3.2 Blended learning structures and strategies
Watch
In this video, Dr. Pascasie Nyirahabimana introduces some of the most important structures and strategies for effective blended learning in STEAM teaching. You'll learn what your role as a blended learning teacher will include, from designer to evaluator and mentor, as well as various ways to organize your class and models you can use to structure blended learning for your students.
Read
Read this article for evidence of how blended learning impacts student achievement and retention (in mathematics, at the secondary level). Note the model details and types of blended learning used, which teachers can adapt.
Effect of blended learning approach on secondary school learners’ mathematics achievement and retention
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10639-024-12651-w.pdf
Go though this article about teacher professional development, how it offers a model of how blended learning can be structured, and what influences make it effective (especially in rural settings).
Blended Learning as a Strategy to Improve Sustainability and Equity for Professional Development of Rural Teachers
https://doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2024-0007
If you're working with adult learners, read this article and note teaching strategies for boosting the use of online content.
Towards teaching strategies addressing online learning in blended learning courses for adult-learners
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105103
Finally, read this paper for insights into how you can adapt your teaching strategies to support blended learning environments.
Integrating blended learning and STEM education: Innovative approaches to promote interdisciplinary learning
https://www.paradigmpress.org/rae/article/view/776/659
Review
Download the document below to review the phases, elements, and teacher roles involved in designing blended learning lessons in STEAM. In particular, note how these design components are combined to produce a blended learning design with assessment (in this case, a blended block model).
Explore
Explore the following examples of blended learning structures. Note how different STEAM disciplines might structure their lessons differently - how easily can another discipline's structure be applied within your own discipline?
Physics: Ohm's Law in circuits
- Pre-class (online): Students watch a PhET simulation on Ohm’s Law and then complete a 5-question quiz.
- In-class (face-to-face): Students conduct real circuit experiments in physical lab using real materials in groups, then compare the results with simulations.
- Post-class (online): Students repeat the simulation with new parameters, submit a reflection report on differences between physical and virtual labs.
- Assessment: Teacher prepares a quiz using. for example, Google Forms, or asks the group to submit a collaborative lab report.
Chemistry: Acids, bases, and neutralization
- Pre-class (online): Students watch a short video on the pH scale and acid-base indicators, explore an Acid Base Solutions virtual lab to test different substances, and answer a short Google Form quiz on everyday examples of acids and bases (lemon juice, soap, vinegar).
- In-class (face-to-face): Students perform a real titration experiment with acids and bases, compare experimental results (color changes, pH values) with simulation outcomes, and then contribute to a group discussion on applications (medicine, agriculture, food).
- Post-class (online): Students create a digital infographic (using Canva or Google Slides) explaining “How neutralization is applied in daily life.” Students are asked to submit reflections via LMS or Padlet.
- Assessment: Teacher asks students to submit a lab report (in-class), complete an online quiz (post-class), or evaluate their peers' infographics.
Biology: Photosynthesis
- Pre-class (online): Students explore Photosynthesis Virtual Lab or Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration showing how light, water, and CO2 produce glucose and oxygen, then answer pre-lesson guiding questions (e.g., “Why are plants called producers?”).
- In-class (face-to-face): Students conduct a simple leaf experiment (starch test using iodine solution) and participate in a group discussion on factors affecting photosynthesis (light intensity, CO2 levels), using role-play or concept mapping to visualize the process.
- Post-class (online): Students use a virtual lab to simulate photosynthesis under different conditions and record observations and compare with real experiment results.
- Assessment: Students are asked to write a lab report, perform an online quiz with simulation-based questions, or contribute to a class debate (for example, on "How does deforestation affect photosynthesis and climate change?").
Mathematics: Quadratic functions
- Pre-class (online): Students watch a Khan Academy video or explore GeoGebra activity on graphing quadratic functions and solve 3 to 5 simple questions online to check understanding (via Google Forms or Quizizz).
- In-class (face-to-face): Teacher guides students to sketch parabolas manually on graph paper. Then, in groups, students investigate how changing parameters a, b, c in y = ax2+bx+c affects the parabola’s shape and position, using real-world applications, e. g., designing the trajectory of a ball (link with Physics).
- Post-class (online): Students use GeoGebra (online graphing tool) to explore different quadratic equations and submit screenshots of their graphs and a short explanation of their findings.
- Assessment: Students complete manual sketches, an online portfolio of GeoGebra activities, or a problem-solving assignment (word problems on area, projectile motion, optimization).
Respond
In the video at the top of this page, Dr. Nyirahabimana outlines a set of teacher roles for blended learning. In this discussion, you'll be asked to compare these roles with current practice in your teaching context. Which roles promise to be most satisfying, and which might be most challenging?