The Technology Headlines DEMAND FORCASTING & AI | Page 16

OPINION
&
INSIGHTS
THE TECHNOLOGY HEADLINES
BLENDED LEARNING AND BLENDING IN
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By Michael Spencer, CEO, ASSIST Eductaion
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Providing educational programs and solutions that meet
the unique needs of schools around the world
understand that we are teaching
students today for jobs that might not
even exist yet – and we need to provide
them with the skills for future success.
Michael Spencer
T
he education industry has
traditionally been very slow
to change – and in fact, most
schools continue to use same teaching
practices that were used during
the industrial revolution, when we
were training students to enter the
workforce with skills relevant to their
generation. Unfortunately, most our
students continue being taught with
outdated methods, using old-fashioned
textbooks, in traditional brick and
mortar schools.
However, the industry is showing
signs that they are ready for change.
In the last five to ten years, progressive
institutions around the world have
been looking for ways to create more
effective and efficient education
experience for students.
Schools and districts are exploring
the use of technology to provide more
differentiated instruction and to offer
expanded curriculum to students—
no matter their ability, location or
socioeconomic status. These schools
AUGUST 2019
One of the ways schools have begun
to implement technology is through
blended learning practices.
Blended Learning Basics
Blended learning, a style of learning
in which students expand their
educational experience by participating
in remote / online learning in addition
to working in traditional classrooms,is
a fundamental shift in traditional
education.
When implementing a blended
learning model, it is imperative that
the online and in-class curriculum is
integrated and coordinated to keep
instruction moving forward to provide
an effective learning environment.
This unique learning model gives
teachers an opportunity to provide
differentiated instruction to each
student based on their specific needs
and offers a variety of benefits to both
students and teachers.
Benefits of Blended Learning
• Access to global resource materials
online – assigned curriculum does
not need to be textbook focused, it
can come from a variety of sources,
offering a more well-rounded view of
the content
• Self-pacing – students work at their
own pace, eliminating frustration and
anxiety that comes with the need to
keep up in a traditional classroom.
• Accommodating different learning
styles, allows students to learn and
retain more information in the way
that works best for them
• Promoting student autonomy/
responsibility – giving students the
task of driving their own education
will help them to be better prepared
for their future – both personal and
professional.
Implementing Blended Learning
Outside of the US
There are many programs that provide
exceptional blended learning systems
to schools in the US, but there can be
challenges when delivering these same
models to schools and districts in other
areas of the world.
While there is no official count of the
number of schools world-wide, it is
estimated that there are anywhere
from 3 – 6 million primary and
secondary institutions around the
globe. Each country (and sometimes
each region within a country) has its
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