What Is Blended Learning and What Can It Do for You?

In parallel with technological advances, we’re also seeing the emergence of new, innovative teaching methods such as game-based learning and gamification. But, effectively transitioning to something completely different is almost impossible, which is why most classrooms today follow hybrid or blended courses. In other words, teachers found a way to combine the familiar and comfortable traditional methods with modern strategies. So, what is blended learning? Is it just combining different teaching methods? 

Blended learning is definitely a hybrid teaching method that combines different approaches, but it typically refers to activities that involve digital learning in some form or capacity along with more traditional in-classroom teaching methods. Unfortunately, defining blended learning is not an easy task as the concept itself is very dependent on the specific context where it is implemented. 

Does that mean that many different things can be classified as blended learning? How would teachers know how to implement it? More importantly, is blended learning actually worth it? You can find the answers to these and many other questions related to this approach further in this article, so keep reading! 

What is Blended Learning?

In the introduction, we’ve already begun the discussion of what blended learning is, but let’s try to define this concept in greater detail. 

Let’s start off by saying that not everything that combines two or more approaches falls under the framework of blended learning. 

Jay Caulfield defined blended learning as “…courses that have reduced ‘face time’ that is replaced by time spent outside the traditional classroom.” In other words, blended learning is an approach where a portion of the traditional, in-person classes are supplemented or replaced with online learning classes or other out-of-classroom learning.

In literature, you might also come across the term “hybrid classes/hybrid learning” which is used interchangeably with blended learning. 

How Many In-Person Classes Should be Replaced With Online Coursework?

Most definitions of blended learning don’t reveal much about the methodology or structure of the classes, which is needed for teachers and homeschooling parents to adopt this approach in their classrooms. However, we have experts who classify blended learning as such only if at least 30% of the lectures are online. 

Regardless of all this, the question of whether and how many of the in-person classes you should replace with online lectures depends on the specific situation you’re in. Some factors that influence this decision are group size, students’ age, learning objectives, curriculum, specific subjects, and discipline.

Even if you read otherwise, there isn’t any magic number that works well for everyone. Blended learning is a highly individual, personalized, and flexible method. 

What Can Blended Learning Do for You?

We can conclude that to implement blended learning, you’ll have to redefine the traditional curriculum and adapt it to online standards. Therefore, when reading this, a doubt might instantly rise inside your head: “Is blended learning really worth investing so much time and effort in? What are the benefits?” 

There are a myriad of benefits associated with using new technologies in education. They are flexible, break the monotony, better mimic the students’ day-to-day life, and can be incredibly convenient in many situations. Keeping all this in mind, one may even say that it’s only natural, or at least intuitive to adopt technologies that work. 

To be more specific, the proponents’ arguments for blended learning are the following: 

1. You’ll add more flexibility to a course, giving students more options when following the course. 
2. You’ll easily optimize the course for a larger group of students because the engagement varieties will appeal to students with different learning styles. 
3. You’ll combine the best of both worlds by allowing students to work from home at their own pace, yet still keeping in-person interactions when it’s needed without overwhelming the students. 
4. You’ll be able to easily personalize the teaching and learning process by using digital tools. For more information, please visit “Personalized Learning Explained.”
5. You’ll save time and be able to focus on things that matter. In blended learning, students can watch the lecture and read any necessary assignments on their own time before the in-person discussions, for example. 
6. You’ll be able to more easily and efficiently track students’ progress, as well as make report cards. Online tools come with ingenious applications with a user-friendly user face that allows you to see details and statistics of the group’s and each student’s individual performance with just a few clicks – something that’s almost impossible through traditional classroom methods.

All in all, the importance of blended learning is seen in breaking the traditional walls of the educational system that clearly don’t work for all students. In a smart, gradual, and non-threatening way, blended learning personalizes the learning experience of each student, without losing the rigorous standards that define a high-quality education. 

Applying Blended Learning in the Classroom: 4 Blended Course Models

So far, we’ve talked about what blended learning is and other conceptual explanations. But most of our readers want to know how they can implement blended learning into their own classroom, and we’re guessing you want to know that, too. 

To create a blended learning classroom, you should follow a specific model that defines crucial aspects of the educational process. In our article, we’ll use the four blended learning modes identified by Twigg (2003) and summarized in Graham (2013), “Emerging practice and research in blended learning.”

The authors classified blended learning into four types of courses based on the relationship between in-person and online elements of the course. These four types include the supplemental, replacement, emporium, and buffet model. 

The Replacement Model

One way to organize blended learning in the classroom is to follow the replacement model. As the name suggests, this type of course directly replaces a portion of in-person lectures with online lectures. The in-personal class time is limited, but not eliminated. Frequently, schools that use the replacement model give students online materials and require them to watch the lectures before coming to class (class time is reduced since they should be prepared). Lectures and other online materials can be a video of a professor explaining the topic, a PowerPoint presentation with audio narration, or educational videos with animation. In-person classes are adapted, too. 

Since the students are prepared, during in-person classes the professor usually answers students’ questions, opens discussions, or revises the material. However, you’re free to choose which medium or online/in-person structure you’re going to use, as well as which assignments you’ll want online. 

The Supplemental Model

Another way to bring blended learning to the classroom is through the supplemental model. This is when the students attend the same mainstream classes, but homework assignments and other supplemental activities are technology-based. The additional,  web-based technologies can be specifically designed for the student’s grades and subjects, or be commercially available products in education. In addition, sticking to in-person classes and adding web-based technologies as one aspect of the lectures in the classrooms is also considered blended learning through the supplemental model. 

The Emporium Model

Virginia Tech University is considered a pioneer for the emporium model. They used this approach for their math classes and popularized it worldwide. The emporium model is a fully online learning type but in an in-person setting – a resource learning center, more specifically. The learning resource center should be equipped with computers and programs suitable for the student’s curriculum and assignments. 

The students learn independently through the computer but instructors and teaching personnel are always present providing on-demand help when students have a question or something is not clear. This model only works if the center is easily accessible and open for long hours, so the students can take their time going through the material. The online resources should include multiple formats such as reading, writing assignments, examples, game-based exercises, traditional exercises, videos, documentaries, lectures, etc.

The Buffet Model

The buffet model type of blended learning is another approach popularized by a University, more specifically The Ohio State University which implemented the buffet model for its courses. The uniqueness of this approach is seen in its advanced personalization. Symbolically to its name, it means that the educational institution provides a variety of options for all courses and the students make their own schedule by choosing what kind of format they like to follow for which courses. This way the students have the freedom to choose the format that best suits their learning styles and objectives. Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything is allowed for all courses as if some of them are more practical they may require in-person presence. 

Other Blended Learning Models

As we’ve mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, the four models were identified by Twigg in 2003. However, other authors have tried to introduce additional models that are not identical to the already existing approaches. Some of the other models include flex, online lab, and self-blend types. 

Flex blended learning is when students learn online but revise the material in-person in small groups. Here, the instructions are online, while students’ questions, difficulties, and other support are given face-to-face. It’s in a way a combination of the replacement and emporium models. 

Online lab learning is when the instructions are delivered face-to-face and students are all together in the classroom, but they follow online tutorials to complete their exercises. A good example of this is chemistry, physics, or arts and crafts lab where students try to replicate an experiment (online tutorial) or construct something in groups of two or three.

The self-blend type of blended learning is when students choose which courses they want to do online or face-to-face. The requirement might be that everyone follows a 70-30% ratio of face-to-face to online classes, but students have the flexibility in deciding which classes they want to follow in what format. It’s similar to the buffet model, but a lot less flexible. 

Teaching Resources for Blended Learning

If the things that you’ve read in this article have left you eager to find out more, the following resources will give you a more in-depth perspective of what blended learning is and equip you with skills to effectively bring this method into your classroom.

1. (BOOK) Blended Learning in Action: A Practical Guide Toward Sustainable Change by Catlin R. Tucker, Jason T. Green, and Tiffany Wycoff.
2. (BOOK) Balance With Blended Learning: Partner With Your Students to Reimagine Learning and Reclaim Your Life by Catlin R. Tucker.
3. (BOOK) The Blended Learning Blueprint for Elementary Teachers by Jayme Linton.
4. (BOOK) Power Up Blended Learning: A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change by Catlin R. Tucker.
5. (PLATFORM) Eduflow – an online learning platform where teachers can create courses and lectures, track students’ progress, and organize online discussions. 
6. (PLATFORM) FlipSnack Edu – an online learning platform where teachers can build their own classroom from scratch and students can share and attach projects. 
7. (APPLICATION) Kahoot! – a game-based application where teachers can create quizzes and educational games for revising the material and learning new stuff in a fun way. 
8. (PLATFORM) Edmondo – an online learning space where teachers and students can share educational materials, collaborate together on projects, and even prepare reports for parents. 
9. (PLATFORM) BlendedPlay – an online learning platform based on the principles of gamification. Teachers can create questions and assignments in various game formats. 

Before You Go

We hope that our article was able to clearly and meaningfully answer the question of what is blended learning. We actually tried to go beyond that question and create a more in-depth guide for enthusiastic teachers and homeschooling parents who want to give blended learning a shot. 

As you’ve seen, blended learning can truly be the best of both worlds, but only when implemented right! This is why we encourage you to follow the teaching resources and all the other links we’ve included in this article to find out more about blended learning before making your first steps in redefining the classroom! 

And while you’re embarking on that journey, don’t forget that you can always count on the support of our team back at KidsKonnect! Head over to our main website and check out our worksheet library. With just one click, you can get high-quality and ready-to-use worksheets on almost any topic in children’s education. 
Furthermore, if you liked this article, don’t forget to check out the rest of the guides on our blog. We regularly write insightful guides with valuable pieces of advice for both teachers and homeschooling parents, so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.