can blended learning be integrated into a classroom?
Integrating blended learning into a traditional classroom can be accomplished easily and effectively by taking what is already in the classroom and using technology to enhance and boost learning and collaboration. Teachers should first determine which
instructional model would work for their own teaching style, for the content being taught, and for the different learning styles and needs within the classroom. Additionally, using digital materials that are engaging, easily accessible, and have varying degrees of difficulty would enhance educational outcomes for all learners. For teachers new to integrating technology into their classrooms, using digital or online assessments, utilizing digital learning platforms for assignments and collaborative activities, and offering online office hours for more individualized guidance may be a good starting place. Today’s students are not new to technology and bringing digital resources to the learning experience is a natural progression in today’s classroom. Through blended learning, students are able to learn at their own pace and engage in a variety of learning styles, and then show their knowledge in ways that a traditional classroom format does not always offer. When paired with real-life experiences and learning opportunities, integrating digital technology to support traditional instructional material may be the ideal way to foster a lifetime love of learning. What strategies can be done at home between parents and students?
Instructional resources that enhance the learning process should include practical teaching strategies that occur in a student’s natural environment. When students learn in a stress-free, supportive environment, generalization of learned information occurs more readily. Parents can take an active role in their student’s learning by engaging in interactive assignments and participating in collaborative discussions and hands-on activities. Learning together and encouraging their child to demonstrate what they know can help parents see the depth of their understanding.
