Author, former teacher of the year and blending learning expert Dr. Catlin Tucker recently had the opportunity to check a big item off her career bucket list when she was invited to deliver a talk about the power of blended learning on the TEDx stage in Folsom, Calif.

As part of that talk, which we link to below, Tucker challenged educators to reimagine the very idea of a traditional classroom education, where students, and not teachers, do the lion’s share of work.

As a record number of teachers leave the profession and student engagement and enthusiasm continues to dwindle, instructional leaders and classroom educators alike are on the hunt for instructional models that blend technology-rich learning with critical thinking and collaboration used to bring teachers (and students) back to the fold.

Like many teachers, Tucker says she was disillusioned and disenchanted with the profession. She almost quit teaching altogether — until she discovered UDL and blended learning as means to reshape the classroom experience for herself and her students.

“I started my career very much the way I was taught. I wrote the agenda on the board. Then I just marched everybody through it,” recalls Tucker on a recent episode of The RocketPD Podcast. “It took about five years of that for me to think, ‘My goodness, I have made an enormous mistake.’”

When she discovered the benefits of UDL and blending learning, everything changed. “For me, the first step is really rethinking our approach to instruction. Because if we are delivering instruction live for a whole group of students in our class, whether it’s a lecture or mini lesson, there are so many barriers that make it hard for students to take that information in and store it, to process it, to do anything,” says Tucker.

This is especially true for kids with certain roadblocks or impediments to traditional learning, be it hearing impairments, auditory processing, attention deficit disorder, or other physical or social-emotional challenges.

“When it comes to instruction, one of the very simple things that I ask teachers in coaching sessions is, ‘Are you going to say this the same way for everybody?’

Blended learning works by showing educators how to cede control and give it over to students, so that they can learn in ways that make sense for them, in the context of their unique needs.

Although technology is a key part of the process, there is a difference between a blended learning classroom and a technology-rich classroom.

The goal of blended learning should be to use technology as a tool, so that it frees you (and your students) up to collaborate, engage more effectively and dive deeper into the how and why of key instructional concepts.

If you’re thinking about implementing blended learning, or just starting out, Tucker suggests starting with a single model and scaling your approach from there. Below are four proven models that have become popular among instructional coaches and teachers who have embraced a blended approach to learning in classrooms.

4 blended learning models to consider

#1 The Station Rotation Model
In a Station Rotation Model, students move through different learning “stations” according to a set schedule. At least one of these stations is student-led and conducted online. While the teacher is able to control the pace of the learning via timed stations, the student-led portion provides the ability to tailor at least some portion of the lesson to students’ specific learning needs.

#2 The Whole Group or ‘Lab’ Rotation Model
Not unlike Station Rotation, the Whole Group or ‘Lab’ Rotation Model enables students to move through select learning “stations” according to a set schedule. The difference is that the online portion of the rotation happens outside of the classroom in a computer lab. This lets teachers coordinate with paraprofessionals for additional help and provides more flexibility in terms of scheduling and class time.

#3 The Flipped Classroom Model
In a traditional classroom model, students spend the lion’s share of class time listening to lectures and learning from teachers. Homework is reserved for self-reflection and practice. In a Flipped Classroom Model, these allocations are reversed. Students learn at home via online coursework and class is reserved for guided practice and whole- or small-group projects.

#4 The Playlist Model
With The Playlist Model, teachers create so-called learning “playlists” aligned to students’ specific learning needs. Because individual playlists can be time-consuming to make, educators will often create a series of templates designed to meet different learning styles or needs, then modify the templates where appropriate for each learner.