If you have not watched the Will it Blend? segments on You Tube you must. They are simply hysterical. Each clip is a different item being shredded to dust in the BlendTec blender. Everything from I-phones to golf clubs, highlighters to Hot Wheel cars. A true testament to the immense power and design of the product because no matter what he puts inside the blender, it blends with ease into a fine gray powder. I was watching one such video today, a set of billiard balls colorful and shiny were obliterated into a dark, wispy concoction. This got me thinking about the word blend and how it is used to describe many flexible learning environments. A mixture of things or qualities, like a blended classroom but also to mix or amalgamate into a mass. How can we blend our curriculum, creating a combination of technology: pre-loading information at home on an individual level and hands-on: classroom activities that are both collaborative and authentic? How can we truly blend our classroom, creating a unique mixture, like the dusty, dirty, talc from the videos and yet keep the integrity of the content and objectives?
There are many different definitions of blended learning. But the most frequently used is one written by The Christensen Institute, a non-profit think tank:
Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns 1) at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path and/or pace; 2) at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; 3) and the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.
When I read over this very defined explanation just now, two things came to mind: 1) if the two aspects were blended per se, then could they remain distinct elements of a learning strategy? or would they become indistinguishable? and 2) this sounds a lot like a student-centered classroom to me. An atmosphere that is malleable and fluid through self-pacing, flexible seating, and most importantly, very little homework unless it is purposeful, relevant and based on choice and interest. I decided to blend my student-centered classroom two years ago and over these last few years, the qualities of a blended curriculum have adapted and progressed along side my student-led one. I will be honest, I tried several different approaches before I ended up with my current version. My self-taped lectures for note-taking became student pod-casts and sharing of their notes in table groups. Power-points of information because web quests and self-directed assignments. Basically a blended classroom did not enhance my classroom at first, it hindered it. It felt constrictive, cookie cutter. All I could do to continue to use it in my classroom was to let a lot of the strategies go in order to keep my student-centered approach alive and active.
In other words, my classroom became the dark, gritty, pulverization that the BlendTec blender is known for. So I had to reverse course and let my students have a say in their note-taking tasks as well. For the most part, they do not want to listen to a lecture (I wouldn't either) or sit through a power-point (me neither) they want to be presented with an objective: make connections between these concepts using the vocabulary words from the unit. These vocabulary words are never a secret, they are written on the board. So I asked them, "What is your strategy for note-taking? Choose what works best for you and use it." These are not notes I collect or grade they are for their reference use only. Last year students were using Sketch Notes, Cornell Notes, Mind Maps, pod-casting, vod-casting even blogging. What ever worked for them and what ever they chose to use worked, because students learned the basic vocabulary and concepts on their own, at home before the lesson and when in class they were designing labs and activities to demonstrate their understanding. They were not bogged down with the ingredients because they understood the recipe and they became chefs, creating the most delicious of entree's that they themselves developed in their own restaurants.
A blended classroom is one aspect of a student-centered design. If consistent and concise students will organize their notes, create a review and apply their knowledge to the bigger picture through problem-solving, inquiry and individualized, personal learning strategies. It does not replace the freedom and collaboration within a flexible classroom it enhances it. But it can not stand alone because a blended approach simply means using both home and classroom, technology and hands on, individual and collaborative learning to provide students with the independence they crave. However, without structure, guidelines and objectives clearly defined and modeled this style of classroom design will fall short. This I found out through my several trials. But after my student-centered classroom was in full swing, the blended aspect integrated in with ease. The once powdery mess became the nutrients for the garden that has now come into bloom. Will it blend? Only if the expectations are high, engagement and rigor are integrated and personal responsibility is the glue that holds it all together.
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