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An educator and mother shares her tactics to “blend” learning at home and at school

My school, American International School of Utah (AISU), is a charter school with the blended learning model in its mission statement. Even without that explicit mission, blended learning just makes sense. 

Think of your own learning experiences. I’ll bet the ones you remember best are those that resulted in “creating” something — an end product that took multiple types of learning materials and observations. You also probably remember the few times when something you learned moved beyond classroom subject matters and became applicable in life. The art of teaching students to read is like that, it easily adapts itself to blended learning. Blending tech and learning and life are what schools are really about these days.

I’m not just an educator; I’m a parent. Watching my own children informed my classroom philosophies. The best experiences my children have had come out of a blended learning model. This happens naturally in home environments rich in hands-on learning. With my kids, I’ve even had adventures like researching natural dyes and foraging in the yard for the right plants because I ran out of the blue paint to finish a project.

In the classroom, I use a number of tactics to make blended learning a reality. Here are my top three: 

Blended learning is best when it becomes organic. Take a concept and let it unfold naturally, which usually requires multiple modalities to fully realize. 

Ensure that schools have the hardware and software to support blended learning. One tool we use to help teach all students at AISU to read is the Reading Horizons program, which integrates interactive classroom instruction with online components. 

Focused and continuous professional development is critical. Educators need to be constantly learning, not only about their subject matter, but also about their students. A great Swedish cognitive neuroscientist, Stanislas Dehaene, has written several important books on the science of learning. 

A solid blended learning program empowers students to use multiple sources to support what they are learning. It includes the digital content or courseware component that’s part of a wellscaffolded classroom experience and supports the kind of learning that moves beyond short-term memory to working memory—and eventually to the much-coveted long-term memory that is so important for enriched understanding.

My advice to educators who are interested in investigating blended learning is simple: Find a mentor teacher or school willing to share ideas and support your efforts. It’s easy for me at AISU because everyone is involved in blended learning. I can consult with other teachers, and everyone is engaged in the process.