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Katie Ash writes, "As blended learning models, which mix face-to-face and online instruction, become more common in schools, classroom educators and administrators alike are navigating the changing role of teachers—and how schools can best support them in that new role."
Video: Students and teachers at Mott Hall V Middle School in New York City experience a blended learning environment, which combines online learning and face-to-face instruction.
"This is a whole new world for education," says Royce Conner, the acting head of school for the 178-student San Francisco Flex Academy, a public charter school.
In the grades 9-12 school, students spend about half the day working on "the floor"—a large open room of study carrels where students hunker down with their laptops to work with online curricula provided by K12 Inc.—and the other half of the day in pullout groups with teachers. Which students are in pullout groups, when the groups meet, and how often they meet depend on the progress each student is making in his or her online classes, says Conner.
Focus on Graduation
Last summer, the Prince Georges district ran a pilot blended learning program called On Track to Graduation for 200 students from five high schools."Students came in to take one credit," says Camella Doty, an instructional technology specialist for the Prince George's County district. "[Students] stayed for four hours per day, working with a mentor or a teacher."
Each lab provided mentors to help students with the online curriculum, provided through the Seattle-based Apex Learning, as well as teachers who divided the students into small groups for extra instruction. In the end, 89 percent of the students passed their courses.
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Source: Education Week
