What is Blended Learning?

The Christensen Institute describes blended learning as a formal education program in which a student learns:

• at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;
• at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;
• and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

 

Blended Models

The majority of blended learning opportunities in Cherry Creek Schools resemble Rotation and Enriched Virtual learning models.

 

The Rotation Model:

This includes four sub-models: Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Flipped Classroom, and Individual Rotation. However, the two Rotation Models utilized in Cherry Creek Schools are:

• Station Rotation — students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher’s discretion between learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. Other modalities might include activities such as small-group or full-class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil-and-paper assignments. 
  
  
• Flipped Classroom — students participate in online learning off-site in place of traditional homework and then attend school for face-to-face, teacher-guided practice or projects. The primary delivery of content and instruction is online, which differentiates a Flipped Classroom from students who are merely doing homework practice online at night.

A La Carte Model:

A course that a student takes entirely online to accompany other experiences that the student is having at a brick-and-mortar school or learning center. The teacher of record for the A La Carte course is the online teacher. Students may take the A La Carte course either on the brick-and-mortar campus or off-site. This differs from full-time online learning because it is not a whole-school experience. Students take some courses A La Carte and others face-to-face at a brick-and-mortar campus.​

 

Source: 
Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (San Francisco: Jossey​-Bass, 2014).​