“Blended learning” is a phrase that automatically makes me react with “ugh.” This is a remnant gut reaction from when I saw it done poorly in my high school physics class. Although I did think she was a good teacher, it seemed like she got excited about the idea of a blended learning model and implemented it without really thinking of its purpose and value for the students. Because of this, without thinking I just associate the term “blended learning” with ineffectiveness.

When my brain has time to catch up with my gut reaction, however, I see the concept as a great way to engage learners using multiple tools. The experience that I grew to resent was one where the teacher uploaded materials onto an online platform but did not integrate them with classroom instruction, and I wonder whether this is could truly be called blended learning. Done well, the learning should indeed be blended – meaning that classroom instruction is integrated with digital learning materials in a well-thought-out and planned manner.

The flipped learning model takes this one step further, where the teacher supplements the primary online instruction, rather than the reverse, as was done for the class TinkerCAD I appreciate how the video in the pre-class material highlighted that not all students have access to technology at home, so the online learning was actually conducted during class time. This is an important aspect for teachers to remember when incorporating any online material into their instruction; all materials should be easily accessible for all students, especially if it is the primary mode of instruction.

The main value in my opinion from flipped learning is the agency and independence that students have over their own learning. As the video discussed, students are able to learn at their own pace and search for answers themselves when stuck, and the teacher is there to scaffold and facilitate this. What intrigues me so much about this is that although it is still structured by the teacher (I want to be careful not to minimize their professionalism in this), it really teaches students how to teach themselves. Traditional schooling – even by the best of teachers – is often very reliant on the teacher guiding students where they want the students to go. In the real world, however, so much of the learning we need to do is entirely self-taught and internet-based. This doesn’t just start after graduation when you consider how high school students need to be learning about school and job applications. Teaching these skills to students in elementary school I believe could empower them later on when they need these skills in other parts of life, and they will feel like they actually have control over what and how they learn.

In order for this to work, however, the school must have enough devices for every student to use. While I love the idea, I am unsure whether I would actually be able to implement it whatever school I end up teaching in. Are there any ways I haven’t thought of that flipped learning could still be used in environments with limited devices?