Blended Learning

Create a Writers' Workshop in any Classroom!

Here is a wonderful resource for writing: Combining Infographics and Argumentative Writing.  The following are printable resources to use as well. 

• Argumentative Essay and Infographic Rubric

• Peer Editing Form for Argumentative Essay

• Checklist for Argumentative Infographic

• Argumentative Essay Planning Sheet

• What Is the Difference Between Persuasive and Argumentative Writing?

• Possible Argumentative Topics

So what is blended learning: 

• a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace

• in part through a supervised brick and mortar location

• an integrated learning experience, meaning what students are learning online are directly connected to what they are learning in the classroom. 

Benefits of blended learning:

• Increased student engagement

• Student is doing "the work" not the teacher

• Differentiation with the use of technology to create more time for the teacher to meet student's needs

Blended Learning Models

Station Rotation

Other Models

Whole Group Rotation

Benefits of Whole Group Rotation:

• Allows students to work at their own pace and path during online work
• Eliminates the need to move around the room.
• Ideal for teachers transitioning into blended learning.
• Allows time and space for teachers to work one on one or in small groups with students.  

Designing Whole Group Rotation

• Decide on the skill or content you want students to learn.
• Design the activities that will focus on the skill. Will you use technology, independent practice, a collaborative activity?
• Decide on timing for the activities. 

Flipped Model

The flipped classroom model allows the teacher to shift the transfer of information online and allows for practice and application to take place in the classroom.  Students sometimes take homework home without having the support they need to understand and complete their assignments due to many different reasons.  What if students don't have the Internet at home?  A flipped classroom model can still take place.  Teachers can have students watch videos in the classroom, this is called an In-Class Flipped Model. This could be an activity at a station or a whole-group activity.  

Benefits of a Flipped Model:

• Students have the ability to pause, rewind or stop a video if needed.
• Students can learn at a pace that is right for them. 
• There is more class time for students to work collaboratively.
• There is more time for the teacher to work with small groups or 1:1 with students. 
• Allows for more time for formative assessment. 

Designing a Flipped Classroom Lesson:

• What skill are you addressing? What media will you use? 
• Use EdPuzzle, Screencastify or other recording tools to record a lesson. 
• Make the lesson available to students. 
• Design an in-class activity that allows students to practice the skill learned. 

Two Group Rotation

• Divide your class in half
• Have one half of your class with the teacher for 20-30 minutes.
• The other half is divided in half for 10-15 minutes with one half working on technology and the other half working on independent work.  Then switches after the allotted time to either technology or independent work. 
• After the allotted time, the teacher group moves to the technology and independent work. 

Rotations for Practice
Take your whole group lesson and break it into rotations.  For example, if you are teaching argumentative writing, break down the lesson into several stations.  Stations might include:

• Teacher station on writing a thesis statement
• Watching a video on EdPuzzle about evidence/support or other parts of the essay
• Independent station writing the conclusion
• One station on peer feedback