NexTech High School offers non-traditional instruction for secondary students that includes many online, distance-learning, and blended options to help students own their future. In this article, you will learn:
- Facts about nontraditional learning
- Six types of blended learning models
- Six types of project-based learning that often include online or blended instruction
Up to 58.9% of American high schools offer some online or distance-learning courses, but many distance-learning students may feel left out or as though they are not a part of a “real” school. Are there better or more comprehensive approaches to a blended learning format? At NexTech, we think so!
Read through the following points to learn more about nontraditional high school approaches. You will gain an understanding of what types of blended learning are available to high school students and beyond.
6 Types of Blended Learning Models
If you’ve come across terms like “hybrid instruction,” “blended classroom,” or “flex learning,” you may have wondered if they all mean the same thing, They all refer to types of nontraditional instruction, but there are subtle differences between the terms. Below are six types of blended learning that may use online or distance instruction to teach students:
- Remote Learning: This type is often referred to as “enriched” classroom learning. Students complete work online and meet with their teacher in person as needed.
- Flex Plans: Online learning and individual customization are key here, and this works for students who prefer different types of learning. Students work primarily online while in a classroom, and they also meet for in-person instruction and group projects.
- Station Rotation: This type of learning is typically used for younger children. Students rotate through pre-constructed stations that include an online module.
- Lab Rotation: Similar to station rotation, this schedule may include a “lab” or “computer” station in addition to in-person instruction.
- Individual Rotation: Students are scheduled to rotate through their stations by a computer program. This method promotes focus and autonomy in learning.
- Flipped Classroom: The roles of the classroom and the student’s at-home time are switched here. Students work through concepts at home and then bring questions to school after they have completed assignments.
6 Types of Project-Based Blended Learning
Blended learning options centered on the completion of a project or a learning goal are popular nowadays, but they are more than an educational trend. Project-based learning and similar formats can help bolster teamwork, student focus, and individual engagement.
- Project-Based Learning: This method is becoming more popular as students use online methods to work alone and collaborate with classmates to complete projects.
- Supplemental Blended Learning: These students complete their work either in an online space or in blended learning classrooms and use the opposite form to supplement their learning in their primary instruction space.
- Mastery-Based Learning: Students strive for mastery in projects and work through online and face-to-face activities with an end goal in mind.
- Inside-Out: In this learning model, students utilize both the virtual and in-classroom space to finish assignments outside of their classrooms.
- Outside-In: The inverse of inside-out learning. Students start assignments in their virtual space and finish them in the classroom.
- Self-Directed Learning: Students guide their own educational journey with input from their instructors either face-to-face or virtually. This is a good learning model for mature, self-directed students.
Do You Need More Information?
Get in touch with us today to control your educational future and find the type of blended learning that works best for you. Visit our Grand Rapids or Lansing, MI locations, call us at 616-458-4992 (Grand Rapids) or 517-347-7793 (Lansing), or use this convenient contact form to request more information. We’re excited to meet you!
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