The Practice of

Blended Learning
LESSON 7
Learning Outcomes:

Identify and describe the various models

of blended learning.
Name and critique the different forms of
online interaction.
Demonstrate station rotation model of
blended learning in a simulated learning
environment.
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Introduction
As an emerging or developing teaching approach,
it has attracted the attention of both the academic
and corporate practitioners in education and in
training. While it has started to take its move in
many educational institutions worldwide, debates
continue to question the nobility of this teaching
practice.
…As future teachers, the call is
timely for you to acquire empirical
and conceptual knowledge and
understanding about the promise
and practice of blended learning.

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“
The term Blended Learning or BL for
short was cited in the previous lesson in
one of the three broad categories of Web-
based instruction. Briefly, it was defined in
an instructional method of delivery that
combines web-based instruction with
face-to-face instruction.

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 “
Historically, according to Charles
Graham, blended learning is the
convergence between face-to-face
learning environments and
computer-mediated (or distributed)
learning environments.
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“
As an educational technologist and a
practitioner of blended learning, Graham
would like to view blended learning as “a
combination of strategies and approaches in
the process of teaching and learning using
web-driven instructional resources.”
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Models of Blended Learning
In the case of blended learning, this teaching
approach comes four (4) models. Horn and
Staker (2014), came up with the following
graphic visual representation of blended
learning. The graph illustrates the combination
of brick-and-mortar classroom representing the
face-to-face instruction with blended learning.
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 1.
Rotation Model
In this model, the students rotate on
a fixed schedule or at the teacher’s
discretion between learning
modalities, at least one of each is
online learning. There are four (4)
sub-models under this rotation
model.
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The (4) four sub-models
Station LAB Rotation
Rotation Model
Flipped Individual
Classroom Rotation

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Station Rotation
In this station rotation model, the students
experience the rotation within a contained
classroom or group of classrooms. The
station rotation model differs from the
individual rotation model because students
rotate through all of the stations, not only
those assigned to them.

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This approach observes the following simple
steps:
Step 1: Creative Collaborative Learning Stations or
CLS. Identify each CLS must have at least a maximum
of eight (8) and a minimum of five (5) members.  
Step 2: Assign specific learning task for each
collaborative learning stations.  
Step 3: Give clear and simple directions.
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Step 4: Give ample time for the CLS to complete
their assigned learning task.  
Step 5: After completing the assigned learning task
on a specific time allotted, the students will move or
transfer to the next CLS and perform the given task
of that CLS.  
Step 6: After the students have completed the
rotation to the different CLSs, a teacher-led open
discussion can follow where the teacher pursues.
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LAB Rotation Model

The LAB Rotation Model is the same as

the Station Rotation except that the
students rotate to the computer
laboratory or in multimedia room for the
online learning stations

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Flipped Classroom
This model allows students to participate
in online learning off-site in place of
traditional homework and attend the
brick-and-mortar school for face-to-face,
and for teacher-guided practice or
projects.

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Individual Rotation
In this model, the teacher gives each
student enrolled in a particular course or
subjects an individualized playlist and
does not necessarily rotate to each
available station or modality. The teacher
provides the individual student
schedules.
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 2.
Flex Model
This model provides the students with
an individualized and customized
mobility on more flexible schedules
among learning modalities. The
teacher provides face-to-face support
on a flexible and adaptive as-needed
basis through various activities.
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 3.
A La Carte Model
This focuses on a course that a
student takes entirely online along
with the other experiences that the
student is having at a brick-and-mortar
school or learning center. The teacher
of record for the A La Carte course is
the online teacher.
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 4.
Enriched Virtual Model
In this model, a course or subject in
which students have required face-to-
face learning sessions with their
teacher and then are free to complete
their remaining coursework remotely
from the face-to-face teacher.
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 Two Types
of Online
Communication
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What is Communication?
Communication, as Weiner (1950) defines
it, is a matter of an exchange of messages
“between man and machines, between
machines and man, and between machine
and machine.”

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There are two types of communications
that can take place in a virtual learning
environment namely: synchronous and
asynchronous.

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The asynchronous communication does not
require a constant bit rate. Examples are file
transfer, email and the World Wide Web. In
online learning, asynchronous communication is
associated with learning anytime and anywhere.
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In contrast, the synchronous communication
is the opposite of asynchronous. Synchronous
communication takes place in real-time. The
word synchronous means communicating and
doing specific task at the same time.
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Three Forms
of Online
Interaction

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“Interactions play a crucial role in online
learning. According to Moore and Kearsley,
“Active learning will not take place in an
online environment unless interaction is
deliberately planned and the teacher
encourages it.”
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Thurmond (2003) further defined interaction as:
…the learner’s engagement with the course
content, other learners, the instructor, and the
technological medium used in the course. True
interactions with other learners, the instructor, and
the technology result in a reciprocal exchange of
information.
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Moore (1989) cited and defined three (3)
forms of interaction in distance education,
namely:
• learner-to-content interaction
• learner-to-learner interaction
• and teacher-to-learner interaction.
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Teacher to Student Interaction
This form of interaction takes place
when the online teacher for example
conducts an open discussion with the
students using the chat room, social
media technologies and other tools for
online conferences.
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This type of interaction requires
real-time communication and,
therefore, it is synchronous. The
chat room is one basic tool where
teacher-student interaction
normally takes place.

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In practice, an online teacher
serves as a guide and a coach,
therefore, they should refrain
from delivering prescriptive
lectures, instead, focus on
providing guidance in the
course of online teaching
online.
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Student to Content Interaction
In its most basic definition, student or learner-
to-content interaction refers to the time the
learner spent interacting with course content
including textbooks, PowerPoint lecture
presentations, web pages and discussion
forums. (Su, Bonk , Magjuka, Liu, &
Lee,2005.)
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The learner-to-content
interaction is
demonstrated when
online students are given
opportunity to interact
with the lesson or specific
subject matter which may
be assigned to them by
their online teacher. 33
This interaction takes place only between
the student and the content without the
teacher. The multitude of Web-based
technologies available today such as the
blogs, Wikis, YouTube and Google has
dramatically transformed the context of
student-content interaction.

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Brady’s (2004) study of the benefits
of interactivity within an educational
website shows that student-content
interactivity positively influenced
learning outcomes, satisfaction, and
student time-on-task.

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Student to Student Interaction
This form of interaction is
perhaps the most important of
Moore’s (1989) three forms of
online interaction.
This type of interaction takes
place between among online
students.
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In an online learning
environment, similar learning
activities may be applied to
some extent, however, they
differ on the medium employed
to prompt, promote and sustain
student- to-student interaction.

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 The complexity of online environment
such as the physical and geographic
separation of teachers and students, the
technological issues, and concerns on
access and availability, along with the
pedagogical and technical orientations
of online teachers and students, make it
more challenging.
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 The proliferation and rapid
growth of social media such as
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
others “yet to come” are today
playing a vital force in online
student-to-student interaction.
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Other Forms
of
Interaction
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 While Moore’s three forms of interaction
serve as the basic framework where
scholars and researchers focus their
discussion on the subject of interaction,
others, however, continue to argue that
there are other types of interactions that
are distinct and important in distance
education.

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The article on “Modes of Interaction”
by Friesen & Kuskis (2012), cited
other forms of online interaction:

• Learner/Interface Interaction
• Vicarious Interaction
• Teacher-to-Content Interaction

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Learner/Interface Interaction
According to Hillman, et. Al., (1994),
Learner/Interface Interaction is the process
of manipulating tools to accomplish a task.
It includes access, skills and attitudes of
the learner in the course of his/her
interaction or management in a technology
mediated learning.
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Several reactions were raises on the
learner-to-interface interaction. How is
this interaction distinct and different from
Moore’s three types of interaction?
The answer is: They claim that all forms of
interaction in web-based instruction particularly
in distance education are in principle
technology-mediated.
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Vicarious Interaction
This form of interaction was introduced
by Sutton (2000). Just like in classroom
setting, in online learning, not all students
get the opportunity to interact directly
with other students or even with their
teacher.
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So what is vicarious interaction?
“Sutton (2000), defined various interaction
as an interaction that is taking place “when a
student actively processes both sides of a
direct interaction between two other students
or between another student and the
instructor.”
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 There are also several reactions on Sutton’s
vicarious interaction. So far no evidence that
vicarious interaction leads to improve learning in
distance education.
The measure of learning is demonstrated in
active engagement and interaction with among
other students, with the teacher and with the
content.
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Teacher-to-Content Interaction
Another form of interaction is the Teacher-to-Content
Interaction as cited by Friesen and Kuskis (2012).
Online teaching is considered as a complex
professional practice. Every online teacher should
not only demonstrate mastery of the subject
matter, but equally important is to have sound
pedagogical orientation and skills to deliver online
content. 48
 The teacher-to-content interaction is
primarily the concern of online teachers. It
involves teacher’s skills in designing course
content, selection of appropriate
instructional web materials, and the use of
specific online teaching strategies and
approaches.
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• The development of the Open Educational
Resources in the Web poses several issues
and concerns particularly to novice online
teacher. This is where the teacher-to-
content interaction comes into the picture.

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• As pre-service teachers, you have learned in
your previous courses about designing
instructional materials, and your creativity has
been challenged through your course projects.

• Considering copyright and other legal

restrictions associated with the use of some
Web-based instructional resources, teachers
ultimately engage in developing their own
instructional resources for online delivery.
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“The teacher to content interaction is a vital
element that immeasurably contributes to
the success of distance education programs.
This is the greatest challenge for pre-service,
in-service and future online teachers have to
face as they prepare to become the 21st
century educators.”
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 SYNTHESIS:
KEY THEMES AND CONCEPTS

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Blended Learning is an instructional method of
delivery that combines web-based instruction
with face-to-face classroom instruction.
There are three (3) categories of distance
learning, namely; Augmented, Blended, and
Online.
There are four sub-types of blended rotation
model, namely; Station Rotation, Lab Rotation,
Flipped Classroom, and Individual Rotation.
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There are simple steps to follow in using the
station rotation model.
Communication is defined as an exchange of
messages between man and machines,
between machines and man, and between
machine and machine.
There are two (2) types of communications in
a virtual learning environment, namely;
Synchronous and Asynchronous.
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In an online learning, asynchronous
communication is associated with learning
any time and anywhere and does not require
a constant bit rate.
Synchronous communication takes place in
real-time, usually in a chat room.
Interaction is defined as the learner’s
engagement with the course content, other
learners, the instructor, and the technology.
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Moore’s three (3) forms of interaction
include: learner-to-content, learner with other
learners, and teacher-to-student interaction.

There are other forms of interaction in

addition to Moore’s namely; learner/interface
interaction, vicarious interaction, and
teacher-to-content interaction.
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 Thank you
&
God Bless
Any questions? 
By: Vanessa Ericka A. Lara
Dolly Mae F. Villaruz 58