BB K12 WP BlendedLearning
BB K12 WP BlendedLearning
BB K12 WP BlendedLearning
Blended Learning: Where Online and Face-to-Face Instruction Intersect for 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Blended Learning: Where Online and Face-to-Face Instruction Intersect for 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Executive Summary
Blended learning, the teaching practice that combines teaching methods from both face-to-face and online learning, is an established, rapidly growing instructional model that is proving highly effective in helping schools and districts address the challenges of student achievement, limited resources, and the expectations of 21st century learners. Whether it is extending classroom instruction beyond the school day, supporting credit recovery programs, enhancing teacher professional development or delivering enriched learning opportunities for accelerated students, blended learning models are increasingly common practice across the curriculum for students and teachers alike. Blended learning is implemented in a variety of ways, ranging from models in which curriculum is fully online with face-to-face interaction to models in which face-to-face classroom instruction is integrated with online components that extend learning beyond the classroom or school day. The rapid growth of blended learning has been a catalyst for additional instructional transformation, including: Evolving pedagogy in which teachers roles include facilitation, student mentoring and differentiating instruction for individual learners, Increased exibility and personalization of students learning experiences, and Strategic uses of technology as districts tap the capabilities of the learning management systems to support a wider range of instructional programs. Educators support online learning because of its unique abilities to provide students with enriched learning experiences, to extend learning beyond the school day, and to support more successful differentiated learning strategies that personalize students educational experiences. Additionally, as educators gain more experience with the approaches to and benets of blended learning, they have discovered that this instructional model helps them increase capacity without commensurate increases in budget or staff. This report reviews the working denitions of blended learning, explores efcacy and prevalence data, recaps innovative and practical implementation models and provides proles of several schools and districts that are experiencing success with their blended learning programs. The intent is to showcase this instructional models growth and potential to spark new conversations about how blended learning can address a range of instructional needs in new and highly productive ways.
Blended learning, which typically extends classroom instruction online, is giving schools new approaches and strategies for addressing the challenges they face.
iNACOL denes blended learning as Combining online delivery of educational content with the best features of classroom interaction and live instruction to personalize learning, allow thoughtful reection, and differentiate instruction from student-to-student across a diverse group of learners.
education, describes blended learning as part online and part traditional face-toface instruction. 3 San Diego State University also offers an interesting perspective on blended learning. In the universitys online Encyclopedia of Educational Technology, the article Blended Learning Solutions notes, blended learning combines the engaging benets of traditional instructor-led training with the advantages brought by a variety of technologies to create an optimum program.4 The article also underscores that many ingredients can comprise a blended learning model, including instructor-delivered content, e-learning, webinars, conference calls, live or online sessions with instructors, and other media and events. For the purposes of this paper, blended learning is broadly dened as an instructional practice that combines teaching methods from both face-to-face instruction and online learning.
While many districts may not initially launch their blended learning programs with a signicant portion of online instruction (Models 1 &2), this approach may help districts address scheduling, resource and other challenges. Today, the bulk of blended learning extends and enhances face-to-face instruction, as shown in Models 3-5 in the continuum.
District Prole
District: Henrico County Public Schools, Henrico, Virginia Interviewee: Jean Murray, Assistant Superintendent
Progress and achievement are cornerstones of the mission of Henrico County Public Schools. According to the districts web site, Henrico was rst in the state two years in a row for the number of schools passing the Standards of Learning tests (SOLs), and the county has received ten National Association of Counties awards. Henrico County Public Schools mission is to provide a nationally recognized educational program and staff to help 21st century students reach their full potential. They strive to develop critical thinkers and lifelong learners who are committed to their community and nation, and who have the personal integrity to meet lifes challenges In Henrico County, Virginia, blended learning has a very active role in curriculum. Jean Murray, the districts Assistant Superintendent explains, One of our most successful blended learning examples, among many including Shakespeare and algebra, is our online Physical Education program. Were doing this in summer school. Our students use heart rate monitors that plug into computers. We offer online help and textbook-based instruction online, with digital drop boxes for assignments. The students work out in a local gym with their heart rate monitors, and then plug into computers to report their workout. Murray also noted that this helps students fulll their physical education credit requirements and the program has been useful for students who were on long-term suspension or expulsion, because it allows them to earn credits they need in
Pedagogy Evolving
With the growth of blended learning and the many ways this model is being adapted, pedagogy is evolving as well. Teachers roles are changing as they evolve from lecturer to instructional guide. Independent student work and mentoring are becoming more common instructional strategies as teachers assess student progress and then use a variety of tools and resources, including digital content, to differentiate instruction in order to address students needs. A search of available research literature conrms this trend. A combination of exibility, independence, and experience with online tools has been associated with improved critical thinking, research, and computer skills.5 As virtual school opportunities continue to expand to a wider range of K-12 students, it will be important that courses are straightforward and consistent in their design, provide clear instructions and expectations, and make use of appropriate media.6 The blended learning models are also exible and adaptable so teachers can create instructional activities and assignments that give students the opportunity to work collaboratively, tapping their interest and abilities in social learning. In addition, project-based and experiential learning can also be facilitated through blended models, giving students the opportunity to conduct research online, participate in group work, and then develop multimedia projects that showcase their learning processes and outcomes.
Allocation of time between blended learning and face-toface instructional strategies is not the question. It is a question of which methodology will best serve student needs. We want to provide the right and best opportunities for learning.
Tom Ryan, CIO Albuquerque Public Schools
Geography have been redesigned to incorporate digital instruction as a daily component of learning. Albuquerque Public Schools has identied that blended learning offers important benets for the districts ESL students and their teachers. In Henrico County, blended learning is helping students fulll physical education, math, and English requirements and helping teachers meet professional development requirements. And at Digital Harbor High School in the Baltimore City School District, blended learning includes online course documentation, digitally based activities, discussion boards for students and teachers and more. To be successful, these districts considered their professional development, technology infrastructure and funding needs. In all cases, educators were strategic about their blended learning implementation which positively inuenced their teaching and learning initiatives.
Professional Development
The educators interviewed noted that professional development was a key element to the success of their blended learning initiatives. In all instances, professional development helped teachers become adept technology users and skilled at technology integration in a blended environment.
Technology Infrastructure
The districts solidied their technology infrastructure and learning management platforms early in their blended learning initiative. This enabled them to roll out their blended learning programs smoothly and efciently, tapping the capabilities of the systems in place in their districts. In many instances, course management, content management, portals, and communications systems were already in place so introducing a blended learning program did not present a major technology challenge.
Funding
While districts are facing limited and, in some cases, declining budgets, the districts proled here worked to secure funding sources to ensure the success and longevity of their blended learning programs. St. Tammany Parish used grant monies to fund their 1:1 laptop initiatives, but used district funds to support professional
District Prole
District: Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico Interviewee: Tom Ryan, Chief Information Ofcer Funding Source: Available New Mexico Technology Funds, EETT, E-Rate Funding
Albuquerque Public Schools use several blended learning approaches encompassing instruction for students as well as professional development. Tom Ryan, Chief Information Ofcer of Albuquerque Public Schools, offers an interesting perspective: We focus a great deal on our blended learning environment, implementing this model rst on the fringe and then nding that it evolves to mainstream applications. For us, blended learning is a process by which we are using online and face-to-face methods to improve teaching and learning. Allocation of time between the two instructional strategies is not the question. It is a question of which methodology will best serve student needs. We want to provide the right and the best opportunities for learning. A great example is our ESL (English as a Second Language) students. Blended models give these learners the opportunity to practice as often and as long as they need. Its about meeting the students academic needs and using instructional strategies that increase the time and resources available to help students excel academically. Ryan notes that blended learning is the future because it helps address students diverse needs and learning styles, supports effective response to intervention and gives learners direct experience with technology-supported skills essential for 21st century success.
The program is already changing the way teachers are teaching. Were seeing less lecture/discussion/worksheet and more facilitation, more collaboration with other teachers and a shift in attitude as teachers help and encourage students to take more responsibility for their own learning.
Dr. Regina Sanford, Schools Secondary Supervisor of Instruction St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
development. Albuquerque Public Schools uses available state technology funding, EETT funds and E-Rate funding, while Digital Harbor High School uses Perkins funding and the districts own per-student funding to support its technology programs.
Professional development helped teachers become adept technology users and skilled at technology integration in a blended environment.
intervention programs, and to provide accelerated learning opportunities to students who want to take Advanced Placement courses or who will benet from TAG (Talented and Gifted) instructional support. Educators are discovering that blended learning offers an important set of benets. These include: The ability for schools to maintain their central role in managing a students educational process and personalizing instruction; Providing curriculum developers and teachers the exibility to address standards and maintain curriculum delity while integrating digital content and learning experiences that better engage 21st century learners; and Giving teachers valuable experiences in using technology effectively in their professional development courses, preparing them to use blended models creatively and strategically as this approach becomes more and more prevalent in the classroom. As educators experiment with blended learning models, they are nding new solutions to challenges and leveraging opportunities to improve and transform traditional instructional models.
District Prole
District: St. Tammany Parish Public Schools, Louisiana Interviewee: Dr. Regina Sanford, Secondary Supervisor of Instruction Funding Source: Grant monies for laptop program and district funds for professional development In St. Tammany Parish Public Schools in Louisiana, blended learning is helping the district address critical objectives for integrating 21st century skills into core subject instruction. For the 2009-2010 school year, St. Tammany Parish opened a new high school and, as part of their focus on effective use of technology to improve student achievement, the district developed a new blended learning curriculum for its English I and World Geography courses. These new programs were designed to help the school optimize their 1:1 laptop program, the result of an exciting new grant. According to Dr. Regina Sanford, St. Tammany Parish Public Schools Secondary Supervisor of Instruction, This initiative sparked great excitement and involvement for us. Two of our Curriculum Specialists volunteered to update and adjust our English I and World Geography courses to create a comprehensive approach that embeds digital instruction as a daily part of class. Our teachers volunteered to teach these courses and we supported them with summer professional development and now on-going training during the school year to make sure standards are addressed and the available technology supports teachers and students needs. Dr. Sanford also noted that students were given the opportunity to opt in to these classes and parents were invited to orientation meetings so they could understand and support their students involvement in this new instructional model. Dr. Sanford explained, Our goal with this blended learning model was to give students direct experience and exposure to the many technology applications needed to conduct research, analyze data, and synthesize information. Dr. Sanford enthusiastically noted that the program is already changing the way teachers are teaching. Were seeing less lecture/discussion/worksheet and more facilitation, more collaboration with other teachers and a shift in attitude as teachers help and encourage students to take more responsibility for their own learning. St. Tammany Parish also operates a Virtual Academy for High School, called A3. The district uses Blackboard software as its platform for A3 and found that the platform also supported its new blended learning initiatives effectively as well, thanks to the systems content management and communications capabilities. Dr. Sanford noted that current plans call for adding more digital curriculum for the 2010-2011 school year and will include English II and Civics/Free Enterprise. These courses will give students greater opportunities to continue their blended learning experiences.
contrasting blends of online and face-to-face instruction with conventional face-toface classes, blended instruction has been more effective, providing a rationale for the effort required to design and implement blended approaches.7 The studys main ndings are noteworthy: Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction. The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types. Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learning reection.
Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.
Teacher Effectiveness
A study by Susan Lowes, Ph.D., at Columbia University describes another dimension to the efcacy of blended learning. This research found that teachers instructional practices are transformed by learning how to teach online, because they develop new skills and build pedagogical strategies using technology. The research also reported that online teaching improves practices in both virtual and face-to-face settings. Further, 75% of the teachers in this study said that teaching online had a positive impact on their face-to-face teaching. Lastly, the study pointed out that teachers who gain experience delivering instruction online can serve as change agents in the schools where they also teach face-to-face courses.8 Research on blended learnings efcacy supports the work of educators already using these models and those now considering additional opportunities to put the power of blended learning to work for students and teachers.
School Prole
School: Digital Harbor High School, Baltimore City, Maryland Interviewees: Brian Eyer, Principal & Jan Purnell, Teacher Funding Source: Perkins funding and Baltimore City School Districts per student funding
Digital Harbor High, an urban high school within the Baltimore City School District, currently serves 1,050 students. There are no entrance requirements but students must accept the schools mission, which is either college preparation or preparation to work in a technology industry. There are four different paths for students choosing the technology option including programming, media/video, information support services and networking. Students must pass an industry standard test to graduate. All classes at Digital Harbor High School use Blackboard software, which supports the schools concept of integrating more traditional instructional methods with online learning. Online components include course documentation, digitally-based activities, online submission of class assignments, discussion boards, test generators, self-grading, and an electronic gradebook. Teachers are required to post syllabus information and grades and this information is required to be refreshed at least every two weeks. Principal Brian Eyer notes, Several people are central to driving change at Digital Harbor. As a principal, I expect teachers to use technology and I evaluate them based in part on their use of technology. Our faculty is comprised of many veteran teachers who love technology and these professionals understand that this is the way students learn best today. When asked about some of Digital Harbors most successful uses of blended learning, Eyer and teacher Jan Purnell provided some exciting examples, In our science classes, the teacher may be talking about mitosis and the stages of mitosis before conducting a lab activity with an onion. She may have shown students a microscopic-projected view of the onion noting that this is what students should look for in their lab work. Following the lab activity, that teacher will show a time-lapse video sequence. Classrooms are often equipped with multiple technology-supported learning stations that may including mapping, video, database access or other instructional supports and this helps address students multiple learning styles. Digital Harbors achievement results are worth noting. According to Eyer, the schools attendance rate averages 92%, compared with the districts 83.5% attendance statistic. Digital Harbor has maintained adequate yearly progress (AYP), with students coming from every part of the city with every level of ability. All seniors are required to apply to college and the schools senior graduation rate is 90%, contrasted with the districts 63% graduation rate.
10
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
instruction, extending learning beyond the classroom, and offering tailored learning experiences (see Graph A). Each of these aligns strategically with the advantages of blended learning models and implementations. The data also points out that online learning products and services are most frequently used to support instruction, both in terms of supplementing classroom teaching and learning and facilitating individualized instruction (see Graph B). Again, this supports the spectrum of blended learning models and indicates that blended learning is no longer a fringe practice and is now quickly becoming a core part of instruction.
Blended learning can help schools and districts build instructional capacity and, at the same time, realize signicant cost efciencies.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
speakers who appear through video streaming or webinars can save districts money and expand students experiences far beyond the walls of the classroom. Teachers can be in more than one place at one time, thanks to technology. In some cases, this enables districts to provide students with optimum learning opportunities without adding staff. Around the country, some districts are experimenting with a four-day school week, which can help them achieve savings in facilities operation and transportation. To compensate for this shorter week, some schools are using online learning to extend and supplement course work. Jed Friedrichsen, Chief Administrative Ofcer of blendedschools.net, a provider of blended learning opportunities for schools and students, offered an interesting example of how blended learning is expanding district capacity. He noted, A small school district in Pennsylvania, Rose Tree Media, recently went from a half day kindergarten to full day kindergarten without having to expand their facilities. Instead of adding two classrooms to their school building, they decided to offer half day online so the students come to school for half of the day and then those students are online for half of the day.11 Freidrichsen noted that blendedschools.net now serves a variety of school districts that use the organizations learning environment to expand and enrich their curriculum by providing a blended environment for their regular classrooms.
12
Professional Development
Blended learning has established itself as an accepted and effective learning model.
Professional development programs also benet from blended learning methods. This often works to save teachers travel time and also minimizes the time that teachers have to be out of their classrooms. The blended model gives teachers the opportunity for independent study, while at the same time offering them some in-person learning time that helps foster collaboration and build stronger peer connections. The blended model also gives more teachers more opportunities to participate in professional learning, thanks to exible scheduling and lower costs. Programs can be delivered throughout the school year and in some instances, a justin-time model can address emerging training needs without greatly increasing costs. In Henrico County, Virginia, professional development is offered on an on-demand basis, with video clips, learning lessons and follow-up lessons. If a principal wants to work with teachers, they can nd appropriate lessons to help teachers build skills in a specic content area or teaching strategy. The district is also putting its own training information into this format as well, so staff and faculty alike can take advantage of exible and effective professional development opportunities.
Endnotes
1 Learning in the 21st Century: 2009 Trends Update. June 2009. A joint publication of Project Tomorrow and Blackboard Inc. 2 Watson, John, Evergreen Consulting Associates: Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education, iNACOL Promising Practices in Online Learning, 2008. 3 Allen, I. Elaine Ph.D, & Seaman, Jeff, Ph.D. Staying the Course, Online Education in the United States, 2008. Sloan Consortium. 4 Blended Learning Solutions, Encyclopedia of Educational Technology. http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/blendedlearning/index.htm 5 Barker, K., & Wendel, T. (2001). E-learning: Studying Canadas virtual secondary schools. Kelowna, BC: Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education. 6 Barbour, M. K. (2005). The Design of Web-based Courses for Secondary Students. Journal of Distance Learning, 9(1). 27-36. 7 U.S. Department of Education, Ofce of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C., 2009. 8 Lowes, S. (2005) Online teaching and classroom change: the impact of virtual high school on its teachers and their schools. Naperville, IL; Learning Point Associates. www.ncrel.org/tech/synthesis 9 Picciano, A.G. & Seaman, J. (2009). K-12 Online Learning. A 2008 Follow-up of the Survey of U.S. School District Administrators. Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/k-12_online_learning_2008.pdf 10 Data from a 2009 market research study online learning usage commissioned by Blackboard Inc. and conducted by Grunwald Associates, an independent research organization. 11 Interview conducted with Jed Friedrichson, Chief Administrative Ofcer of Blendedschool.net, 2009. Video of full interview available at http://blackboard.com/Solutions-by-Market/K-12/Learnfor-K12/Resources.aspx#A2541
14
Worldwide Headquarters 650 Massachusetts Ave, NW, 6th Fl. Washington, DC 20001 + 1.800.424.9299, ext. 2427 + 1.202.463.4860, ext. 2427
K-12
blackboard.com/k12