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If we go online, I would like to try the two groups, A and B. I think it would lead to a more personalized experience for students

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Grade 5 Writers Notebook- Hyperdoc example

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Grade 5 Writers Notebook- Hyperdoc example

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FOUR ENGAGING STRUCTURES THAT WORK IN HYBRID A/B LEARNING CLASSROOMS

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FOUR ENGAGING STRUCTURES THAT WORK IN HYBRID A/B LEARNING CLASSROOMS

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How to Make Station Rotation Work During Hybrid Learning

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How to Make Station Rotation Work During Hybrid Learning

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Implementing this method makes dividing a teacher's time between students in class and those working at home much easier.

UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock

As a result of the pandemic, many schools throughout the country are moving forward with the hybrid learning model, combining face-to-face instruction with both synchronous and asynchronous learning. The tricky part is during synchronous class time when some students are in class and the rest are at home. How can a teacher best manage in-person and at-home learning at once? According to Dr. Kristen Turner, "Teachers who are being asked to do concurrent teaching (it is technically not a hybrid/blended model unless lessons are designed virtually/asynchronously for those who are not present face-to-face) are facing an enormous challenge. No one has been trained for this scenario."

Let's begin to address this challenge with backward-design basics. Only after we know the lesson goals and assessments can we make decisions about the class schedule and range of activities, including who is doing what at what time, whether in person or at home.

One of the seven models of blended learning that stands out due to its ease of use is station rotation. The Blended Learning Universe site reports that the station rotation model "allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule, where at least one of the stations is an online learning station." The inner workings of the model allow teachers to align a variety of activities to the learning goal and then break up the class into small groups to closely monitor their progress while students actively engage in the content.

To accurately reflect the station rotation model in our era of social distancing, students who are in person are grouped in squares so that all peers are only six feet apart and can easily turn to each other to talk. Students at home should be grouped together to easily shift into asynchronous instruction as the teacher decides how the learners will divide their time among stations.

A station rotation setup uses small groups for the purpose of teacher-led instruction, online learning, collaborative activities, and offline learning. Here is a sample lesson plan template for a station rotation; this is a good way to begin to map out your stations. When you are ready to go live, here is a great template to use for planning your rotation and sharing it with students.

4 Stations to Provide Teachers Greater Flexibility

1. An online learning station for independent practice.Use of the online learning station helps to drive immediate data-informed instruction. The online station is maximized by investing in a web-based learning platform that provides standards-aligned immediate feedback to the learner and teacher. With a focus on priority instructional content, teachers can leverage learning.

Several low-cost or free programs provide teachers with an effective way of getting students to practice grade-level material with immediate feedback upon completion signifying progress on the standards. At the end of the online learning station time, in-person students move on to the next station, with students at home potentially joining a virtual, small-group station.

2. A teacher-led station for real-time feedback. The teacher-led station begins with the learning goal. The STEPS Small Group Lesson Plan Form can work across content areas to teach into the learning goal and effectively work within the established time frame. Students try out the learning, and the teacher makes observations while providing real-time feedback in the instructional moment.

The teacher-led station is highly coveted instructional time. It's when connections are made, and teachers get to know how kids learn to better plan for and support their progress.

3. A no-tech station for independent practice. An offline station is critical to avoid screen fatigue in a virtually demanding environment. Materials such as books, notebooks, manipulatives, and other resources should be distributed at once to the students to keep for the duration of the marking period or semester. Students may be journaling in a marble composition notebook, reading a book, or creating a graphic organizer to self-check their knowledge of the content.

The first table in this article offers questions to promote students' understanding in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their work, which can be used in a journal entry. Ideally, the independent practice may serve as a time to engage in routine, written reflection.

4. A collaborative-learning station using peers as partners. This station can be hosted in a mixed (at-home and in-person) small group. It may also be an in-person group of four students in their square and an only-at-home group holding a virtual meeting. When only one group is in this station at once, ideally one in person or one virtual, the teacher can check for understanding by taking a brief pause from their teacher-led station.

Equally important, students build relationships, confidence, and trust by learning to rely on each other in group work. Here is a reference for establishing formal, cooperative-learning groups along with research that supports the need for socialization during student learning to grow understanding.

Before Stations Rotate: Invite a Brain Break

Students benefit from a brain break and physical movement every 15 to 20 minutes, or the typical duration of one station activity. Before transitioning into the next station, end the station by inviting all students, whether in school or at home, to stand up tall, stretch their arms out, and circle them forward and then backward while walking in place. After 30 to 60 seconds, students sit back down to begin their next station.

Simply put, the use of the station rotation is a time-management planning strategy that allows the teacher to break up learning activities and consider how to maximize his or her time. As a tip, teachers might want to see station rotation as a plan over a few days or class meetings as opposed to trying to fit all rotations into one block of time. Once you get started with a station rotation model, it can easily transfer to any instructional environment, whether virtual, in person, hybrid, or concurrent.

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How to Make Station Rotation Work During Hybrid Learning

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Implementing this method makes dividing a teacher's time between students in class and those working at home much easier.

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Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule

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Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule

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It can be a challenge to engage students when they're at school only a few days a week-station rotations and flipping the classroom can help.

Geoff Crimmins / The Moscow-Pullman Daily News / Associated Press

How do you plan your class when students are allowed to come to school only a few times a week? That's the question many teachers are facing as they confront the reality of a hybrid model where students attend school in person two or three days a week and spend the rest of their time learning online. It can be a challenge to engage all students in the same classroom activity when half are present virtually.

Blended learning represents an opportunity to personalize learning and reclaim instructional time in a hybrid schedule.

Flip the Classroom

Many teachers know the flipped classroom -where traditional lessons are delivered via video for students to watch at home while class time is reserved for students to collaborate and apply their learning. In a hybrid schedule, flipping the classroom is a great way to maintain instructional momentum. Students watch a lesson on remote days, then come in and apply their new knowledge in the classroom.

As in the classroom, short and direct mini-lessons can be most effective. Chunk longer content into shorter videos. Tools like Screencastify allow you to quickly record audio while talking over slides. Camera-shy teachers can remain present for their students by using the tool to help them find the important links and resources central to the daily work of the class.

Video is not the only tool for flipping the classroom. Try flipping with a text, image, or website for students to learn from at home. For example, the class might be asked to read and annotate an article about a current event and contribute to a group document where students share their thoughts. The next day, students meet in their groups and talk through and further develop the product they began virtually.

Encourage students to use a graphic organizer or something similar to collect and synthesize information. Gathering information in a central place can help students distill information and engage with it meaningfully. Asking students to assess and examine information, through an evaluative blog post for example, prior to live instruction time can improve engagement and help students think critically about the material.

Use in-person class time for students to work through an assignment first modeled online. Circulate in a socially distanced way, and talk with individual students about their work. After six months of remote work, many students are hungry for what English teacher Dave Stuart calls moments of genuine connection -small instances when teachers connect individually with a student. Students need to be respected, seen, and heard. Moving direct instruction online allows time for more connections in class.

Rotation Models

In a traditional blended learning format, students rotate through a series of stations within the classroom, including small group instruction and computer-based applications. In the hybrid schedule, spread these stations out over several days.

Catlin Tucker suggests that stations take several forms, including small group instruction, collaborative challenges, or other group work activities. After checking for understanding, create re-teaching stations for students struggling with a particular concept, while other students pursue enrichment or extension work. During face-to-face days, reserve some time to confer with students on their at-home work.

It might take some practice to envision what this could look like in the hybrid schedule. Consider reducing the total number of stations or splitting stations between online and in person. In school, students rotate through a teacher-led station and a group station; and at home, students work through individual materials at one station and videoconference with their peers in another.

Alternatively, use collaborative stations in class and save remote time for individual practice. Older students can use tools like Jamboard or Padlet to contribute to a collaborative product-either in the classroom or at home.

The Individual Rotation model provides personalization by allowing students to alternate between small group work at school and online learning at home. Students work through digital lessons to move along a skills progression tailored to their individual needs. For example, a teacher might assign a specific series of online math or literacy problems for a student to complete at home. While the learning sequence adheres to the class curriculum, students move through at their own pace and need. In class, students apply their learning through collaborative projects or other tasks. As with other strategies, reserve time to conference with individual students about their learning, hold them accountable, and discuss next steps. Many programs exist to support this work, including mastery-based learning modules on free sites such as Khan Academy.

Don't be afraid to mix the methods. For example, station work in class could include a flipped video explaining a concept. Group rotations could be differentiated such that students completed different adaptive exercises based on their individual needs. Flexibility is key in experimenting with new strategies.

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Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule

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It can be a challenge to engage students when they're at school only a few days a week-station rotations and flipping the classroom can help.

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Choose your own Adventure: Choice Board 

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Choose your own Adventure: Choice Board 

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Grade 5 Example

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John Spencer: 5 Models for Making the Most Out of Hybrid Learning

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John Spencer: 5 Models for Making the Most Out of Hybrid Learning

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In the 1960's, cities built multipurpose stadiums for football games, baseball games, and concerts. These were supposed to be sleek, modern, and broad enough to encompass the needs of every entertainment industry. They were designed to be all things to all people. However, the multipurpose stadiums weren't designed with the fans in mind, which led to have half-empty baseball games where fans had horrible sight-lines. In football, athletes were losing traction on the baseball infield and slipping on the dirt. As for concerts, the stadiums were exciting but they lacked the sound quality of an auditorium or amphitheater.

This is the same challenge we are facing in hybrid learning. If we're not careful, we can all too easily design lessons that don't work for students at home or in the physical classroom.

I'm not a fan of teaching a hybrid lesson where half the students are at home and half the students are attending via video conference. On a purely functional level, it works. But it doesn't work well. It's the instructional version of a spork. By trying to merge together two incompatible formats, you're left designing lessons that lack the full range of options in either environment.

I made this mistake the first time I taught a pedagogy course where half of my students were in person and the other half were at home. I ended up lecturing in front of my computer camera so that students at home could see me via Zoom. I then faced my web camera at the board where they were expected to look at the slides. Fortunately, I had uploaded my slideshow to the LMS but still . . . it was bad. When students asked questions in person, I would repeat it to the students on Zoom. When they had questions, I would repeat it aloud for the students going face to face. I attempted to place students at home with small groups who were in person, leading to bad echoes. Eventually, I changed the grouping and modified the assignment. However, the lesson remained clunky and awkward.

However, hybrid learning doesn't have to be spork learning. I left that first evening with the realization that I had to change our entire hybrid model. I couldn't simply have students "Zoom in" to the physical course and expect it to work. I had to find a new approach that would maximize the benefits of both face-to-face and virtual environments. That semester, I focused on the Differentiated Model. However, in other semesters, I have used the Multiple Tracks model and the Split A/B model. In today's article, I'd like to explore five different models you can take with hybrid learning.

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5 Ways to Structure Hybrid Learning

The following are five different models for structuring hybrid learning. Every model has its own strengths and weaknesses. As educators, we need to be strategic about which model we select based on the needs of our students. The following table illustrates these differences.

1. The Differentiated Model

In this model, every student attends the class synchronously at the same time. However, you design differentiated activities for students who are at home and in person. It works well to make use of both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools for students at home and in person. As a refresher, here's a sketch video I created on this topic:
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With this approach, all students attend the lesson at the same time. Students begin by logging into a video conference platform from home or going to their seats in person. From there, you can differentiate your approach to the two different modalities.

Sample Class: Traditional Lesson

Warm-Up: Students at home and in-person work on a warm-up that you have posted to your learning management system. You can set a timer in-person and online so that students know the time limits. This is often when you take attendance.

Direct instruction: Students at home view a prerecorded "flipped video" by pressing play on the link you share in the video chat. Everyone in the video conference should be on mute. Meanwhile, you press play on the same video for your students in-person. This allows all students to access it together.

Guided practice: Students meet together as a whole class. They can submit their questions on a Google Form and you answer them, in the moment, in front of the computer so that students at home can hear. Or, you can allow students to use a wireless microphone and you can hook up the computer to speaker so that students at home can speak to the whole group class and also hear what the in-person class is saying.

Independent practice: As students move into small groups to practice their learning, the students at home can work collaboratively using the breakout rooms while students in person can meet in small groups. You can add accountability components by having students write in a shared document. At times, you might have student groups that include in-person and at-home students but this is admittedly tricky.

Closure: Every students fills out an online form for a closing activity.

Sample Class: Project-Based Lesson

Warm-up: Students work on their blog posts

Direct instruction: Students at home view a pre-recorded "flipped video" by pressing play on the link you share in the video chat. Everyone, including the students, are on mute. Meanwhile, you press play on the same video for your students in-person. This allows all students to access it together. This short video might be a quick review of the research process or it might be a key concept they need to learn connected to their project. This part is 5 minutes maximum.

Project time: Students at home work on their projects with other students at home by being strategic with tech-based collaboration tools. Often, they start by reviewing their project progress on a spreadsheet or using a tool such as Trello. From there, they use a mix of tools as they work on their projects. This is the bulk of the class time.

Closure: Students reflect on their learning using an online form or they go back to their project management tool (Trello board, spreadsheet, calendar, etc.) to set project goals for the next day.

While this option keeps groups separated by in-person or at home, students still interact with one another on the class learning management system. You can post questions as warm-ups in a way that creates a combined classroom community. You can also design assignments with mixed groups where students at home and in-person might work together for a smaller amount of time. They might give feedback using the 20-minute feedback system or they could work on a shared document together in collaborative brainstorms. I love doing online carousel activities this way. Here, all students are in breakout rooms and every student headphones. This helps prevent issues of echoes or bad audio quality.

2. The Multi-Track Model

This second approach treats each group as an entirely different cohort within the same larger class. So, while students might learn the same lessons and the same objectives, they essentially function almost like separate classes. At the start of the course, students sign up for the virtual track (synchronous remote learning), the online track (asynchronous remote learning), or the face-to-face track. As you teach, you run the virtual and in-person lessons at the same time. Meanwhile, students can access the online modules on their own time. Here's what this looks like.

Sample Class: Traditional Lesson

Warm-Up: Students in all three tracks log in to their cohort's LMS and answer the same discussion question. You have the directions for logging in posted on the video chat for the Virtual Cohort and displayed on the board for the face-to-face group. Meanwhile, students in the Online Cohort post their answers on their own time.

Direct instruction: Students at home in the Virtual Cohort view a pre-recorded "flipped video" by pressing play on the link you share in the video chat. Meanwhile, you teach the same direct instruction in a more interactive way to the face-to-face group. Students in the Online Cohort watch the same flipped video as the Virtual Cohort. However, they simply need to watch and respond by the end of the day.

Guided practice: You vary your guided practice depending on the day. So, you might do guided practice work with your in-person class while students in the Virtual Cohort engage in small group discussions to deepen their understanding of the content. The next day, you can flip it. Members of the Online Cohort have the option of joining the Virtual Cohort if they need additional guided practice.

Independent practice: As students move into small groups to practice their learning, the students at home can work collaboratively using the breakout rooms while students in person can meet in small groups. Students in the Online Cohort can collaborate using asynchronous tools.

This second model is the most tailored to each environment. It has very few "spork moments." However, it is a real challenge in terms of prep work and logistics. For this reason, it sometimes helps to divide the cohorts into separate classes and allow different teachers to alternate teaching the virtual or in-person groups.

For project-based learning, there's more flexibility. You can craft projects that allow the Online Cohort to work independently or to schedule collaborative project work time throughout the week. You can then do email and video conference check-ins. The Virtual Cohort can also work on the same projects and you can essentially place them in the breakout rooms immediately after they log in. Meanwhile, your face-to-face group can begin working on their projects the moment they walk through the door. As the facilitator, you can move between groups in each location and help problem-solve and guide students reflection. When you need to do direct instruction, you can create a flipped video for students in the virtual or online environments and you can do the same type of direct instruction face-to-face when the moment arises.

3. The Split A/B Model

The last two models work best in situations where half the students are required to stay at home at all times. This is true in university courses where students live far away but also during the quarantine with families who do not want to send their students to a physical classroom building. However, in some cases, you might have all students opting in to face-to-face learning but you also need to maintain social distancing. Here's where the Split A/B model works well.

A typical A/B Schedule might look like this:

A Group meets Monday and Wednesday

B Group meets Tuesday and Thursday

Friday is for home room, study hall, and open office hours

With the A/B schedule, teachers can make the most out of face-to-face time by maximizing student interaction when they meet in the physical building. They can then have students watched flipped videos, do station rotations, engage in meaningful independent practice, or do independent projects when they are at home. In other words, the synchronous learning happens face-to-face and the asynchronous learning happens at home, when students can work at their own pace. My friend A.J. Juliani has written a great blog post on 4 engaging structures teachers can use in an A/B hybrid course. Building on these ideas, I'd like to share a few ways you might organize an A/B classroom:

Flipped Model: Students watch a video, read an article, or get a preview assignment that they do at home. Then, when they meet in person, they might do a lab to reinforce the ideas, engage in guided practice, or do small group intervention instruction. Teachers might even do shorter game-based learning activities or simulations to reinforce the concepts they learned at home.

Project-Based Model: There are two options here. The first is to have students work on an independent project at home and a collaborative project in-person. This is the easier option logistically but it can lead to project fatigue. The second option is to have students work on their projects in person and then engage in more traditional work (watching direct instruction videos, doing skills practice work) at home. The third option is to have students work on their projects at home and at school. So they might engage in inquiry in person and then do their research at home, where they share their findings in a Google Doc. They can then meet in person to debrief the research and engage in ideation in person. From there, they might do prototyping in person and at home, using the same shared project management tools in class and at home. It's key that we keep equity in mind and that we allow students to bring home materials from the classroom when necessary.

Station Rotation Model: Students move through stations that they can do in person and at home. Catlin Tucker has a great model where students meet with the teacher, engage in online learning, and engage in offline learning (like reading a book). I love this idea because it brings to mind the reminder that distance learning doesn't have to be in front of a screen. However, there many station rotation models you can use where you can rotate students through key skills and concepts in online and in-person groups.

Intervention and Enrichment Model: With this model, students engage in online learning and then show up to class with specific questions. Teachers then pull small groups for intervention, clarify misunderstandings, and create options for meaningful enrichment activities. This isn't a study hall. It's much more structured. However, it is designed to maximize the dynamic, interactive elements of targeted help.

Seminar Model: This closely aligns with the college seminar model. Students do a reading, watch a video, or listen to a podcast. Then, when they are in person they engage in a Socratic Seminar. This model might make use of PBL elements and might include the occasional direct instruction. However, the whole focus is on maximizing group interaction time. So, students might do some reflective writing but the bulk of the class time is small group and whole class discussion. While the seminar model tends to be focused heavily on academics, teachers can also use it for social-emotional learning. It can be a time for community building.

4. The Virtual Accommodation Model

There are times when you have a small handful of students (figuratively, because, let's be honest, you can't fit your students in the palm of your hands unless you teach Smurfs) who need to work remotely while the rest of the class learns in person. In these moments, a virtual accommodation model works best. Here, you can teach the same lesson you would typically teach but have one student volunteer use the video chat and a single computer to allow students to participate. This person can sit near the teacher during direct instruction. You might still do a flipped video that the students at home watch. However, they might just watch you teach face-to-face. As they move into small groups, you can mute the video conference and let the students at home form a small group. You can then place the assignment on your LMS and have students in those small groups continue to work independently as a virtual group. However, it's important that you continue to check in on them throughout the process.

5. Independent Project Model

Sometimes your in-person activity simply doesn't connect with what students can do at home. It might involve a specific lab or a maker project. In these rare moments, you might need to do an independent project. Students can learn the same standards and focus on the same learning targets but they do so in a way that is separate from their classmates.

One alternative is to do an independent project that students can do at home or in-person. For example, you might do a Genius Hour Project:
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You might have students engage in an inquiry-based Wonder Day Project:
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You might have students work on their own choice menus. You can find four different choice menu options here. Another variation might be a self-paced approach, where students have access to an adaptive learning platform where they can master the learning at their own pace. However, the independent project model is not ideal for most situations and it can lead to isolation and loneliness. Learning is inherently social, so the goal in this model should be to find ways for students to move into the other models instead.

No Perfect Model

Each of these models work well in certain situations and poorly in other situations. As teachers, we can think strategically about how to design our learning so that we can optimize the benefits of each models. As schools, we can think creatively about when and how to use these models so that we avoid some of the pitfalls of a spork-based approach to learning. Even so, there will be mistakes. Learning is dynamic and complicated and hybrid learning adds another layer of complexity. However, by being intentional, we can help students thrive in every learning environment.

Learn More

If you're interested in learning more about this topic, I have a virtual learning hub with resources, articles, and webinars. I'm also working on the finishing touches on a book about empowering students in distance and hybrid learning. I can't wait to share it with you!

If you're a district or school leader and you're interested in student-centered learning in virtual, hybrid, and blended environments, please check out my speaking and workshops pag e.

If you want to take a deeper dive into empowering students in distance learning, please check out my course. It's fully self-paced and on-demand, which means you can work on it at your own pace. It's packed with videos and practical resources. The course is designed to take 15 hours and I offer district and school bulk license discounts.

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5 Models for Making the Most Out of Hybrid Learning

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In the 1960's, cities built multipurpose stadiums for football games, baseball games, and concerts. These were supposed to be sleek, modern, and broad enough to encompass the needs of every entertainment industry. They were designed to be all things to all people.

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Caitlin Tucker: Hybrid Instruction Guru 

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Caitlin Tucker: Hybrid Instruction Guru 

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Dr. Catlin Tucker is available for in-person and virtual speaking engagements. She offers a variety of professional learning opportunities to help educators universally design blended learning experiences and transition to sustainable student-centered workflows.

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Dr. Catlin Tucker - Transform Your Classroom with Blended Learning

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Dr. Catlin Tucker is a leading Blended Learning expert who has helped teachers all over the world to personalize instruction and shift to sustainable student-centered workflows.