Saturday, April 29, 2017

The Magic of Blended Learning: Part III (Implementation)

by Emily Perez, Laney HS

Check out Part I (overview) and Part II (Why it Works) of the Magic of Blended Learning blog posts. Now let's jump into part III, how to implement blended learning.

Listed below is my arsenal to be used to create those warm, fuzzy teacher moments, particularly when facilitating a blended learning lesson:


  • Expectations. In the beginning of the year, I always make it a priority to explicitly tell my students what my expectations are for them as participants in whole class and small group activities. On blended learning days, I review those expectations with them again. That way, students are clear as to what is and is not considered acceptable behavior. To further drive my point, I project a PowerPoint slide of “Stations Do’s and Don’ts” and “Participation Norms.” Trust me, they get the message.


  • Groups. I predetermine groups before the day of the lesson and project the group names on the board via the same PowerPoint as the expectations. This limits any unnecessary confusion and is a big time-saver the day of the lesson.
  • Timing. Timing can be your best friend or worst enemy during blended learning. You first need to determine how much time you want each group to spend at each station. Try your best to stay consistent with that time limit. I suggest using a stopwatch or timer with an audible alarm; when students hear that sound, they know it’s time to wrap up their task and move to the next station.


  • Supplemental Activities. This coincides with timing. Naturally, some groups will finish the task at their station before the timer goes off. Since each (or at least most) of the stations are different, this is normal. However, you do not want a group of students sitting there idly with nothing to do. When that happens, the phones come out and the students disengage from the content. That is when you swoop in to assess the quality of their work, and if need be, provide supplemental activities to keep their minds firing, and not their Snapchats.
    • If it is the middle of the lesson and students have already visited a few stations, my first suggestion to the speedy workers is to, naturally, elaborate on the assignment they finished so quickly. Is that your best work? What details can you provide to make it even better?
    • If they still have extra time, tell them to finish an assignment from a previous station. (This is where the consistent time limit comes into play. When students beg and plead for extra time at a station, reassure them that they will have time to finish it at a later station.)  
    • If they STILL have extra time, be prepared with a supplemental activity. It can be something simple, such as finishing this week’s vocab homework, quizzing each other on lit. terms, or continue reading your independent novel. Or you can provide another “smaller” assignment that relates to that station but isn’t long enough to be its own station.


  • Transitions. Make your transitions clear from the start. Explain to them what materials they need to take with them to each station. If a station requires “special” materials, have those out and ready on that station and explain that those materials need to stay there for the next group.
    • Label the station numbers and reiterate the direction in which the students need to rotate.
    • Tape instructions to the desks. This prevents the dreaded question, “What are we doing?” (I also include the instructions on the handout, if applicable.)


There you have it - the “magic” of blended learning!  If you are interested in trying blended learning in your classroom and have any questions or reservations about it before you begin, feel free to contact me! Additionally, if you have any success stories, I’d love to hear those, too!


Switch up your lessons for your next “review day” and give it a shot! I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised and pleased with the outcome! -Emily Perez

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