Learning environments
Blending learning environments offers students the best of all worlds of learning. Partly online and partly face-to-face, blended learning gives students a chance to fully experience integrated learning as they grow along their own learning paths.
However, blended learning doesn't happen inherently; administrators and leaders must assess and evaluate current learning environments and work together to build opportunities that rethink instruction. Providing effective professional development that explains the various learning models is the first step in transforming learning environments.
Learning environments in blended learning spaces vary from classroom to classroom, depending on student needs. The most common models of blended learning:
- Station rotation – Students rotate through stations on a fixed schedule, and at least one station is an online learning station.
- Lab rotation – Much like the station rotation model, lab rotation involves stations on a fixed schedule, but the online portion is held in a dedicated computer lab.
- Individual rotation – Unlike station rotation and lab rotation, students may not rotate to every station; they only rotate to the stations that meet their learning needs. For example, a teacher discovers four students are struggling with reading comprehension based on a formative assessment. During the next class, the teacher plans a rotation to help close the gap for the four students. Those four students spend the first half of the class with the teacher while the rest of the class works independently on an online reading program.
- Flipped classroom – Students learn at home using online resources, and in-person class time is spent on teacher-guided practice or working on projects.
- Flex – This model provides students a high degree of control over their learning, using mostly online learning. Teachers provide support and instruction only as needed.
- A la carte – When schools aren't able to provide particular learning opportunities such as Advanced Placement or elective courses, the a la carte model is helpful. Students can be enrolled in face-to-face courses at the same time but would take a la carte courses during convenient time periods.
- Enriched virtual – In this model, students attend online school full-time but have required face-to-face learning times with a teacher.
While effective blended learning doesn't have to involve technology-rich instruction, it does require use of the internet to help personalize each student's learning experience. This access promotes students' control over the time, place, and pace of their learning. Schools and school leaders must ensure that proper infrastructure is in place to provide a positive blended learning experience for students. Effective collaboration between leadership and IT departments is paramount.
Additionally, providing easily accessible additional resources to parents and students to use if technology isn't working correctly is extremely important. Making IT support an easy, natural part of blended learning helps ensure a positive learning experience for all.
The tools and features in Microsoft Teams allow for personalized, interactive experiences for educators and students that are inclusive and accessible. School leaders can model how to incorporate both in-person and digital interactions for teachers to see how best to utilize these options with students. Customizing the learning space to meet student needs is simple with the right set of tools.
Personalize student experiences with inclusive tools and accessible, interactive content
| In-Person Interactions | Microsoft Teams Tool | Digital interactions |
|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day interactions, conversations, dialog, and questions | Posts tab | Students and instructors interact with one another through the Posts tab. Educators pose discussion questions for students to participate in throughout the week; students ask questions about content or assignments; classmates can socialize and share ideas. |
| Lecture, demonstrate, collaborate, discuss in class meetings | Teams call | Students and instructors join a Teams call for class meetings; students use the raise-hand feature or the chat window to ask questions, share insights, or answer the instructor's questions. Instructors use Share Screen or use the Whiteboard feature to offer visuals to support their content delivery. Tools include meeting reactions, chat, polls, captions, recordings, and transcripts. |
| Distribute handouts and resources to students; facilitate collaboration among students | Files tab | Instructors share read-only content and resources in the Class Materials folder in the Files tab. Students and instructors collaborate on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files shared in the Files tab. They offer comments with the file, and each file has a chat feature to allow for conversations about the file. |
| Distribute handouts and resources to students; create a workspace for students; facilitate collaboration among students | Class Notebook tab | OneNote Class Notebook is a digital three-ring binder for a course. Instructors share read-only content and resources in the Content Library of the notebook. Educators also create workspaces for students to complete assignments. Students collaborate on projects or share resources with one another in the Collaboration Space of the notebook. Students also have an individual workspace where they take notes, document learning, and complete assignments. |
| Distribute and collect assignments and provide students feedback on their work | Assignments tab | Instructors distribute and collect assignments with the Assignments tab. They attach a OneNote page for students to complete, a link, or other files. Students turn in the assignment through the Assignments tab. Once turned in, instructors review the work and offer feedback. They either allow students to revise the work based on feedback, or finalize and return the grade. |
| Communicate graded assignments | Grades tab | Once finalized, instructors return graded assignments. Students see their grades in the Grades tab; instructors review an individual's grade or the class's performance on an assignment. |
| Create learning centers and/or organizing materials and resources for students | Channels | Instructors create a structure for their virtual learning space with channels. Channels are organized by week, topic, or assignment. Educators create private channels for students to collaborate on projects. Additionally, instructors create virtual learning centers with channels and direct learners to specific channels for meetings, questions, or socializing. |
| Evaluate student participation | Insights | With the Insights tab, instructors review real-time data regarding students' interactions in assigned discussions, participation in meetings, and completion of assignments. |
| Lecture, demonstrations | Microsoft Stream | Instructors upload their instructional videos and demonstrations in a Stream channel and then add the channel as a Tab in Teams. |
| Entrance and exit tickets; quizzes; surveys/polls | Microsoft Forms | Instructors connect a Forms quiz to instructional videos. They also create assignments with a Forms entrance or exit ticket, or a Forms quiz. Additionally, educators collect information from students (and even parents or guardians) through Forms surveys, which is added as a Tab or shared in a conversation in the Posts tab. |
| Assist students in building reading fluency | Reading Progress | Instructors assign reading tasks to students and analyze reading fluency based on automated or manual assessment. |