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Literature Review

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Introduction: Rethinking the Classroom for Today’s Diverse Learners

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A hot topic being debated within the educational world is the need for students to attend school eight hours a day, five days a week.  Shortening the school week for students can alleviate many problems that have been present during the school day such as behaviors, lack of motivation, learning disabilities, overcrowding, and mental health, to name a few.  This study will analyze the benefits of having shortened school weeks by replacing the classroom with at-home learning.  However, there is a solution that gives students meaningful ownership of their education while creating independence and personalized learning.  This study will focus on the Enriched Virtual Model.  By implementing this hybrid model, students will take control of their learning and monitor their progress.  

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Outdated Educational System and the Negative Impacts on Today’s Learners

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As mentioned in Students 4 Social Change, (2020) the U.S. education system has been around since the 17th century, nearly 400 years ago. As the years have gone by, the curriculum has changed, as well as the common technology that you would see in today’s classrooms. However, there is one thing that seems to have remained the same: students are still taught in a basic manner where learning is based on repetition and memorization. Boyce (2019) stated even though the curricula have developed, the essence has stayed the same. Children are still taught in a standardized and industrialized way. As with anything that comes from centralized control, it is highly inefficient, bureaucratic, and wasteful. Schwahn & McGarvey (2020) mentioned that students are expected to learn the same thing, the same way, and in the same amount of time.  Teachers see this often when implementing the curriculum throughout the week.  An informal or formal assessment is provided at the end of the week to identify which students learned the content and which need further instruction.  Regardless of pass or fail, instruction continues to the next agenda item.  Walker, T., Alvarez, B., Litvinov, A., & Long, C. (2018) researched the statistics that identified reasons for failure within the public schools. Too often low-income students end up in schools with the lowest funding, fewest supplies, the least rigorous curriculum, and the oldest facilities and equipment.   Schmitt (2022), researched in Texas, more than 600,000 students are diagnosed with disabilities requiring an individualized education plan, and 1 in 5 drop out before graduation. Rather than being responsive to the diverse needs of a heterogeneous group of students, politicians and businesses — those without firsthand knowledge of children’s development — continue to remove aspects of public education known to be beneficial to children such as play, recess and social-emotional development.  How is this affecting Mansfield Independent School District?  Students are facing these issues on a day-to-day basis with absenteeism, lack of motivation, non-engagement, learning disabilities, overcrowding, lack of differentiation, and the use of outdated materials.  It’s unfortunately occurring within our district due to the rapid population growth in the community in the past ten years.  New students are moving in with these factors already in place from their previous educational experiences.  The question is, how can they be addressed effectively?

 

What is Blended Learning

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Blended learning is any formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and pace (Horn & Staker 2015, pg 34).  Termed the ‘new normal’ in delivering education (Norberg, Dziuban, & Moskal, 2011, p. 207), blended learning is widely adopted across education sectors. From learning management systems, class websites and electronic portfolios, through to sites such as Padlet, YouTube and Instagram, higher education institutes are integrating online instruction into Face-2-Face learning. The format is thought to combine the strengths of online course offerings with the benefits provided by traditional brick and mortar education (Aldhafeeri, 2015).  Several studies have found that the Blended Learning format increases student satisfaction. Students appreciate the increased opportunity of study convenience in terms of time, pace and location, which the online component offers, and the opportunity to retain Face-2-Face contact with their instructors and peers (González-Gómez, et al. 2016, pg. 450-459).  Lowak (2024) adds to this by stating at its core, blended learning combines the best of in-person teaching with online technology to personalize instruction. It is a practice designed to address individual student needs by providing each child access to rigorous grade-level content while also addressing gaps in prior learning.  Our district is already experimenting with this by using specific applications within the math and reading classrooms.  Students log into their profiles, take an assessment, and the program will personalize instruction for the student based on those results.  During COVID-19, students could choose whether they wanted at-home learning versus classroom learning.  Subsequently, this led teachers to have hybrid classrooms for the 2020-2021 school year, and many students benefited from this approach.  According to the National Education Association (2021), understanding the learning styles of individual learners can help educators accommodate different learning styles and enhance student learning experiences.   

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Enriched Virtual Model is the Future of Learning

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The Enriched Virtual model, by definition, is rather straightforward: the backbone of student learning is online and the student is only required to attend brick-and-mortar school on designated days. Thanks to technology, learning is happening anywhere, anytime, and (sometimes) at varying pace as mentioned by White (2019).   Mansfield ISD has been removing classroom textbooks in favor of these online course materials.  They are interactive for the students, which leads to higher engagement during lessons and provides real-time feedback.  Teachers also have a high opinion of these online materials; the material can often be differentiated for each student's learning style, saving valuable time.  As stated in What is Blended Learning from Augusta University (2024), it is common for students only to need to show up to class a few times per week. This model is like the flex model because it focuses on online and self-paced learning. It differs because it has in-person components and follows a fixed schedule. For example, students could take online courses, but they would still need to do in-person assessments as stated in.  Carleton (2020), stated with the integration of many online and digital tools, blended learning allows teachers to collect a wide array of information about their students’ needs. This information can then be used to help teachers formulate a plan on to address those needs.  Lathan (2022) went on to describe the model as by far one of the most touted benefits of blended learning is the ability for personalization. Students can learn at their own pace and advance as fast as they want, not having to be held back by others in the classroom that may be at a different level. Similarly, if a student needs extra instruction in a certain area, blended learning ensures that that student is able to gain the extra instruction they require and grasp the concept before moving along to the next level.  Through adaptive learning technologies, courses can adapt to each learner's progress and provide personalized recommendations and feedback. This level of customization ensures that students receive the support and resources necessary for their academic success. Coble (2016) further pointed out that instead of re-organizing their lives around traditional education, online education allows students to fit education into their lives.  Many families are moving away from conventional behaviors; parents work in the comfort of their homes and want the same for their school-age children.  They want their children to still belong to the ISD and receive all the benefits of public schools, such as extracurricular activities.  Many school districts in north Texas have transitioned to a four-day school week.  They see the benefits of this model not only for the students but also for the teachers.  

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The Future is Bright 

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Blended learning offers many advantages for students, such as enhanced accessibility, personalized learning, improved collaboration, and budget-friendliness, to name a few.  The enriched blended model will offer positive benefits such as deeper knowledge retention and increased engagement.  The flexibility provided to the students will allow more time for other activities in their family units and improve student motivation, performance, and participation.  Personalized learning will fill the educational gaps that traditional classrooms can’t close.  Students will have meaningful ownership of their education while simultaneously creating independence.  Mansfield ISD will lead the way for North Texas schools to have a bright and advanced future!

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References

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Aldhafeeri, F. M. (2015). Blended learning in higher education. In M. Ally & H. B. Khan (Eds.),

International Handbook of E-learning (Vol. 2). 

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Association, N. E. (2021). Rethinking the classroom for blended learning. National Education Association..

https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/rethinking-classroom-blended-learning

 

Boyce, P. (2019, August 18). Schools are outdated. it’s time for reform. Foundation for Economic Education.

https://fee.org/articles/schools-are-outdated-its-time-for-reform/ 

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Carleton, S. C. (2020, July 9). What is blended learning?. Graduate Blog.

https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/blended-learning/ 

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Coble, R. (2016). Learning and course management systems (LMS/CMS). Vanderbilt University.

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/learning-and-course-management-systems/. 

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González-Gómez, D., et al (2016). Performance and perception in the flipped learning model: An initial approach to

evaluate the effectiveness of a new teaching methodology in a general science classroom. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 25(3), pg. 450–459.

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Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended using disruptive innovation to improve schools Michael B. Horn and

Heather Staker. Wiley. Pg. 34. 

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Lathan, J. (2022, July 25). Is blended learning the next big thing in K-12 education?. University of San Diego Online

Degrees. https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/is-blended-learning-the-next-big-thing-in-education/ 

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Norberg, A., Dziuban, C. D., & Moskal, P. D. (2011). A time-based blended learning model. On the Horizon, 19(3),

207–216

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Augusta University. (2024).  Proponents of using digital technology in schools believe it is the future of Education.

What Is Blended Learning? (2024, January 5). https://www.augusta.edu/online/blog/what-is-blended-learning 

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Schwahn, C., & McGarvey, B. (2020) Inevitable: Mass customized learning. North charleston, SC: CreateSpace

independent publishing platform. 

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U.S. education: An outdated system. Students 4 Social Change. (2020, August 26).

https://students4sc.org/2020/08/26/u-s-education-an-outdated-system/ 

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Walker, T., Alvarez, B., Litvinov, A., & Long, C. (2018). 10 challenges facing public education today. National

Education Association. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/10-challenges-facing-public-education-today 

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White, J. (2019, July 25). Is the enriched virtual blended-learning model the future of High School?. Blended

Learning Universe. https://www.blendedlearning.org/is-the-enriched-virtual-blended-learning-model-the-future-of-high-school/