Secrets of Blended Learning: How to Design a 21st Century Classroom

By Zainab Cheema 

Blended learning is the new buzzword for 21^st century classrooms. What is it and how does an educator go about creating a blended learning classroom? In this blog, I will describe blended learning, and why it is catching on in pedagogy circles. I’ll also discuss the different models of blended learning to try out, and also how to design a practical, results-oriented blended learning lesson plan. You’ll learn about blended approaches by Katie Novak, Caitlin Tucker, Jeff Lisciandrello and more, and get some ideas about how to customize them for your classroom.  

Why Blended Learning?

Blended learning is a way of teaching that integrates F2F, online and offline learning modalities. As Katie Novak and Caitlin Tucker observe in their best selling book UDL and Blended Learning, the term “blended learning” is really a spectrum of teaching approaches. This spectrum includes a variety of different models that enable teachers to give agency and control to students in their learning and effectively use in-person class time by creating compelling offline modules. As Simon Sinek notes, it’s important to start with the why. UDL teaches us that the “single size fits all” model for learning is outdated. Every learner has a different learning style (not to mention circumstances). Good design means that the teacher can accommodate this variety through lessons that engage students’ interest and creativity and encourage self-directed learning.

Models for Blended Learning

Here are three models that you can experiment with for changing the flow in your classroom. They are mostly taken from Novak and Tucker’s book, but I also use other learning resources. 

• Whole Group Rotation model: The whole group rotation model conceptually uses the lab rotation model of science classes to switch students between different activities, online and offline.

Examples of the Whole Group Rotation Model: As an example, a teacher can assign students a video to watch through Edpuzzle and answer questions about its content. After the video, the teacher can personalize activities based on students’ quiz performance and answer questions to clarify understanding. In an alternate follow up activity, the teacher can give students a close reading activity that asks them to apply the concepts that they have discussed to a text. The requirement of the whole group rotation model is that students have access to computers (either personal laptops or phones; or be in a smart classroom) to allow the whole class moving between online and offline activities.

• Station Rotation Model: The station rotation model breaks up live class time in different activities that require groups of students to rotate between different station. At least one of these stations is an online learning activity, while another could be a teacher-led activity. The idea behind the station rotation model is that learning activities can be personalized to groups to students based on their learning style and encourage small group work and collaboration. Some students prefer a teacher directed activity; others prefer self-directed activities where they learn at their own pace. At the end of classtime, different groups can report on the learning outcomes that they have achieved. Before you set up the activity, use these questions to help guide your learning design.
  • What are the learning goals for the different groups, and how do these goals integrate with another?
  • What criteria will you use to make the group selections?
  • How will you use the space and furniture in your class to design the learning activity?
  • How many devices do you have access to? Do you have at least a few in class computers to create the online group? (Or alternatively, do students have access to their own laptops or smart computers?

Examples of the Station Rotation Model: Set up a choice board that gives students a menu of different topics to learn about that are related to your central topic. After students have explored their subtopics, they will be able to present to the class as a whole. Teachers can organize follow up discussion to synthesize and draw connections between the different learning topics that groups worked on. It’s also possible to scale down the tech of this model. For instance, teachers can create print outs in folders that different groups can work with.

• Flipped Classroom Model: This model has gained quite a lot of traction and for good reason. The flipped classroom switches the lecture portion of the class to videos, which are assigned to students to watch for homework. Teachers can organize an online playlist (or use different features of their LMS) to create a playlist that they can replay until they grasp the concepts.

Examples of the Flipped Classroom Model: A teacher can assign students a video to watch through Edpuzzle that tests their grasp of the concept. In class, the teacher can use discussion to help students to work through their questions. Alternatively, the teacher can assign students a tech training video for an application that they are using for their final project, and use class time to answer questions and do a practicum. The benefit of switching the lecture to video is that students can watch multiple times to master the material at their own pace.  

To Blend or Not to Blend? 

Blended learning is about flexibility and customizing classroom design to best achieve your learning goals. Mastering post-COVID-19 teaching means learning how to best use the online and offline forms of instruction that many teachers were abruptly introduced to do when distance teaching in the pandemic. Blended learning principles may just be one way to balance between the customization and user-friendliness of synch and asynch learning styles, while also channeling the energy of a live class. That said, there some caveats.

It has to be said. Often times, the unspoken assumption behind some blended learning approaches is class privilege: they rely on access to technology, either through properly equipped schools or students’ families providing laptops and smart phones to students. But it’s important to remember that it’s not about fancy tech. It’s about taking another path to meeting your learning goals. It’s about changing the classroom flow to center around the agency and learning styles of your students. Many of the models that I’ve described above can be adapted to low or no tech versions. And finally, it’s also important to mention that there are some student populations that need the teacher as the focal point of the classroom. Ultimately, it boils down to the teacher’s bond with their students and the way this provides context for deciding on best strategy for maximizing learning. However, if you want to (and conditions allow you to) switch up your classroom, consider experimenting with some of these models. 

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