Innovation Project Update

Learning Fundamentals of Blended Learning

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Before diving into creating a blended learning environment for my learners, I needed to first explore what blended learning truly means and how to leverage the right tools for success. I completed a literature review to gain knowledge on how blended learning impacts student motivation, provides personalized learning, and fosters important skills like critical thinking.

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Completing this review helped me understand how these innovative practices support 21st-century learning classrooms. I learned that blended learning isn't just using technology in the classroom, but blended face-to-face instruction with digital tools that provide learners with some control over the time, place, path, and pace of their own instruction (Horn & Staker, 2015).

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This phase of my timeline also built time in to participate in professional development courses that support this model of instruction. I participated in a series of courses through my district titled, "The Blended Digital Learning Classroom." The courses focused on classroom management, employing group and individual station rotations, and the Flipped Learning Model."

Develop the "Why?"

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To guide all decisions, it was important to develop the why so that there was a clear goal for the implementation of this project. Focusing on my own learning philosophy helped me develop the reason behind needing to make this change in my classroom. This learning philosophy emphasizes the importance of engagement, reflection, collaboration, and adaptability. By cultivating these principles within my own teaching practices, I hope to inspire my students and colleagues alike to embrace their own learning journeys. 

Use Data to Develop Learning Goals

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In September, all students on our campus took beginning of year district screeners with Renaissance Learning to evaluate where they showed strengths and areas needing growth. Using this data, I was able to develop personalized learning goals to supplement my whole group instruction. This ensured students could work on learning tasks that supported their own needs for growth. It was also important at this time to identify any accommodations that students would need to be successful so that those could be addressed with the correct digital tools and other materials. Students that were high achieving and identified as gifted learners were also supported so that their learning would continue to be extended.

Develop an Instructional Model

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Blended learning can look different depending on the needs of a classroom. I decided that the Individual Rotation model would work best for my classroom. In this model, students rotate individually on their own customized tasks sometimes called a "playlist" (Horn & Staker, 2015). This model seemed to work best in my classroom because previous experience and student feedback showed that they sometimes felt pressured or overwhelmed when following a station rotation model because they did not always have enough time to finish a task before moving onto another station. A flipped classroom model, where digital instruction takes place outside of the classroom, would be hard to manage with some students not having consistent access to technology outside of school. 

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This phase also ensured there was a plan for deciding what learning management system to go with and what digital learning tools would be most appropriate to use. Our school system is Schoology, and I developed an organizational system that would be used throughout the year. In the beginning of implementation, we used few digital tools. Participating in 5317 Resources for Digital Environments allowed me to explore the tools that would be most appropriate for my young learners.

Plan Quality Content​

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In step five of implementation, I focused on exploring district resources to identify how these tools could support the instruction of our state standards. Through collaboration with my grade-level team and our campus instructional specialists, we developed learning progressions and designed learning tasks for our students. I have documented the progress of this phase where I focused on my journey from Planning to Implementation of Blended Learning. During this phase, I had to keep in mind the importance of including the learning of skills that students need for future success like understanding the perspectives of others and critical thinking while supporting individualized learning (Bates, 2015).

Student Conferences to Develop Learning Goals​

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At the beginning of the year, I held individual conferences with students and helped them develop a learning goal by allowing them to use some prompts. This is an area that I've realized I need to spend more time on. In the future, I would like to create a system where students can continually find time to reflect on their progress and possibly change their goals when they feel they have met their current goals.

Procedures and Expectations​

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As with anything in the classroom, it is important to set procedures and expectations so that students can become self-sufficient while I am not available. Assigning some students as "Playlist Directors" ensured they had someone to default to for help navigating their tasks if they were unsure of what to do.

Monitor Data and Adjust​

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Utilizing reports and analyzing the data obtained helped me decide what steps to take next for certain students. However, I focused more on collecting data that reflects the knowledge of content versus looking into evaluation of their learning. In the future, I want to find better ways to measure how well students are collaborating, demonstrating their critical thinking skills, and using creativity to problem-solve. Looking back on my assignment on Creating Significant Learning Environments, I'm realizing that I need elevate the learning experiences I am creating for my students. Thomas and Brown (2011) share with us that students thrive in their learning when they can pursue their own interests within a structured environment.

Provide Feedback​

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Throughout the year, I have met with students to have them share with me areas they feel they need to grow in. Getting to know their own reflections about their learning provided me with more insight on their struggles and ideas about themselves. I was able to provide feedback to them and collaborate with them on developing steps to meet their goals. 

Reflect and Make Revisions​

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Currently, I am thinking about what has worked and what needs to be adjusted. In 5315 Assessing Digital Learning, I have spent time focusing on one area of my implementation to help make improvements in an area I see that students are struggling with. My Action Research Outline shares my plan to learn more about blended learning can specifically impact encoding skills of my 2nd grade learners.I have been excited to learn more about how to utilize a more relevant approach to research design to make improvements to my practices. Action Research is a practice that I plan on continuing to use. Action Research gives educators a systematic inquiry approach to be able to specifically learn more about how our schools operate, how we teach, and how our students learn (Mertler, 2020). This is such an important step, if not the most important step so that we ensure that what we are doing is impactful and if not, allows us to decide how to move forward.

Implement Revisions for Upcoming Year​

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As I am still not finished with stage 10, I have not yet begun to implement this phase. However, I look forward to continuing this model in my new role as our campus Advanced Academic Specialist where I will be servicing our gifted students while supporting and collaborating with all teachers on how to extend learning in their classrooms. I am excited to take what I have learned from my reflections this year to support the learning of all students on our campus.