Any project that’s worth doing is worth doing right. For district administrators, “doing things right” generally requires quite a bit of time and planning.
So I’m always a little surprised when I get a frantic phone call from a district that wants to implement a blended learning initiative, and they’re looking to start the program in a matter of months. Blended learning may be one of the hottest trends in education right now, but that doesn’t mean you should rush into it, or that you’ll be “behind the curve” if you take the time to implement it thoughtfully.
So how do you go from that seed of an idea to a full-blown blended learning implementation? The journey is different for every district, but there are some steps you can take to set you up for success.
1) Have a clear understanding of what you mean by the term blended.
The first question I ask districts considering launching a blended learning program is, “What does blended learning mean to you?”
Initially, many districts tell me they use the word blended to describe technology integration, like interactive whiteboards, e-textbooks, Dropbox, or Chromebooks. While these are great tools to engage students and make traditional classroom tasks more efficient, simply using technology would not be considered blended learning. Blended learning is a combination of face-to-face and online instruction that fosters student ownership and personalized, mastery-based learning.
The Clayton Christensen Institute has developed a three-part definition to help educators and stakeholders begin to understand the true essence of blended learning. I strongly recommend reviewing its definition when determining your district’s meaning of blended learning. You can also find great resources from the International Association for K–12 Online Learning (iNACOL).
2) Set specific program learning goals.
Now that you’ve answered what blended learning is, ask yourself, “Why are we doing this?” Start a brainstorming session and analyze what you hope to achieve through your blended learning initiative.
If your third-grade reading scores are low, maybe your goal looks like this: “We want to increase those reading scores by 15 percent. To accomplish this, we will combine targeted instruction, online instruction, and independent practice in a blended learning setting.”
Setting specific, measurable metrics early will help you identify the benchmarks of success, and your progress toward those metrics will help you determine when you’re ready to scale your blended learning project.
3) Gather your “all-star” team.
Shifting to blended learning means everyone in your school or district will have to adopt an entirely new mindset, so it’s imperative to drum up grassroots support rather than simply announcing the new policy and expecting everyone to get on board.
It’s effective for administrators to gather a team of “all-stars” to serve on a strategic planning committee. Think about your teachers who are early adopters—the ones who are eager to try the latest technologies. Their perspectives will be incredibly valuable, and they will feel empowered and grateful to be included in the planning process.
Don’t be afraid to include other stakeholders on the committee as well. Parents, community leaders, and school board members who will be affected by your initiative should be a part of the conversation.
4) Develop your plan.
Make sure your strategic planning committee can confidently answer some of the following questions before you begin implementation:
It may seem strange that technology is the last item on this list, but it truly should be your final concern. After all, technologies will come and go, but without the infrastructure in place to support your new initiative, you’ll end up spending a lot of money on expensive devices that will just sit around collecting dust.
5) Start small.
Though your strategic planning committee will be excited to put their new plan in action, I strongly urge you to start as small as possible. Focus on one subject area in one grade level. For instance, if you have two early adopters on your strategic planning committee teaching eighth-grade science, start your initiative across all eighth-grade science classrooms.
Ask them to monitor the reactions they get to their new blended learning project. Are students excited and making the learning progress you want to see? What questions are parents asking? Are colleagues curious about what’s going on? As they report back to the committee, you’ll be able to determine what’s working and what needs to be tweaked before moving forward.
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Above all, be patient. The most successful blended learning implementations generally take two or three years before they’re fully scaled and working properly.
But if you can pull it off, blended learning will revolutionize learning in your district. Once an implementation is complete, teachers have told me it finally feels like their students are taking ownership of their learning, and administrators often say they can’t imagine going back to a non-blended learning environment.
Now that is a project worth doing right.
Comaneci Brooken is the blended learning specialist for Odysseyware, a provider of online, multimedia-enriched K–12 curriculum. Prior to joining Odysseyware, Brooken was an elementary and middle school teacher. After leaving the classroom, she had a seven-year career as state relations manager with Connections Education where she launched several statewide virtual charter schools.