Blended

Learning Models
LOVELLE S. AVELINO
Blended
Learning 01 Oxford Dictionary Definition Of
Blended Learning:
a style of education in which students
learn via electronic and online media as
well as traditional face-to-face teaching.

02 Teach thought:
an approach to learning that combines
face-to-face and online learning
experiences. Ideally, each (both online
and off) will complement the other by
using its particular strength.
Blended Blended Learning is not so much an
Learning innovation as it is a natural by-product of
the digital domain creeping into physical
spaces.

Broadly speaking, blended learning just

means a mix of learning online and
face-to-face, which means it’s likely
your students are already doing some
form of blended learning and have for
years. As digital and social media
become more and more prevalent in the
life of learners, it was only a matter of
time before learning became ‘blended’
by necessity.
 Objectives:
B) Help you think more
about blended learning as a
A) Explain the most commonly
flexible concept that ideally
referred to types of blended
empowers both teachers
learning as most educators
and students to improve
know.
learning outcomes.

C) Identify and adapt a blended

learning model that’s right for
your school, classroom, and
students.
ROTATION MODEL

•The modes of learning are rotated

on a fixed schedule.

•Students rotate 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.
ROTATION MODEL

The Station Rotation Model

Allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed

schedule, where at least one of the stations is an
online learning station. This model is most common
in elementary schools because teachers are already
familiar rotating in “centers” or stations.
ROTATION MODEL
 ROTATION MODEL
FIXED SCHEDULE
 ROTATION MODEL
FIXED SCHEDULE

ROTATION SCHEDULE IN DIFFERENT MODALITIES

One small group could work independently or in pairs on activities appropriate
for their current achievement level, such as practice from the previous days
lessons, independent reading, journaling, etc.
Another group could be working with the teacher on either a mini-lesson or a teacher-facilitated
group discussion. In a third group, students use a computer to develop their 
social emotional skill of self-management by doing a progress check and setting a goal for the
week.
Using the computer station to allow students to check their progress is a way to ease into the
benefits of this blended learning model.
ROTATION MODEL

The Lab Rotation Model

Like a Station Rotation, allows students to rotate

through stations on a fixed schedule. However, in this
case, online learning occurs in a dedicated computer
lab. This model allows for flexible scheduling
arrangements with teachers and other
paraprofessionals, and enables schools to make use
of existing computer labs.
 ROTATION MODEL
Benefits:
•  Requires very little adjustment to teacher contracts, facility design, or the
classroom overall. It’s just a new way for teachers to organize the flow of time
within their classrooms.

• Allows teachers to work with smaller groups of students. Can help

ameliorate the problem of high student- teacher ratios. Some schools have
implemented a Station-Rotation model to deal with large class sizes.

• Facilitates the use of project-based learning as a station to complement the

online-learning station.

Challenges:
• Teachers need to learn new skills, such as how to plan the right small groups
for face-to-face time in response to the data that the online-learning station is
generating.

Example:  • Classrooms need a robust learning management system to help fit each
Mrs. Fernandez’s Reading class is divided student to the right online content and to generate actionable reports for
into three stations. On a daily basis, teachers.
students rotate every 30 minutes among
the online instruction group, the teacher-led • The online-learning station needs to be easy for students to do on their own
instruction group, and the collaborative with minimal adult intervention.
projects group. 
 ROTATION MODEL
Example: 
For his mathematics course, Carlos rotates
among the math/science teacher directed
instruction and the math learning lab
depending on his needs. 
Benefits:
• Requires very little adjustment to teacher contracts, facility design, or the
classroom overall, other than provisioning a computer lab and changing the
block schedule.
• Some experts estimate that if students rotate to a lab with online learning
and paraprofessional supervision instead of face-to-face teacher-led
instruction for 25-50 percent of their day, school leaders will net out with an
increase of $1,000-2,000 per student per year. They can then redirect these
funds to other priorities
Challenges:
•So far, there is little evidence of face-to-face teachers using the results and
progress from the learning lab to adapt the way they teach the students back
in the face-to-face classroom. There is not good linkage between the two
modalities.
•Learning labs need a robust learning management system to help fit each
student to the right online content and to generate actionable reports for
teachers.
•The online-learning modality needs to be easy for students to do on their own
with minimal adult intervention, because generally students are supervised by
paraprofessionals with little training.
 ROTATION MODEL

The Individual Rotation Model

Allows students to rotate through stations, but on

individual schedules set by a teacher or software
algorithm. Unlike other rotation models, students
do not necessarily rotate to every station; they
rotate only to the activities scheduled on their
playlists.
 ROTATION MODEL

The Flipped Classroom Model

Flips the traditional relationship between class time and

homework. Students learn at home via online
coursework and lectures, and teachers use class time
for teacher-guided practice or projects. This model
enables teachers to use class time for more than
delivering traditional lectures.
 ROTATION MODEL
The Individual Rotation model differs from the
other Rotation models because students do not
necessarily rotate to each available station or
modality.
The Flipped Classroom model accords with the idea
that blended learning includes some element of
student control over time, place, path, and/or pace
because the model allows students to choose the
location where they receive content and instruction
online. 
 ROTATION MODEL
Benefits:

• Allows each student to work at his or her own pace with a custom
playlist.

•Students can use the modality that works best for them for each
concept. Some may benefit from learning mostly online, while others
will work best with pencil and paper or face-to-face lecturing.

•The fixed scheduling might work better for students who need a more
predictable routine and scheduled face-to-face check-ins than the
Flex, Self-Blend, or Enriched Virtual models provide.

Challenges:

Example:  •Requires a transformation of the teaching role, facilities, and delivery

In Damon’s math class, he spends most of instruction and content.
of his time completing online
instruction. He rotates as needed to •The fixed schedules might be confining to students who could learn
other groups such as intervention, faster with a more flexible schedule.
teacher-led instruction, and group
projects. 
 ROTATION MODEL
Benefits:

• Frees up time in class for teachers to help with problem sets and
more open-ended projects because students have already watched the
lectures at home.

•Helps students who struggle to do homework on their own at night.

Now they can get help with assignments at school with a teacher. Plus,
students can watch lectures on-demand at home and can repeat it if
they need to review it again.

•Does not require adjustment to teacher contracts, facilities, or

schedules.

Example:  Challenges:
Mr. Marks assigns his Biology students
online instructional content to be •All students need reliable connected devices at home.
completed at home. He uses web 2.0
tools to record videos and uses other •Teachers need to be trained to fundamentally alter their role. 
internet resources for students to view
outside of school. In the classroom, Mr. •Does not appear to lower costs.
Marks facilitates face-to-face guided
practice and collaborative projects. 
 ROTATION MODEL
Station Rotation Lab Rotation Blended Flipped Rotation Individual Rotation
Blended Learning Learning Blended Learning Blended Learning

$ 3 $4 $2
7 5 2
The fixed schedule The use school The retention of The personalization of
that guides the computer labs in new traditional learning student learning as
‘blending’ ways forms in new contexts determined by individual
(i.e., studying at school schedules that have the
and learning at home) chance to better meet the
needs of each student
FLEX MODEL
 FLEX MODEL
In the flex model, online instruction is the
primary mode of accessing content and
materials, with additional support from a
teacher face-to-face.

Teachers share learning activities with

students who access them at their own pace,
and then teachers use data to intervene in
real-time.

This model is dependent on self-directed

learning and allows for a fluid schedule that
is more flexible than other models as online
learning makes up the bulk of a student’s
direct instruction.  
 FLEX MODEL
A course or subject in which online learning is the backbone of student learning,
even if it directs students to offline activities at times.

Although there is no hard metric for

what “backbone” means, the Flex
model offers teachers and students
increased flexibility because online
learning does much of the heavy lifting
in terms of delivering instruction.

This gives students and teachers more

control over how they use their time:
teachers have time to work individually
with students because they are
generally no longer standing in front of
a class delivering content, and students
can move through the lessons and
materials at their own pace.
 FLEX MODEL
Students move on an individually customized, fluid schedule among
learning modalities.

This flexibility is what separates the

Flex model from the Rotation
models.

In the Flex model, students do not

transition between learning
modalities at the same time.
Instead, students operate
independently and receive help
from teachers when needed.
 FLEX MODEL
The teacher of record is on-site, and students learn mostly on the brick-and-mortar
campus, except for any homework assignments.

This distinction separates the Flex

model from the A La Carte model,
where the teacher of record is
online, and the Enriched Virtual
model, where students may
complete the majority  of their
coursework remotely.

The Flex model is designed to

support students and teachers
together in a brick-and-mortar
location away from home.
 FLEX MODEL
The teacher of record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and
adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group
projects, and individual tutoring. Some implementations have     substantial face-to-
face support, whereas others have minimal support.
 FLEX MODEL
One of the biggest advantages of a flex model is that it lets students, not teachers, dictate when they rotate. They
rotate between various stations when they need them and they are not constrained by time limits. If you’re hoping to
increase student motivation and autonomy, this may be the model you choose. This form of blended learning is most
often implemented at a whole-school level but can be accomplished at the class level with careful planning. 

The role of a teacher changes in a Flex model. Instead of delivering instruction to whole groups, teachers
spend most of their time providing face-to-face tutoring, guidance,
and enrichment to supplement online lessons.”  
SELF-BLEND MODEL/ À La Carte Model
To get started with the a la carte model or enriched
model, you should identify the course needs at your
school:

Are there gaps in your course offerings? Have

students become disengaged in the required
courses? What are the interests? Do you have
students who are far below grade level and need an
additional course to meet their needs? You will also
need to determine the teacher on record. Who will
monitor student progress?

Since the course itself is online, you will need to

choose the software or online learning program you
want to use. 
SELF-BLEND MODEL/ À La Carte Model
• A program in which students take one or more
courses entirely online with an online teacher of
record and at the same time continue to have brick-
and-mortar educational experiences.

• Students may take the online courses either on the

brick-and-mortar campus or off-site. This differs
from full-time online learning and the Enriched
Virtual model because it is not a whole-school
experience.

• While some courses are online, others are taken in

school so students still benefit from interaction with
teachers and peers.
SELF-BLEND MODEL/ À La Carte Model
Benefits of an A La Carte Model:

Personalized learning paths. Learners can be empowered by

taking charge of their own learning, making them more engaged
with the subject matter. Trainers can then provide personal 1-to-1
support in person or online.

Learn at their own pace. Students who need to take extra time

over certain topics can do.

Enables you to train more employees with less resource. As

with most L&D departments, your training resources are probably
limited. By its digital nature, an A La Carte model enables you to 
reach more employees with less resource.

Learning can take place on their own time, so time is not

taken away from their other work duties. They can learn on
their commute or from the comfort of their own home.

More engaging and interactive. E-learning is simply more fun

than traditional learning, and employees can learn while doing.
SELF-BLEND MODEL/ À La Carte Model
Limitations of an A La Carte Model:

There will be an initial outlay in terms of time and cost in order to

create or provide an A La Carte library of e-learning courses.
However, this will balance out once your online learning is up and
running and you’re able to save on face-to-face training
resources.

By utilizing a user-friendly, low-cost, cloud-based e-learning

authoring tool, like Easygenerator, creating the online training
courses for your A La Carte model needn’t be challenging or
expensive.

You can even employ an Employee-generated Learning approach

 and delegate course creation to the subject matter experts
around your business. Give Easygenerator a try with a no-
obligation 14-day trial, and see how it can help you implement an
A La Carte model of blended learning.
Enriched Virtual
• Allows students to spend most of their time
completing coursework online remotely,
supplemented by required in-person learning
sessions with their teacher.

• While online learning is fundamental to the

Enriched Virtual model, it differs from full-time
virtual schools because face-to-face learning is
a required component of the coursework, not
optional as it is in full-time virtual schools.

• In fact, many full-time virtual schools have

transitioned their programs to an Enriched Virtual
model to provide students with the important
experiences of a school campus. 
Enriched Virtual

• The Enriched Virtual model differs from the Flipped

Classroom because in Enriched Virtual programs,
students seldom attend the brick-and-mortar
campus every weekday. It differs from the A La Carte
model because it is a whole-school experience, not
a course-by-course model.
This model is similar to Flipped Classroom, and Self-Blend
model because it is an “entire school” experience.
 The flex model delivers
The modes of learning
most content online, but in
are rotated on a fixed
schedule. a traditional school setting.
Teachers guide students
The modes range from
through learning and
group work, online work, provided one-on-one or
and tutoring to pen and small group help when
pencil work, needed.
assessments, lectures or
project assignments. This model provides great
opportunities for
Modes can be rotated in individualization in terms of
pace and content.
a number of ways
Students who want to This model is similar to
supplement their course Flipped Classroom, and Self-
Blend model because it is an
with an elective online “entire school” experience.
module are supported by
the school, and the Very often these models
online content is begin exclusively as online
delivered and managed learning environments, that
by their teacher of have built brick-and-mortar
environments to supplement
record. and assist students with face-
to-face instruction, however
The online courses are should students wish to they
not compulsory, and can complete the entire
individual students may semester exclusively online.
choose if, when and
where to do them.
Conclusion

It is not necessarily very interesting to read the

taxonomies of areas of study, but I am a firm
believer that agreed definitions — especially in the
fast-changing world of technology — are essential
if we are to scaffold our understanding of the new
modalities in a way that builds better student-
centric solutions.
THANK YOU
BLENDED LEARNING MODELS
Lsavelino