Classrooms & Smoothies: Things That are Better Blended

When thinking of a traditional English Language Arts class, I typically think of a classroom sitting in a circle, reading and discussing text in a large group activity. This is traditionally how English classes have been taught, at least that's how I was taught. This brick-and-mortar approach has been one that has created a model that allowed me to learn, but what about current and future generations? Technology is a useful tool that teachers can utilize in order to help students reach certain content goals. I believe that the best model to effectively teach students today is the blended model that combines both traditional instruction and informal learning, as shown in the chart below.

With the Blended model, there are four subcategories of the model - Rotation, flex, self-blend, and enriched-virtual model. Of these four, I would be strongly opposed to the rotation model for ELA classes, as most assignments would require a linear approach due to the nature of storytelling. Having student rotation stations does not work well during the reading process, but may serve a useful strategy in performing assessment tasks. 

For me, the flex model is the best model for teaching ELA content. In the flex model, technology is the main delivery method for material and the teacher's role becomes one of a facilitator or guide to help students find the answers that they are looking for. Students can utilize the technology to create a Google Documentor iBook to create a classroom discussion and notes focused around a specific text and learning goal while the teacher is free to spend more time with students who may need extra attention to achieve comprehension of the specific goal. Each student will work individually and collectively through the use to technology to discover and generate new and unique content. 

For a more in-depth at blended learning, please see the video below. 

Via YouTube

For example, if a class is reading Romeo & Juliet, each student can read through the iBook and add comments to difficult portions of the text to help provide insight to fellow classmates. These insights can then lead to Google Document discussion forms surrounding major themes and motifs of the play, such as the theme of tragic flaws or forbidden romance. While the students work collectively to solve the complexity of the play, the teacher is free to roam about the room and offer further insight and one-on-one correspondence to any student who is struggling with the assignment. If a student is falling a bit behind, the rest of the class is able to continue to work at their own pace and progress towards their goals without having to wait for further instruction from the teacher. 

While there are certainly other forms of effective teaching with the aid of technology, I personally believe that a blended learning classroom offers the best results for English Language Arts teachers. Not only is the teacher able to facilitate a collaborative and inclusive learning environment, but he/she is also able to aid in assisting students who require more attention without hindering the learning of other students. The role of the blended learning teacher is more of a freelancer who is able to monitor and aid whenever necessary, thus generating more discovery learning techniques for the entire class.