Publication Final Draft
Improving Reading Through Blended Learning Models
Paola Rodriguez, Rossmary Vera, Lourdes Zarraga and Adonay Briceno
April 22, 2023
Abstract
Blended learning lets you take a portion of the time that is traditionally done face to face, and you use online instruction during that time. In a K-12 setting, it might mean that you are working with a software program that gives the student some essential feedback and basic guidance. The beauty of technology is that it gives us data. It is good at delivering data to students, and then it is excellent at returning that student’s data to the teacher. And when the teacher has the data, we can level our instruction appropriately to where those students are.
Introduction
The blended learning model started in the 1960s in corporate and higher education. It was first used in 1999 when the American Interactive Learning Center launched software programs for online teaching. Unlike many pedagogical technologies, it has evolved due to numerous attempts to change teaching methods and principles. The Blended Learning Model facilitates a student’s ability to attain more information while at the same time motivating them to increase their academic performance. In addition, the growth of technology in education continues to impact how students learn and acquire new tools for learning. The Blended Learning Model facilitates a student’s ability to attain more information while at the same time motivating them to increase their academic performance.
​Technology and Traditional Instruction
Those who relied primarily on the whole group, teacher-led model discovered that talking for extended periods in a video conferencing session failed to engage learners. Moreover, students were no longer in a physical learning environment where teachers had control. The pandemic exposed the shortcomings of the whole-group approach to instruction.
During the pandemic, many school districts decided to invest in new resources for the classroom to adapt to the drastically changed environment. Students learn to develop their skills through process, time, and strategies. We are in the 21st century, where everything is possible through technology. I firmly believe that Blended Learning is a powerful tool. We have the keys to helping others develop their abilities by keeping the experiences we have to design plans or strategies that can contribute to the learner reaching their goals. As a teacher, I am the support to build up a solid foundation in their academic growth to make connections to get to the next step in their learning journey.
Why is Blended Learning important in the learning process?
This teaching method benefits students and teachers because all students live in a technology-driven world, and blended learning can help every student. Mobile access means teachers can schedule assignments and track student progress through an online teacher management hub. In addition, blended learning is flexible: incorporated learning methods can be integrated into almost any classroom.
Station Rotation
According to Horn & Staker (2015, p.37), “the model that classroom teachers, in particular, gravitate toward first is the Rotation Model. This category includes any course or subject in which students rotate, either on a fixed schedule or at the teacher’s discretion, among learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning”. It has been demonstrated that students often rotate among online learning, small group instruction, and pencil and paper assignments at their desks. An essential factor in this model is that the students are working with resources provided by the school, like online reading programs, and at the same time, it must be complemented with whole group discussions.
How is this model applied in reading?
The Model rotation in reading includes the following stations:
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Teacher station with direct instruction. The teacher uses resource books and works closely with individual students.
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The offline station. They are working in a small collaborative group and sharing with others.
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The online station uses technology for Individualized learning and software such as Renaissance MyOn, and Nearpod to practice reading skills. The digital resources are, for instance, intelligent boards, IPads, and Chrome.
Additionally, Implementing Bloom's taxonomy during reading instruction helps us achieve success in learning. Thus, strengthening high-level thinking (Remember, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create). Learning to read is founded on this theory and leads the child to create their arguments.
Motivation in the classroom is the key to success
Students who fail to read proficiently during their journey in elementary or higher levels often face persistent struggles throughout their academic careers (Macaruso et al., 2020). The idea of motivating and engaging students is one of the keys to reaching goals in the educational field. “When schools design the right blended model plan for students’ perspective, they feel that school aligns well with the things that matter to them, students show up to school motivated and eager to learn” (Horn & Staker, 2015, p. 137).
​Creating Significant Learning Environment Experiences
When we design a blended learning environment, we want to take advantage of the machines' strengths. However, we also want to take advantage of the strengths of the humans that are involved in that environment.
Emotional engagement is the heart, passion, emotion, and excitement about learning. Cognitive engages energy that you are willing to put into the challenge. Blended learning allows us to reach educational goals, increase the depth of knowledge, and provide life mentorship.
Implementing blended learning models helps students to achieve their goals
It is essential to share an experience with Mr. Briceno. He is a teacher that used in the classroom the combined learning models. He said: “It is a beautiful resource to put into practice. A few months ago, a student came to me during reading time. He asked me, Mr. Briceno, I know I am not supposed to be reading and listening to the books in English on the Chromebook (these are instructions from the bilingual coaches to the teachers in my school), but can I do it sometime when I am reading? ” It was six months ago, well, as a teacher, I decided to do what was best for my students in this situation. So I said, let's make a goal for you, and we will make a plan where you will be able to read in English, and at the beginning, you will use the headphones to read and listen, but you need to select English books in your current reading level, and you have to pick the genre. My student moved from level D to story H a few weeks later. I worked with him in small groups and used technology to implement blended learning. I am constantly implementing blended learning in my classroom. I have seen improvement in my student's reading fluency and enjoy it because they have a choice in their learning process using ownership.
In addition to the influence of Those processes, be according to the blended learning process. The key to implementing a correct abstract strategy is to involve students in engaging in high quality, enjoying the learning experience, and focusing on accurate integrated learning models that work for each one.
Adding to the analytics process to track each student's academic progress when we talk about technology, implementing this strategy allows us to follow the data progress to keep the peace with the exponential growth of data and skills developed by choosing the right analytical tools using the correct information to bring about a positive blended learning implementation.
Conclusion
Using Blended Learning and the station rotation model, students receive strong support in learning to read. Technology accelerates learning. The child has to participate actively.
Managing discipline and motivation is essential to achieve a positive environment in the classroom. Each station will allow children to receive guidance, build their learning and turn it into a practical experience that leads them to advance in their real life and their environment.
We also want to invite you to share this article. It will be of vital information for all people who, in one way or another, will need to know more about this topic, taking into account that we will obtain more and more updates that will be useful both for us teachers and for our students, including for parents and representatives of our school.
In conclusion, the Blended Learning Model allows integration learning by taking the best of traditional teaching and all the advantages of technology. In an era of digital transformation like the current one, it is essential to incorporate technological elements that facilitate and optimize learning methods.
Biography
Mr. Briceno is a third grade bilingual teacher in Houston, Texas. He has been motivating his students to do things that they believe are impossible to do due to multiple facts in their life. Technology is a powerful tool that can be used to share our experiences with others. He wants to inspire people in his school, city, country and why not around the world. We need to believe in the power to take challenges and be open to say I can, I will do it, it is not going to be easy but I will try my best.
References
Greeley-Evans. (n.d.). Blended Learning combines the best teaching methods.
Retrieved from Greeley-Evans: https://dev.infohio.org/blog/item/using-science-online-to-support-blended-learning
Horn, M. &. (2015). Blended. Using Disruptive Innovation. United States of America:
Jossey-Bass.
Horn, M. (2013, Mar 5). Disrupting Class - Part 4: Blended Learning. Retrieved from
Edmentum Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TGmqeWprqM&t=3s
An investigation of blended learning to support reading instruction in elementary
schools.Educational Technology Research and Development.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11423-020-09785-2
Theory-Benjamin Bloom. (n.d.). Retrieved from Sites.google.com:
Tucker, C. (2019, May 28). Station Rotation Model. Retrieved from https://catlintucker.com/2019/05/station-rotation-model-avoid-falling-into-a-rut/