Blended Learning for multiple levels of student understanding and engagement.

Robert Horn

Lamar University

EDLD 5314
 Introduction

Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and

opportunities for interaction online with traditional place-based classroom methods (Oliver &

Stallings, 2014). Blended learning has been being used around the world for a while, but in

recent years has seen a huge surge in popularity due to the increased availability of technologies.

Blended learning is popular in areas that thrive in technological advancements, but also in areas

of the world where technology is limited immediately in that area(Kaur, 2013). The use of

blended learning allows students of different academic backgrounds the ability to self-

differentiate the level of their understanding of a concept or idea. Student who struggle in an

area can spend more time on that topic, while students who quickly master an area can move

forward to other parts of the lessons. Teachers are able to design or purchase content that leads

students to seek further knowledge or remediate the information required for the lesson. By

using these ideas, teachers are able to enhance the learning environment while also helping each

student achieve the level required for mastery. This idea makes blended learning vital for

education. A learner’s ability to self-differentiate individual lessons puts the teaching back into

their hands, and essentially, allows the learner to control their level of incoming information in a

way they can understand and learn best.

What is working on a global and local scale?

Blended learning is being used around the world. In some parts of Africa and Costa Rica,

students use classroom linking technology to bring in certified teachers in more focused fields to

teach to population thousands of miles away (Lims & Morris 2009). These lessons will then be

accompanied by real world local learning for hands on training. If not for these innovations,
many students might never see careers that only exist in other parts of the world (Staker & Horn,

2012). Even in the United States, teachers use the same type of technology to speak to students

about focused learning that the area the student is in cannot currently support (Barato and et all,

2019). Both of these instances show proof blended learning can be used by area with technology

that is lacking or virtually non-existent.

In parts of the world where technology is in high demand, learners benefit in a completely

different way. While they still can use the same items in the ways less developed countries have

been doing, these areas, such as Japan, can use blended learning to individualize a student’s

education. Items like digital classroom conferencing with the teacher, google classroom, and

other online learning tools to lead their own learning and expansion. Flipping the classroom then

allows the teacher to become a facilitator that can assist learners who need more help while

others continue to move forward. Teachers as facilitators give students the motivation to choose

their own path (Kaur, 2013). By doing this, lower achieving students can gain more one on one

time with the facilitator for assistance. This idea is currently a huge trend in many parts of the

world and here in the United States.

Another idea that shows to be working for blended learning for different academic levels is the

scope of how the learning is designed. As blended learning is developed for each class, the

scope can be narrowed or widened depending on many different factors of the learners. With a

wide range of abilities in the group of learners, teachers can successfully leave the scope open.

This allows students with low performance markers, and those with high performance markers to

both be able to complete the learning modules while each reaching the level they had previously

set for themselves. As the area of content becomes more difficult or focused, the teacher can

narrow the lesson to keep the learners on track.

In an area like China, just as in the United states, parts of the country may be very different from

each other. One area man be farming communities, and another may be heavily industrialized.

Multiple ideas about blended learning would need to be combined then to accommodate the wide

diversity of the area.

Professional development around the world is also a big part of blended learning. Teachers,

administrators, and para-professionals have all become more accustom to blended learning

topics. Large groups like iNocal present multi-day learning workshops that show newly

introduced teachers to expect, and how to incorporate the ideas into technology rich lessons.

Teachers also have many digital resources readily available through many sources to help

develop their ideas for blended learning and lessons. Teacher development in other areas of the

world is very different than the United States (Mortera-Guterrez, 2006). Luckily, the resources

created in the United States are available in via the internet.

As learners increase their abilities across technology to use online and blended learning at will,

this also enhances communication skills and allows classroom information to accessible at nearly

an at will basis. When learners are able to work outside of the classroom, their digital

communication skills increase in order to speak to their teacher remotely. I some countries in

Europe and Asia, many students work from home multiple day weekly, but have digital access to

facilitators and the actual school when they need to be on hand to understand. Areas with less

digital communication available at home, the use of blended digital learning improves all areas

of communication from contact with many different cultures, nationality, and learning styles

(Oliver & Stallings, 2014). Exposure and reception to these areas of communication will help

learners to develop new skills.

Finally, learners come from all different type of backgrounds and learning styles. In Denmark

the idea of education is viewed very differently from that of the United States. Currently in the

United States, a group of learners still in the classroom while a single teacher teaches whole

group instruction (Staker & Horn, 2019). In Denmark, for the most part, students work in

blended learning environments more than the standard classroom. As students shift their focus

to something of interest, they are supported with blended learning modules to support the

interest.

What is not working with blended learning?

Many case studies find ideas and concepts that do not work with blended learning. The first

problem that seems to hinder blended learning is class size. Blended learning being partially

online, leads administrators to think the ratio of learner to facilitator could be increased because

of the less direct instruction time spent with each learner (Boelens, 2017). This idea is flawed

in the assumption the facilitator will have more time to handle more students, but the facilitator

should be allowed the same time to support the students in the current ratio. The facilitator has

many responsibilities in the blended environment beyond that of the classrooms time. Scalability

can become problematic in large populations. Better results were shown when class sizes were

regulated and maintained (Davies, Dean, Ball, 2013). They are responsible for adjusting the

learning environment as needed. The learning climate should be examined to make sure it is

engaging and working correctly. At times, a lack of attention can cause the learner to become

lost in communication, and not be successful (Boelens, 2017). Teachers in the United States,

and even from state to state work different daily hours. While many put in hours at home,

adding larger loads can prove to be too much for one person. Class size is kept stable and sized

well for the content in area such as Denmark with great success.
Another idea that seems to show problems with blended learning is the facilitators comfort with

the use of technology. Facilitators find the technology to be challenging, and in turn, abandon

the idea of blended learning due to lack of assistance, training, and support (Werth, Werth,

Kellerer, 2013). As this happens, mentors and administrators should be monitoring progress in

order to help regain confidence and remain on track. Support of remediated training, sample

lessons, and increased exposure to technology can help avoid this problem.

Learners become more comfortable with the process and parts of blended learning, their

motivation can waiver (Dias & Diniz, 2014). The facilitator must know the learners in their

group, and watch for signs that the group is functioning properly. They also should know how to

make the correction needed to support those faltering.

Finally, every learner has a different learning style. Each learner should be able to adapt their

style to the structure of the learning environment. At times, the created content can become

hyper focused just as other teaching and only work for a limited number of learning styles. As

facilitators introduce new information and content, they should be sure to vary the information

and check for understanding to accommodate the most learning styles. Depending on the

learning style either high preforming, low preforming, or both levels could become distanced

from the goal (Rastagerpour, 2010). Varied instruction in all instances of blended learning both

locally and globally is important to best serve learner needs.

Conclusion

Through research blended learning has grown from a rotation style classroom activity to

autonomous learning directed by the learner. In Technology today, learners must quickly change

as the influx of technology changes. It is the facilitators job to navigate and weed through the
information. They can then use this knowledge to plan and maintain learner engagement on

multiple levels. Each learner can then determine the level to which they are going to reach from

their own set goals. While some will reach the minimum, that is still progress. If this progress is

not being achieved the facilitator can then adjust the blended learning plan to help the learner,

but at the same time, make another part of the learnings focus wider in order to allow higher

achieving students further engage in the topic.

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