As I attempt to implement blended learning in my district, I will need to rely on some of the tactics learned from reading Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change. I have put much thought into planning my change effort and would like to share the strategies that I think will create a successful blended learning initiative.
 

Goal:

Teachers will  recognize and support the individual needs of students by using a blended learning model of instruction to reimagine traditional curriculum design and better support student centered learning.

 

Measures:

1. Teachers will accomplish this by utilizing online modules, videos and lessons in their classrooms to replace direct face to face instruction at least 50% of the instruction.

2. Teachers will increase available class time for working with individual or small groups of students by 25%.

3. Students will complete a survey about their learning experience once a month and compare the results to students in traditional classes with a goal of 50% increased student learning engagement score.

 

Influencers:

A considerable amount of time will need to be spent on blended learning concepts, ideas and practices.  I will meet with campus principals and participating teachers for several informative sessions to establish an initial understanding of important blended learning components and the goals of the pilot program.

The curriculum director will also be invited to participate in some of the meetings to establish buy in from the district. The first stage of the initiative will only involve volunteer teachers that choose to participate, however, the long range goal will be to involve all teachers in the district in learning and incorporating blended learning strategies to provide a more personalized learning environment for our students.  After the initial phase, the teachers that participated in the blended learning pilot will report their experiences to other teachers on each campuses.

 

Behaviors that will be vital to successfully implementing blended learning in a traditional learning environment are as follows:

1. Teachers will restructure the physical layout of their classroom and plan for activities that will enable a station rotation model.  The physical changes should support flexibility as students move between learning stations and lessons should allow for small group, collaborative, independent and online learning activities.

2. Teachers will replace at least one traditional lecture, lesson or learning objective per week with an online learning module or video.

3. Teachers will examine their lesson plans each week and identify which lessons or concepts they will deliver online indicating the lesson with a “BL” notation.

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The chart below indicates the sources of influence I plan to use to increase the chances of a successful blended learning implementation.