COVER STORY
BLENDED LEARNING MODEL Source: Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools; Michael B. Horn, Heather Staker
ROTATION |
FLEX |
À LA CARTE |
ENRICHED VIRTUAL |
Opposite of FLEX: primarily face-to-face( FtF) learning |
Opposite of ROTATION: primarily online( O / L) learning |
Students choose or are assigned to some O / L classes and some FtF classes |
Whole classes experience: Some O / L classes and some FtF classes |
Rotation between stations / labs to provide different kinds of activities |
Offers brick and mortar locations for connections and support where needed |
Split O / L and FtF from class to class |
Split O / L and FtF within each class |
STEWARD MODEL
Combination of Rotation and Enriched Virtual
understanding of reading and math. Lexia Reading Core5 uses adaptive assessment and personalized instruction to support reading for junior kindergarten through grade 5 students, and DreamBox Learning is an online software provider that focuses on math education at the Lower and Middle School level.
With both programs, students take part in fun, engaging online challenges in themed settings— such as the African Serengeti, a southwest fiesta, or a pirate ship— that allow them to learn, practice, and consolidate fundamental literacy and math skills. The programs are adaptive, meaning that they measure each student’ s progress as he or she completes challenges and offer new challenges based on the student’ s areas of strength or opportunity. All the while, the program collects real-time data to help teachers make informed decisions to maximize student achievement.
“ TThe teacher logs into the child ' s Lexia account, which provides the child’ s progress, and it will suggest a lesson that the teacher can assign for the child to use in class or at home,” said Charlene Wilton, director of Steward’ s Center for Advancement of Learning( CAL).“ It’ s also beneficial for parents. Especially for younger readers, it’ s hard for parents to know how to help and what to do at home. These programs provide targeted, specific suggestions to help move them along.”
Lower School Enrichment Coordinator Suzanne Casey said:“ DreamBox is very individualized. It’ s timed and constantly taking data so it can direct students on where to go next. It also has a feature called Assigned Focus that allows teachers to assign a child up to two lessons at a time that require specific skills he or she is working on in class.”
Both programs can be utilized in class or at home. All kindergarten and grade 1 students and some students in grades 2-3 are given access to Lexia; they are encouraged to do 10 minutes of reading challenges several times a week. Students in kindergarten through grade 4 have access to DreamBox and are encouraged to spend an hour total per week doing math challenges.
ADOPTING BEST PRACTICES
Many experts claim that blended learning is the present and future of education, but not everyone agrees that this is a good thing. In a 2015 article for The Washington Post called“ Blended Learning: The great new thing or the great new hype?”, Philip McRae, Ph. D. exposes some of the“ myths” surrounding blended learning. He identifies the concern that the practice has led schools and classrooms to bring in“ third-party education providers to wipe out the expectations of small class sizes and certified teachers in traditional classrooms.”
Specifically, he cites charter school Rocketship Education, which adopted a rotation model of blended learning for K-5 students to cut down on costs. To accomplish this, the school has cut half of its teaching staff and hired low-paid adults to supervise and monitor students in computer labs.
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