Audio file

Blended Learning 4 Blended Learning Models.mp4

Transcript
The definition of blended learning is a formal educational program in which is 2 rooms at least in part
through online room with some element of student control over TIME, PLACE, PATH and PACE, at least
in part of the supervised brick and mortar location away from home and the modalities along each
student's learning path within the course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning
speed.

Since the majority of blended learning programs resemble one of the formal models are described in this
video and they include the rotation, flexi model, a la carte and enriched virtual model

1) ROTATION

Now the rotation model includes four sub models, one of which is the flipped upside down classroom,

Here are the definitions of these four.

Channels number one is the rotation well and this is a program which we've been given closer subjects.

Tools rotate between modalities at least one of which is online learning.

Other modalities might include activities such a small group or full class instruction group
projects.Individual tutoring and pencil, and paper assignments.

2) FLEX MODEL
Number two is the Flex model and this is a program in which the online learning is the backbone of student
learning, even if it direct students to offline activities.

At times, students move on individually, customised fluid schedule among learning modalities, and the
teacher of record is on site. Now the teacher of record and other adults provide face to face support on a
flexible and adaptive as needed basis through activities such as small group instructions, group projects,
and individual tutoring.

Some implementations may have substantial face to face support and others may have minimal some flex
models we have face to face certified teachers and supplement the learning on a daily basis, whereas
others may provide little face to face enrichment, others may have combinations of different kinds of
staffing.

3) A LA CARTE

The A la carte model and this is a program in which students take one or more courses entirely online with
an online teacher of record and at the same time continue to have brick and mortar educational
experiences. Students may take them by online courses either on the brick and mortar campus or off site,
and this differs from full time online learning and in this virtual model. Because it's not a whole school
experience.

4) THE ENRICHED VIRTUAL MODEL

this is a whole school experience in which within each course students divide their time between
attending a brick and mortar campus and learning remotely using online delivery of content, instruction
and learning in which virtual programs begin as full time online schools and then developed blended
programs to provide students with brick and mortar school experiences.

The enriched virtual model differs from the flipped classroom because in which virtual program students
seldom attend the brick and mortar campus every day, and it differs from the other card model because
it's a whole school experience, not a course by course model. These descriptions are more information on
blended learning can be found in Clayton Christiansen's website.
3 secrets to successful Station Rotations
Station Rotation is one of the most popular blended-learning approaches. The model isn’t new or
unique to blended learning; teachers have been using learning activity “centers” in their classrooms
for decades, particularly at the elementary level. What qualifies Station Rotation as a blended
model is when at least one station involves student-led online learning. By definition, the model
allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule, typically established by the teacher.

Over the years in our blended-learning research, we’ve spoken to hundreds of educators
implementing this model. In the Blended Learning Universe (BLU) directory, there are no fewer
than 326 schools and districts who are using this model. This particular tack to blended instruction
is typically credited with establishing a controlled routine in the classroom while allowing students
some degree of control over the pace and path of their learning. In other words, Station Rotation
allows teachers to personalize instruction at a much higher degree than the traditional classroom.
Based on the BLU data collected from schools, here are three ways to make the most of Station
Rotation to foster students’ success, as described by educators who’ve been mastering this model
for years.

1. Spend small-group time strengthening relationships with

students.
Jon Grega, principal at Mt. Gilead Middle School in Ohio, said his teachers have used Station
Rotation to better get to know their learners. “We’ve seen that the small-group stations allow
teachers to build stronger relationships with students, as well as better assess and meet the needs
of individual learners.” Like many educators using this model, Mt. Gilead teachers use the small-
group direct instruction station to differentiate to a high degree. As an educator said at a
past Blended and Personalized Learning Conference, “I never truly knew all my students before
going blended.”

At Mt. Gilead, Grega credits the steady rise in students’ core academic growth to their teachers’
blended-learning approach, which has earned the school Ohio’s Momentum Award for three years
in a row.

2. Use data to drive direct instruction, but consider the tools.

At Building 21 in Philadelphia, 9th and 10th grade ELA and math courses are called Workshops
and run on a Station Rotation model. At the online station, students engage with adaptive
intervention software at their demonstrated performance level. “We’re leveraging computer-based
assessments to identify areas for growth and to plan intervention work ,” said school leader Ayris
Colvin. “We are being proactive about closing gaps in students’ understanding.” Data from online
programs inform student groupings and how the teacher will approach their direct instruction
station for each group.

However, before you get your blended model up and running, consider upfront which edtech tools
will best support teachers to track student data in one place. Using data effectively can be a
cumbersome aspect of running a Station Rotation. As Da Vinci Connect in California shares on
their profile, “Online content providers don’t provide data in a singular source, so comparing
student data from different sources and getting the important data out of those systems has been
challenging for the school.” Many schools choose to invest in developing their own customized
system, rather than adopting off-the-shelf products, to achieve an integrated data platform.

3. Make the model your own.

The key here is realizing that the model isn’t prescriptive. Often when first launching Station
Rotation, it’s a good idea to follow the “recipe” pretty closely until both teachers and students are
confident with the new approach. But inevitably, educators recognize that there’s room to
manipulate the model to customize elements of the learning experience for students.

For example, Dave Swank, principal of Canyon Lake Elementary School in South Dakota, said
that his school took the Station Rotation approach to blended because it was most familiar to
teachers, but “we quickly realized that ‘one size fits all’ didn’t match our philosophy, so we added
a flex element to create more of a continuum of blended options.” Specifically, some students are
now able to spend additional time at certain stations based on their specific and identified needs
on any given day. Additionally, in math, learners move through content at their own pace with
support from a facilitator. In reading, a grade level structure is still in place, but small, flexible
groups are clustered around similar abilities. Learners can move fluidly from level to level.

To take a deep look at how educators evolve their Station Rotation practice over time, check out
our case study highlighting 5 teachers who made the model their own. Sometimes the best rewards
for students come when teachers relinquish control of the model over to students, gradually giving
them more ownership and agency in their learning.
Are computer labs a thing of the past? Not so
fast.
Recently, an education leader remarked to me that “the concept of a computer lab is obsolete”.
The comment surprised me. In our blended learning research at the Christensen Institute, we see
schools implement blending learning using technology along a wide spectrum, from a lab of
desktops to 1:1 hand-held devices, 3D printers, VR headsets, and more. We also observe that at
the end of the day, technology isn’t the most important component of a strong blended-learning
program. Rather, good pedagogy partnered strategically with technology (even a plain-old
computer lab) holds great potential to make a powerful learning impact.

In fact, computer labs are still a key stepping stone for many schools aiming to transform
instruction. Both in the US and beyond, many schools want to leverage the opportunities that come
with online learning, but don’t have the resources and bandwidth (literally) for the latest devices
and the infrastructure that more and newer technology requires.

In our BLU directory, many schools profiled are differentiating in important ways for their
students, in part thanks to access to a computer lab. The Lab Rotation is a popular blended-learning
model that integrates teacher-facilitated online learning in a lab setting with face-to-face
instruction and other offline learning modalities in the classroom. Last year, the Institute’s BLU
team took a deeper look at blended learning beyond the US. Based on that research, one of the
most common models we found adopted by schools across Brazil, Malaysia, and South Africa was
indeed the Lab Rotation. Overall, in our BLU database of 640 schools and districts (and counting),
there are over 100 examples of schools implementing this computer lab-based model, from
Louisiana to California to India.

Computer labs in action today

What’s happening in these models? Let’s look at a few Lab Rotation profiles from the BLU to see
how and why this model can make a difference when it comes to enhancing students’ learning.

Guru Nanak National High School

At this private school in Mumbai, Lab Rotation allows half the class (a hefty 30 students) to spend
time on technology while the other half receives individualized support from the teacher. The lead
teacher instructs students in the classroom while a teaching assistant facilitates learning in the
computer lab. The groups rotate between these two “stations” on alternating days.

In the computer lab, students are engaged on a self-paced, adaptive learning program called Zaya.
The teaching assistant in the lab looks at student data from Zaya to better support individual
students with their online learning. Guru Nanak adopted the Lab Rotation model as a feasible
means of differentiating instruction in such a large class. The school reports that now all learners
can make progress in the curriculum on any given day. The teaching assistant, with data from
Zaya, reinforces this by providing students with personalized learning reports to help the student
and both teachers track progress transparently.

Rocketship Public Schools

Blended learning is about creating a flexible space where teachers leverage tools—tutors, online
learning programs and their peers—to engage kids in a personalized-learning experience. To this
end, this California CMO has been implementing Lab Rotation for over a decade. In Rocketship’s
model, students spend most of their day in the classroom setting. About half of the day is spent in
a humanities block and a quarter of the day is spent in a math block, with separate teachers who
specialize in their respective subjects. Students receive large group instruction, experience small-
group and team learning supported by iPads and Chromebooks, and receive targeted intervention
from their classroom teacher. Students then rotate into Rocketship’s Learning Lab for adaptive
online learning, additional small group instruction, team learning and targeted intervention—all
led by Rocketship tutors. The learning lab is led by individual learning specialists with the support
of assistant principals.

The biggest results of Rocketship’s Lab Rotation? “High level of student engagement and
ownership in their learning. Teachers and students actively use their data to reach and understand
student goals. Teachers are strategically planning lessons based on student data,” according to
Rocketship Public Schools.

Rocketship’s Lab Rotation approach also inspired SPARK Schools to launch a new kind of
independent education program in South Africa fueled by a similar blended-learning model. Like
Rocketship, SPARK Schools started with a Lab Rotation model in its primary grades and over
time has developed a Flex/Individual Rotation hybrid model for its upper-elementary and middle
school students. Yet Lab Rotation remains a core piece of the lower primary learning design.
SPARK has become a beacon for blended-learning implementation in South Africa as it scales a
quality alternative to public education that is also affordable.

Do computer labs symbolize the “future of learning”? Probably not, particularly as mobile
penetration grows rapidly. But with pedagogical savvy, educators continue to take advantage of
them to help create better learning experiences for students in the present.
How to customize learning with Individual
Rotation
As schools and classrooms become more interested, and invested, in blended learning, it’s a good
idea to have a deeper understanding of the unique models that have the potential to support teachers
in meeting the needs of a diverse group of learners.

Our first post on a blended-learning model focused on Flex. In this post, we’ll look at another
disruptive model, Individual Rotation. In this model, students can rotate through stations on
individual schedules set by a teacher or software algorithm.

What makes it different? Unlike other rotation models, students do not necessarily rotate to every
station; they rotate only to the activities scheduled on their playlists. For example, if you were to
walk into a classroom doing the Individual Rotation, it might look a lot like a Station Rotation
model. The difference, however, is in the student’s experience. Each student’s learning agenda is
tailored every day to his or her individual needs, based on his or her performance (which is
typically recorded by an online learning platform) the previous day.

When should you consider using it? Because this model is a disruptive model, and disruptive
models generally are the most divergent from the traditional classroom, it can help to experiment
with this design when a student’s current alternative to learning is nothing at all. In other words,
we urge educators to launch disruptive models in non-tested subjects or courses otherwise not on
offer at your school. Imagine leveraging innovation to finally personalize learning, extend access,
and rein in costs in an otherwise resource-constrained system.

Is it comparable to another model? While it’s not always the case researchers at the Institute
often think of the Individual Rotation model as a hybrid of the Station Rotation model and the Flex
model. Over time, we do sometimes see the Station Rotation model evolve in classrooms to
approaches that more closely resemble the Individual Rotation model, as teachers and students
grow more confident with the blended-learning format and look for elbow room to customize to
each and every student. Unlike in the Flex model, students in Individual Rotation still adhere to a
common time block for learning.

How are schools implementing this model? We examined the BLU Directory to discover three
schools who’ve shared their journeys with the Individual Rotation model.

1. Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School

New London, Connecticut

In 2015, Bennie Dover Middle School partnered with the non-profit organization New Classrooms
to replace its math curriculum with the Teach to One: Math personalized learning model. Every
evening, the school’s math teachers receive a customized schedule for every student. This unique
schedule is created by a sophisticated technology engine that powers the Teach to One model. The
teacher assigns to students a lesson (from a library of 9,000 different lessons) and a modality based
on a low-stakes assessment the student took earlier that day, along with analytics from historical
learner patterns, individual learner attributes, and lesson characteristics.

Teachers review the schedules in the evening and then meet for a morning planning session to
refine lesson plans together. While some teachers may provide a lesson to a small group, others
may support students one-to-one while they work on digital lessons, and other teachers may work
with small collaborative groups exploring challenges via pen and paper or using manipulatives.
Students usually rotate through two of nine available stations in the classroom during the 100-
minute math block.

In Teach to One, learning cycles last about three weeks. During each round, students have the
opportunity to meet with one teacher and one group of peers several times to work on a project
together. Students also have a Math Advisory group that meets regularly throughout the year with
the same teacher.
Teachers and students may track learning via their respective online portals. A unique Skills
Library is created in the portal for each student and they can earn points and badges as they pass
skills. Students may also work on their own by doing Prove Its or Watch and Learn Videos.

2. Highland Academy Charter School

Anchorage, Alaska

Highland Academy’s approach to learning is predicated on student agency: giving students voice
and choice in their learning. To that end, teachers work to create a learning environment in which
individualization happens organically based on student ability and need.

Depending on the day and the class, teachers will prompt students to access their personalized
playlist in Empower, a digital platform that shows students the framework of their curriculum and
provides support from teachers throughout each unit. Teachers can now differentiate with varying
activities based on readiness.

“We use technology as a framework to paint the whole picture of the learning process,” explained
Michael Shapiro, the school principal. “Technology is seen as an accessible, dynamic tool in the
toolbox for students to use. It’s not the only tool, but it is a powerful, available, and engaging tool.”

3. Myrtle Beach Middle School

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Like most schools in Horry County Schools, Myrtle Beach Middle School initially adopted a
Station Rotation model. But as teachers became more experienced in blended learning, they came
to realize that the flexibility of an Individual Rotation model would better support the diverse needs
of their students.

“In the beginning, we thought in terms of time: how many days per week are we going to do
blended learning?” said Janice Christy, principal of the school. “Now, we think in terms of the
instructional cycle: when is the right time for teacher-directed, whole-group instruction, and when
is the right time for individual or small-group instruction based on student need?” When planning
lessons, administrators and teachers also ask themselves whether online or traditional methods of
instruction would be most effective. “Our model has changed, and will continue to change, as we
become increasingly more sophisticated at using all of the tools at our disposal to move students
along individual paths of learning,” noted Christy.

Myrtle Beach Middle School’s instructional model begins by following a diagnostic pre-
assessment at the level of the individual with teacher-directed, standards-based instruction.
Teachers deliver formative assessment and then scaffold instruction through “personalized digital
learning;” differentiation may occur in a variety of groupings based on student need, with some
students working on online content, and some working with the teacher, some working on online
content while being coached by the teacher, some working collaboratively, et cetera. As students
reach mastery of the standard, differentiation wanes for some and intensifies for others who need
more support. Teachers administer summative assessments, and the cycle restarts for the next
standard.
Students harness the skill of preparedness
through blended learning
In our school, numerous educators have long practiced cooperative learning pedagogical methods.
But we’ve recognized that blended learning is another effective mediator to help support student
learning in a rapidly changing world.

For instance, one benefit to students of a blended-learning approach has been the driver of our
school’s work: preparedness. It is the skill of planning ahead for your learning, and being aware
of the inquiries you will be expected to know and engage with in the future.”

At Advanced Education Schools, a private, international school located in Cairo, Egypt, we

launched a pilot in 2016 of the Flipped Classroom method in a single 9th grade classroom, and
have since developed a whole-school policy and protocol for implementation of the Flipped
Classroom.

Our Flipped Classroom approach

Today, Heads of Departments, Academic Deans, and Principal Offices closely supervise
teachers’ implementation of the Flipped Classroom, which looks like this:
For homework, students screen 5-10 minutes of a tailored, pre-recorded green screen/glass screen
instructional video, featuring their very own teachers, on the upcoming week’s topic. The teachers
ask students to prepare six guiding questions. These questions are tiered to Bloom’s Taxonomy’s
1st tier, recalling.

During classtime, students work collaboratively with peers on an in-depth study of the topic, with
the teacher available to guide and support. At the end of the class, students take differentiated exit
tickets which prompt students to think critically about the topic they’ve been exploring.

In this model, when students arrive to class at the start of the week, they are aware of exactly what
they will be studying, they come prepared with a basic understanding of the topic, and they are
ready to dive right in. Students thus have a new sense of ownership over their learning.

Even prior to the blended-learning pilot, Advanced Education had already built an impressive
library of in-house tailored videos. These videos are vital to the success of the Flipped Classroom-
Exit Ticket process as they tackle skills and content aligned to what students work on with peers
and teachers in class.

What’s been the impact on student achievement?

Starting with the blended-learning pilot phase for the 9th grade English course in 2016, our team
monitored student achievement data for two consecutive quarters to compare data both before and
after the consistent and regulated use of Flipped Classroom.

The data yielded a positive gain in student progress on both the summative and formative levels.
While some variances were incremental, others yielded improvements of up to 30% on both
summative and formative assessments. Thirty percent!
Gains in the 10%-30% brackets [up to three letter grades] were mostly found in students who
ranked at the below-average level [below 60%].

In addition, failure numbers went down that year, from 20 students to 16 students and continued
to fall, despite the fact that the curriculum was becoming increasingly more difficult. Out of 20
failing students in the first quarter, only 5 failed the year and needed make-up exams.

In the third quarter of that academic year, the pilot administrator and I presented the data to our
school’s top management, and thereafter to middle school and high school staff. The academic
staff became oriented with the process through in-depth professional development and training.
This culminated in their readiness to expand the process in the fourth quarter of that year to
encompass core subject areas in grades 3 through 12.

Looking at student success beyond the numbers

Our staff and school leaders didn’t just monitor the comparative trends of data results since initial
implementation three years ago; we’ve also monitored trends in student language and behavior.
We’ve observed a subtle shift in the language spoken by the overwhelming majority of the student
body.

Students went from asking questions like, “What are we going to do, today?” to more thoughtful
inquiries like, “Next week we’re going to be covering Romanticism, should I just focus on
Emerson or is there anything else I need to study?” The pedagogical shift we’ve made is gradually
helping bring about a mindset shift in our next generation of learners.

Through the successful implementation of blended-learning methods, we’ve found that students
can be better prepared to learn tomorrow; which, by default, makes them more aware of what
they’re learning today.
3 ways to do a Flex model
One of the most-read blog posts on the Blended Learning Universe (BLU) has consistently been
our deeper look at the Flex model. The most-searched model type in the BLU directory is, also,
Flex. When we speak to schools about their goals around blended learning, something about
increased flexibility in students’ path, place, and pace of learning is almost always mentioned.
Indeed, a flexible learning experience is an integral piece of how most define personalization for
students.

The Flex model sometimes gets talked about as some kind of “holy grail” in the education space.
The truth is, however, that its transformative impact depends on the model’s implementation. No
single approach is a magic bullet; Flex, like all of the blended-learning models, can work for certain
students in certain circumstances.

To ground this conversation for a moment, let’s refer to the Christensen Institute’s definition of
Flex: The Flex model lets students move on fluid schedules among learning activities according to
their needs. Online learning is the backbone of student learning in a Flex model. Teachers provide
support and instruction on a flexible, as-needed basis while students work through course
curriculum and content. This model can give students a high degree of control over their learning.

It can truly be a journey to be able to reach a point in the classroom where students have the agency
and motivation to take control of their learning, and for the teacher to feel ready to guide from the
side. To help us understand that journey, over 200 schools have shared their Flex model
experiences by building profiles in the BLU directory. I took a peek through the directory to find
three examples of how a diverse set of schools are implementing the Flex model school-wide.
These schools are quite distinct from one another: one is a 7-12 public school, another is a public
charter middle school, and the third is a K-8 private school. Hopefully, if you’re an educator
earnest about shifting toward flexible learning paths, one of these examples could help shape your
own journey.

Conrad High School, Conrad, Montana

In 2017, the rural Conrad High School launched a pilot personalized learning program. The push
to move toward blended learning came from students and parents who were demanding change,
and fortunately, the district superintendent was innovative and supportive.

In this Flex model, teachers built their own curriculum, which is housed on a learning management
system (LMS) called itslearning. As students work through the curriculum, they earn tokens within
the LMS. The tokens help students and teachers alike track progress. Students work at their own
pace, but must earn a minimum of four tokens a week to maintain proficiency at 80% or higher.
Students begin their day by checking in with their teacher advisor to look at their schedule for the
day, make sure they are maintaining progress, ask and answer questions, and build relationships.
Teacher advisors are in communication with parents at least every other week.

The school started planning the new learning design in December 2016 and kicked off the pilot in
August 2017. With one academic year nearly complete, what’s the school’s main piece of advice?
“Take the leap.”

Greenfields Academy, Chicago, Illinois

Modeled after Acton Academy in Austin, Texas, this small, private school opened its doors in
2014. At Greenfields, K-8 students use interactive technology and hands-on projects in a single,
multi-age environment to master self-paced challenges. “Guides” oversee the learning by helping
students set goals and discover answers, but they rarely (if ever) directly instruct the students. After
a group discussion, students spend each morning mastering core skills by working independently,
mostly online; during this time, students may elicit the assistance of a peer or a guide, but their
learning is dependent upon self-direction and question-based curiosity. Following time for lunch
and play in the middle of the day, students spend the afternoons engaged in collaborative offline
projects, art compositions, writers’ workshops, or Socratic discussions.

Student choice plays a significant role in Greenfields’ Flex model: students choose their own
learning pace and when to work on each learning goal, which is meant to build internal motivation,
engagement, and an understanding of real consequences. Rather than compiling a transcript with
letter grades, students use portfolios, public exhibitions, and apprenticeships to demonstrate their
skills. Peer reviews, goal tracking sheets, online dashboards, learning badges, and standardized
tests provide additional evidence of transformation and mastery.

Although the model is fairly well defined, the school takes to heart its commitment to flexible
learning and tweaks the model each year based on student and parent feedback.

Oakland Unity Middle School, Oakland, California

Since 2015, this public charter school of 77 students has used a mastery-based Flex model.
Teachers assess all students’ mastery of concepts on a 1-4 scale using a standards-based teaching
and learning platform called JumpRope. Students have agency in determining how they wish to
master various concepts, and whether they want to continue to work online or join in on group
instruction.

Students meet weekly with their teachers to set S.M.A.R.T. goals to own their progress and
learning of the various concepts. To help them progress through the school year, students take
standards-based formative assessments each Friday. If a student wants to move ahead faster,
however, he or she may elect to take standards assessments at his or her own pace. After setting
their weekly goals, students have the rest of the week to ensure mastery of their chosen concepts
in any way they choose. This looks a bit different in different subjects, but in each case online
learning is the backbone.

Every school day, students log into JumpRope, assess where they are at accomplishing their goals,
and work accordingly. Teachers intervene throughout the day as needed, but try to encourage
students to seek out help as they feel it’s necessary.

Now three years into the model, the school’s main advice to others is to accept trial and error.
“You have to stumble and fall a few times before you get it right, and experiments help you know
what systems you will need in place before implementing across the whole school.”
Tackling access to International
Baccalaureate courses with blended learning
Last year, we published our first paper on blended learning featuring schools outside of the US –
Blended Beyond Borders. Part of this research included the distribution of a survey that would
capture data on technology tools used in Brazilian, Malaysian, and South African classrooms.
Pamoja, an online provider for International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme courses, was
one of the curriculum providers that respondents identified.

We were curious to learn more about how this centuries-old curriculum translated into online
environments. Blended learning holds enormous potential to break the century-old factory model
of education open by offering data on individual student performance, providing timely feedback,
and opening up flexible pathways. While some worry that flexibility may come at the cost of rigor,
leading IB schools are looking to IB courses as part of those customized learning pathways.

Pamoja’s approach

Pamoja offers a variety of IB Diploma courses in two different ways: (1) completely online, taught
by Pamoja teachers, and (2) content online meant to supplement a school’s own teacher. Pamoja’s
26 courses are housed on their online platform, where students can access class materials and
assessments and–in the case of Pamoja Taught courses–interact with their teacher and their peers
from around the world. The online learning platform also allows teachers and administrators to
track student activity: even when a student is taking a Pamoja Taught course, a staff member at
their school is designated to keep track of student progress and provide face-to-face support if
needed.

Partnering with IB schools

As we’ve written about before, online courses can tackle course access challenges in schools and
regions where options may be limited. Pamoja partners with IB Diploma programs around the
world – when schools don’t have someone to teach a specific course or elective, they can partner
with course providers like Pamoja. Choice is an important component in online learning, allowing
students to approach their studies in a more holistic, flexible way.

Halcyon London’s model

Halcyon London International School, a small IB school in the UK, is one example of how schools
use Pamoja Taught classes to expand their course offerings. With a student body of almost 160 in
grades 6-12, there often isn’t enough demand for elective courses to be offered on a full-time basis.
So, when a student wants to take a course such as IB Film or IB Business Management, Halcyon
can still give him or her the opportunity of taking it through a Pamoja Taught class. Students taking
a Pamoja course work on personal devices in an open, shared learning space three times per week
to do their coursework independently. In this learning space, they are surrounded by 10 to 12 of
their peers who are working on different courses and are overseen by a coordinator who can help
troubleshoot technological and academic issues. Halcyon’s blended-learning program is also an
example of an A La Carte model.

Dwight Global’s model

Dwight Global Online School, which is “the campus in the cloud” for the Dwight School, founded
in New York City in 1872, also partners with Pamoja. Students, including those pursuing their
passions at a high level, such as elite athletes and pre-professional ballet dancers, can take online
classes such as IB Economics and IB Psychology with a Pamoja teacher, or select from a large
range of other Dwight IB and AP courses. Both enable students to connect in class with peers from
across the globe. This A La Carte offering compliments Dwight Global’s other blended efforts,
which follow Enriched Virtual and Flipped Classroom models. Students can choose to attend their
classes by either connecting to a virtual classroom twice per week, or by attending classes in-
person on one of Dwight Global’s campuses. Students review course concepts themselves online,
and while in the classroom–physically or virtually–engage in an interactive lesson with their
teacher and peers to solve concrete problems.
Is the Enriched Virtual blended-learning
model the future of high school?
Many in the education innovation space are thinking about high school redesign to better reflect
students’ 21st century learning needs. Initiatives like the XQ Super School project and the
Department of Education’s Next Generation High Schools have accelerated a national
conversation on reimagining the high school experience to include “real-world” learning
components as well as skill- and passion-building opportunities like internships, project-based
learning, robust computer science curriculum, and competency-based learning systems. Of course,
these kinds of experiences in support of deeper learning don’t mesh well with the architecture of
the traditional school day. Indeed, to integrate these non-conventional practices in schools at scale,
huge logistical shifts in where, when, how, and along which path a student learns become
paramount.

A bell schedule, age-based cohorts, one-teacher one-student classrooms—these long-held

hallmarks of the traditional school day are becoming increasingly obsolete. As new high school
designs herald flexible, student-centered learning and even off-campus experiences, students no
longer attend school every day. Take for example two fictional high school students, Jorge and
Bea. It doesn’t make sense to mandate that 12th-grader Jorge report to campus on Wednesdays if
he needs to pick up an extra shift at his job; his learning happens online and he’s earning credits
at his own pace through his high school’s mastery-based learning system. Nor does it make sense
for 10th-grader Bea to attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, since she’s earning academic
credits through her internship at a local hospital, arranged via her school’s work-based learning
program.

These examples, though fictional, are becoming more and more representative of the modern K-
12 student experience, thanks to the increasing complexity of students’ lives and the dynamic
opportunities educators recognize are critical to provide students for better learning outcomes and
better ties to the workforce. Many of these opportunities are made possible through blended
learning. In looking to the future, the Christensen Institute foresees that not only will blended-
learning opportunities continue to scale in schools, but also that there will be an inevitable rise of
the Enriched Virtual blended-learning model at the high school level.

One model’s disruptive potential to shape the future of high school

The Enriched Virtual model, by definition, is rather straightforward: the backbone of student
learning is online and the student is only required to attend brick-and-mortar school on designated
days. Thanks to technology, learning is happening anywhere, anytime, and (sometimes) at varying
pace. The required face-to-face time within this model typically serves two main purposes: 1)
enrich students’ learning experiences with group-based work or teacher-led instruction, for
example, and 2) hold students accountable via regular in-person check-ins with their teachers and
advisor(s). This model isn’t flashy; it’s quite operational in nature. In the Christensen Institute’s
research, early adoption of this model emerged among fully virtual schools that shifted to blended
learning to provide stronger supports for students who otherwise struggle to stay on track.

It’s worth noting, however, that this blended model is considered disruptive: it provides learning
opportunities not governed by seat time like traditional instructional models, but instead
determined by the degree to which students control time, path, pace, and in some cases, place of
their learning.

Today, this model is still fairly niche among traditionally brick-and-mortar public schools; few
schools tout their “Enriched Virtual” model at conferences or in articles. But when you take a look
at schools leveraging this model, their Enriched Virtual practice is pretty exciting in that it has the
potential to benefit an increasing number of today’s students: without Enriched Virtual’s disruptive
blended-learning structure, scheduling flexibility, off-campus learning experiences, opportunities
to explore emerging passions, and more, wouldn’t be feasible for schools to provide.

Schools like XQ winner Da Vinci RISE High in southern California and the year-old Map
Academy in eastern Massachusetts are examples of schools that are redefining high school using
the Enriched Virtual model. These two schools leverage the model to change how students and
teachers use time and space to create dynamic learning experiences. Of course, disrupting
traditional high school was possible in these cases, in many ways, because of their charter
autonomy. However, that doesn’t mean Enriched Virtual isn’t within the realm of possibility for
public district schools. Like most disruptive innovations, this model is emerging on the periphery
of core consumers (in this case, traditional students in core subject areas) but has the potential to
become more mainstream. For instance, we’re seeing Enriched Virtual play out at a smaller scale
in some public schools like Twinfield Union School in northern Vermont in conjunction with its
internship program, and in North Carolina’s Hickory Ridge High School where it offers a flexible
learning option.

The effectiveness of schools’ Enriched Virtual models will come down to creating a cohesive
learning experience for students. Are the online, offline, and off-campus learning connected and
mutually reinforcing? Are students staying on track to earn core academic credits and
demonstrating authentic mastery of learning to their teachers, mentors, and peers? Is the required
face-to-face time used to intentionally engage students, helping them grow both academic and
social-emotional skills? If early adopters of this model demonstrate gains in not just transforming
the concept of high school but showing strong performance in supporting all students to succeed,
there’s no doubt that the Enriched Virtual blended-learning model will continue to shape the future
of high school.
1) START WITH A RALLYING CRY
Identify the problem to solve or goal to achieve

2) ASSEMBLE A TEAM
Having the right people at the design table is critical to success

3) MOTIVATE STUDENTS
Anchor your efforts in the jobs students try to accomplish

4) ELEVATE TEACHING
Teachers remain at the heart of any successful blended program

5) CHOOSE THE TECHONOLOGY

The right tech choices are critical to any successful program

6) DESIGN THE CLASSROOM

Rethink your learning space to enhance learning experience

7) CHOOSE THE MODEL

Align your model with design considerations

8) CREATE THE CULTURE

Blended learning can promote strong positive culture

9) REFINE AND ITERATE

Building a blended program is a process, not an event
 Going blended” is about more than just technology—it’s about rethinking instruction and
effectively managing innovation over time. While that can seem daunting, we’re here to help.
Education experts Michael Horn and Heather Staker have developed a design process to help
schools and districts build effective blended learning programs.

Start with a rallying cry

Begin with a defined problem or goal.

It’s tempting, but don’t lead with technology considerations. The most successful blended
programs begin generally in response to a desire to (1) boost student achievement and quality of
life through personalization, (2) provide access to out-of-reach courses and opportunities, (3)
improve a school system’s financial health, or (4) a combination of all three.

Make your goals SMART

Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-Related. Does it target a specific area for
improvement? Does it quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress? Who will be
responsible? Can results be achieved realistically, given available resources? When can the
results be achieved?

Separate core problems from nonconsumption problems.

Core problems affect mainstream students and teachers in core tested subjects. Addressing these
problems often improves the traditional system without transforming it entirely.
Nonconsumption problems exist when schools can’t provide a learning experience and have no
easy option other than to do without. Solving nonconsumption problems offers ways to
experiment with how to move beyond the traditional, factory model. Distinguishing the type of
problem will help you clarify the opportunities.

Nonconsumption can be found in many settings. Consider students who want to take a specific elective
or advanced course not offered by the school, students with schedules that prohibit them from attending
certain classes, or students who have dropped out.
How to build a Team

Delegate functional or lightweight teams to classroom-level problems.

Some problems do not require substantial changes to school organization or structure, and can be
solved with teacher teams within departments (functional teams), or groups of educators across
departments who can work together easily (lightweight teams).

Delegate heavyweight teams for problems that go beyond the classroom.

Other types of problems generally require changing the architecture of the school day—bell
schedules, room assignments, teacher roles—so heavyweight teams should consist of department
heads, administrators, teachers, counselors, principals, and others.

Delegate an autonomous team to upend the traditional classroom.

Autonomous teams need complete freedom to experiment with staffing, budget, curriculum,
scheduling, and so forth. These teams can most easily get creative when attacking
nonconsumption problems, where students are lacking learning opportunities.

Because heavyweight teams are often creating new institutional processes and priorities, they should meet
together in person and be led by a manager with significant clout who can balance multiple viewpoints.
Autonomous teams can consist of any combination of school leaders/teachers, but generally need to be
shepherded by a district administrator who can ensure real autonomy from existing accountability
structures.
design with the student in mind

Focus on your students’ jobs-to-be-done.

Students are trying to get certain things done each day--we call these “jobs-to-be-done”. These
might include wanting to feel successful, having time to connect with friends, or going to
college. If we want to successfully motivate students, school should be designed to nail these
jobs.

Identify the experiences your school needs to provide to get the job done.

Would real-time feedback, tutoring, or project-based activities help them get their jobs done? Be
thorough when thinking of what motivates students to make progress. For many students, extra
counseling, mentoring, and social services are among the most important experiences that
schools must consider as a starting point for helping those students get their jobs done.

Integrate to motivate.

Integrating jobs into design involves weaving experiences together so that students feel they are
getting their jobs done perfectly. This may involve rethinking staff arrangements, scheduling,
technology use, and so forth. Think about how you will integrate daily classroom operations and
resources into your design that will make it most likely that students will engage in your new
model.

Align changes to your rallying cry.

While you may consider many “jobs-to-be-done” your students have, focus on helping students
fulfill the jobs that align with the overall goals you are aiming to achieve and problems you are
trying to solve.
Students generally prioritize two jobs: 1) feel successful and make progress, and 2) have fun with
friends. Remember, if students aren’t hiring school to get these jobs done, they are likely hiring
something else instead—be that video games, sports, church, gangs, or television.

How to allow teachers to shine:

Rethink optimal student-teacher interactions in a blended environment.

Blended learning is vitally dependent on how teachers interact and work with students. Students
stand to benefit if teachers' shifting roles can fill the gaps in students' lives for trusted guides and
mentors. Some schools place students in small learning communities with a teacher-advisor or
assign students to have the same teacher over multiple years.

Unbundle traditional teacher roles.

Consider how blended learning frees up teachers to specialize in activities like mentorship,
curriculum development, tutoring, project design, or data analysis. Allowing teachers to find
places to achieve, gain recognition, exercise responsibility, and pursue a career path stand to
better motivate and retain employees.

Create motivating opportunities for teachers.

These might include creating new instructional roles, recognizing blended learning leadership,
and so forth. Consider allowing teachers to teach in teams or awarding teachers micro-credentials
for mastery of new skills.

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Integrate to support students.

Your reimagined teacher roles should work in conjunction with the student experience you’ve
designed. Teachers roles should shift not only in ways that motivate teachers but that support the
ideal student experience.

Teachers need to find satisfaction in their work--not just the absence of dissatisfaction! Satisfaction
depends on motivating factors like achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and growth.
Think about how your blended learning program can provide an opportunity to integrate these motivators
into your staffing and instructional models.

How to determine your tech strategy:

For quality control, build your own content and infrastructure.

In general, the more you control, the more you can control quality. If you aren’t satisfied with
outside providers, creating your own online content may be a good option. In fact, some
educators enjoy developing the skill set to build an online course, lesson, video, or software
program. DIY content, however, can be extremely time-intensive for busy educators.

For simplicity and reliability, use a single curriculum provider.

You may be limited in options, but going through a single curriculum provider for a given course
or subject can be easier than than trying to mix and match modules from a variety of sources to
create a patchwork solution. This can be especially helpful if educators can't find the time to
analyze disparate data from different software programs.
3

For flexibility, utilize multiple providers.

By employing multiple online content providers, you can leverage the strengths of each to
customize content and delivery for each individual student. Educators can mix and match content
within a course to allow for a variety of pathways for each student. Knitting data together from
those programs, however, can prove time-consuming.

For hyper-customization, consider a facilitated network, or platform with multiple

providers.

In a facilitated network you can search and select content from a variety of providers to fit your
needs. The two main benefits of this strategy are hypercustomization and affordability.

One of the best kept secrets in edtech is how difficult it can be to get data out of commercial software
programs. Be sure to negotiate access to data upfront. For hardware, there’s a lot to consider - search
the BLU school directory to find schools using specific devices.

Design the Classroom

Let your blended program facilitate design, not the other way around.
Your physical space can align with the principles of student agency, flexibility, and choice that
are at the core of your new models. Once you have determined how you want students and
teachers to interact with online learning, plan your space accordingly. Don’t be constrained by
how things look today.

Align the classroom layout with the outcomes you aim to achieve when going blended.

For example, if you are going blended to promote student agency, then redesign the classroom to
give students many options and locations to learn. Let the classroom layout facilitate the
outcomes you seek.

Use moveable furniture to enhance layout flexibility.

Desks, tables, and whiteboards on wheels can be arranged in endless ways to create the
classroom environment and layout that works best for any situation. Also, fewer walls help
create an open, collaborative school environment. Be careful to plan your space only after you've
honed your instructional model--don't tear down walls for their own sake, but design to optimize
for the types of learning experiences your blended model is aiming

Depending on the model(s) you have chosen, you may not need to make extensive changes to the current
classroom layout. Not every blended classroom needs to end up looking like a Starbucks cafe or an open
office space.

How to select a blended model

that's right for you

1
When tackling core problems, consider Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, and Flipped
Classroom.

These models can be implemented without radically changing staffing, structure, or pacing, and
can therefore be easier to integrate into existing classrooms. In addition, schools are more likely
to embrace these options in core tested subjects for mainstream students.

When tackling nonconsumption problems, consider Individual Rotation, Flex, A la Carte

and Enriched Virtual models.

Because disruptive models generally are the most different from the traditional classroom, it can
help to experiment when a student’s current alternative to learning is nothing at all. In other
words, launch disruptive models in non-tested subjects or courses otherwise not on offer at your
school. Imagine leveraging innovation to finally personalize learning, extend access, and rein in
costs in an otherwise resource-constrained system.

Match the model to the student and teacher experience you have designed.

Each model affords varying degrees of student flexibility, autonomy, agency and so forth. Ask
two key questions: What do you want the student to control? And, what do you want the
teacher's role to be?

Create space to support the model as needed.

Each blended model involves unique “choreography” with students and teachers, whether it be
rotations, small group breakouts, or one-on-one help. Many of these models require a different
use of space. Ensure that the facilities you have available will support the model you choose.

Each blended-learning model requires varying degrees of technology use. Be sure to match the model to
available technological resources, product licenses, teacher developed content, and so forth. The models
are not prescriptive. Many schools combine aspects of multiple models to create something entirely
unique. For more on models, click here.
How to develop the right Culture

Be deliberate about developing a culture that supports your blended-learning vision.

Blended learning can sustain a bad culture or help create a new one. Culture is especially
useful—or toxic—in blended programs because blended learning goes hand in hand with giving
students more control and flexibility. If students lack the processes and cultural norms to handle
that agency, the shift toward a personalized environment can backfire.

Find recurring problems.

Culture results from students and teachers solving problems in a certain way; that solution
becomes repeated over and over until it is so ingrained that no one has to think anymore. Schools
have many processes and priorities that can coalesce over time into a shared culture.

Be exhaustive when considering recurring activities or problems that can be solved with
blended learning.

Be intentional about processes used to solve these problems and the priorities shaping the
decisions. Pull out a team from your school that will work out solutions and give them space to
fail and try another process. Culture will be formed through repetition, one task at time.

Shaping culture can be daunting. To simplify, remember that culture is contained in a school’s processes,
or ways of working together, and priorities, or shared criteria for decision making.
How to discover your way to success

Bring a diverse group together and consider what assumptions you are making when going
blended.

At their outset, blended learning programs can carry many assumptions, some of which may not
prove viable. Assumptions may be “the devices will work” or “teachers will be on board” or
“students will enjoy self-directed time”, and so forth. Have people at the table in this
brainstorming exercise who represent a variety of departments and perspectives, so that the
assumptions will be exhaustive.

Make an exhaustive assumptions list, and rank them in order of how important they are to
student success.

Then rank them in order of how confident you are the assumptions are true. Everybody should
know what the outcomes must look like for the innovation to be worthwhile.

Start by testing assumptions that are most important to student success and that you are
least confident are true.

Then work your way towards assumptions that are least critical to student success and which you
are most confident are true. Keep tests simple and cheap, like talking to experts, visiting schools
or doing a small, after-school pilot.

Determine if the assumptions are holding true at predetermined checkpoints.

If they are, keep the innovation. If they aren’t, make changes or discard the process altogether.
Ultimately, as the team makes adjustments and iterates, it may find that it is going down a path
with assumptions that are proving true.

Dig deep and really consider what needs to be true for your blended learning design to work. In early stage
blended learning design, the number of assumptions can be as high as 100 or more.