Three, as discussed in “Three Key Principles for Designing Effective Blended Courses” here? Or four, as suggested by Katrina Schwartz in this article. Or maybe five, as presented by Michelle Pacansky-Brock‘s slide share here. What are the principles of blended larning/teaching? The principle of blended learning depend very much on the context (the institution, the subject/subjects, students profiles or the teacher themselves).
Before we start discussing the principles, just a less-than-3-minute reminder of what blended learning is (by itslearning Global).
These are the standards of my blended learning model:
Flexibility: This applies to every aspect of the teaching and learning process – content, homework assignments, assessment, learning environment or the tools.
Creative use of technology: My students use a range of devices – tablets, laptops, mobile phones, computers and smartboards. Technology is mobile which means they can learn anywhere and any time. They use clouds for portfolio of evidence and to get access to the materials.
Ownership of learning: My students are self-directed and enthusiastic learners happily taking ownership of our work (at least most of them ;).
Student-centred approach: Learning process is self-paced and customized according to their individual needs.
Peer support: Blended model encourages collaboration and peer suport including peer feedback.
Authentic content: Blended learning utilises students’ prior knowledge and promotes learning closer to in a natural way resembling real life and corresponding more to the way they learn in their native language.
