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Ileana Reyna ~ Veronica Balli ~ Erika Peña
Literature Review
Blended Learning:
Personalizing the Future of Education through Adaptive Digital Programs
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A Literature Review
Ileana Reyna, Veronica Balli, & Erika Peña
Lamar University
EDLD 5315
Dr. Kristi Meeuwse
Definition of Blended Learning
“Blended learning is any formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace” (Horn & Staker, 2015, p.34) in addition to learning that takes place in a physical location away from home, such as a school. In other words, with blended learning students may choose when, where, what, and/or how fast or slow they are learning. They have the power to pause, rewind, or fast-forward instruction based on their unique needs. According to McLester (2011), blended learning offers the best of both worlds by allowing the combined benefits of self-directed learning, personalization, and educator support.
This literature review will explore the benefits of blended learning, specifically how using adaptive programs within blended learning can impact student achievement at the elementary level in the subject of reading, as well as the barriers that exist while implementing a blended learning environment.
Understanding the Need for Blended Learning
According to Farah (2018), traditional classroom lectures cause a bottleneck, or an inefficient production of learning, because the one size fits all approach does not work. Students come to the classroom with different learning styles and different background knowledge. This is where differentiation and customization in the classroom should come into play, yet the traditional schools of today were modeled after the industrial-age factory over one hundred years ago. This century-old model of education was designed to do the opposite of personalizing; it was designed to standardize education (Horn & Staker, 2015). According to Harapnuik et al., (2018), the factory model of education proved to be an effective way to get masses of students to move into the industrial age, where standardization was key, but we have moved beyond the industrial age and into the digital age where traditional standardized teaching and learning is no longer effective. He further states that if our society wants to prepare students for the future, we must create a significant learning environment (CSLE) in which we provide our students choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (COVA) (Harapnuik et al., 2018). Blended learning creates that significant learning environment (CSLE) by removing the standardized one size fits all approach and giving students the opportunity to become self-directed learners.
Benefits of Blended Learning
Rocketship Public Schools (2013, 0:15) stated that blended learning has the ability to “reach the right students, with the right lessons, at the right time.” By blending the best of both online and face-to-face instruction, educators are creating personalized learning environments for students. This will create a success-oriented student-centered learning environment that is more engaging and effective. (Powell, 2015).
Using Adaptive Digital Programs to provide Personalized and Targeted Instruction
With the blended learning model, teachers can provide personalized and targeted instruction that will allow students across the achievement spectrum to be successful. Students will no longer need to learn at a standard pace that disregards their unique needs (Farah, 2018). Blended learning models such as Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual provide personalized instruction that meets each individual student’s needs. (Horn & Staker, 2015). One way to provide personalized instruction with these models is by using an adaptive online program along with teacher-led targeted small group instruction like Aspire ERES Academy in Oakland, CA, used within their station rotation model. Online adaptive programs such as Lexia Core5, iReady, and DreamBox provide students with personalized lessons, skill-building practice, and mastery checks based on their unique instructional levels by capturing every decision students make including how long they take while making decisions, “thereby providing millions of individualized learning paths, each tailored to a student’s unique need” (Project Tomorrow & Dreambox Learning, 2012, p. 3). These programs not only provide additional practice for students who struggle with specific skills and accelerate students that are on grade level, but they also provide educators with real-time data. (Rocketship Public Schools, 2013). Teachers then use this data to identify learning gaps or enrichment opportunities and are able to provide immediate teacher-led targeted small group intervention and instruction. This results in a student-centered, data-driven classroom that personalizes learning to meet the needs of each student (Farah, 2018).
Using Adaptive Digital Programs to Increase Student Engagement and Motivation
Another benefit of using adaptive online platforms within a blended learning environment is the potential to motivate and engage students while decreasing stress and anxiety. According to research by Project Tomorrow and Dreambox Learning (2012, p. 4), “two-thirds of principals (67 percent) noted that the use of digital content in the classroom increases student engagement in school and learning, and 45 percent see digital content as a new pathway for personalized instruction for each student.” One way online adaptive platforms engage and motivate students is by including game-based environments that help increase usage and engagement. (Project Tomorrow & Dreambox Learning, 2012) Furthermore, when students are given choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (COVA), they are given the ability to choose their learning path which helps engage and motivate them while allowing them to take ownership of their learning (Harapnuik et al., 2018). Additionally, when students engaged in a blended learning environment their anxieties decrease, and their confidence increases since they have control over the path and pace of their learning (Farah, 2018). Research by Horn and Staker (2015), also finds that most students regard connecting with peers and feeling successful of high importance so, when they engage in competency-based learning, such as blended learning with adaptive learning platforms, they seek more of it.
Using Adaptive Digital Programs to Increase Student Achievement
Schools around the nation have seen substantial student growth and achievement after incorporating adaptive digital programs in their blended learning environments. According to Emily Murphy, Principal of Aspire ERES Academy in Oakland, CA, in their first year of implementing blended learning, the school grew 47 points in their Academic Performance Index (Aspire ERES Academy, 2013). Additionally, a case study of New York’s Randolph Central School District showed that after implementing a blended learning model at their elementary school, their ELAR data was already showing signs of improvement. Similar to Aspire ERES Academy, New York’s Randolph Central School District had implemented a blended learning rotation model where students rotated between adaptive online learning programs such as i-Ready and IXL, collaborative small groups, and teacher-led instruction (Powell et al., 2015). As more educational institutions utilize blended learning models, more evidence of effective and successful practices comes to light (Powell et al., 2015).
How i-Ready and Lexia Core5 Impacted our Students
At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, our school district purchased two adaptive digital programs, i-Ready and Lexia Core5, to use with our students. In one of our 4th-grade classrooms, the i-Ready program was implemented as part of a blended learning station rotation model, which also incorporated collaborative group work and teacher-led targeted instruction. The Lexia Core5 program was also implemented as a blended learning model in the Dyslexia Lab, which provided extra support and intervention for our dyslexia population.
Research done by The Human Resources Research Organization states that “elementary school students who use i-Ready Instruction with fidelity have higher achievement in reading when compared to students who did not use i-Ready Instruction” (Swain et al., 2020, p. 14). We found this to be accurate within our own data as well. Based on our end-of-year i-Ready diagnostic growth report, the median percent progress towards Typical Growth for our 4th-grade students was 195%. In other words, all students grew at least one grade level, with the majority growing more than one grade level while also closing foundational gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Similarly, research done by Hurwitz and Vanacore (n.d.) concluded that the adaptive program Lexia Core5 had in fact statistically impacted the standardized Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test scores of students with reading and/or language-based disabilities, including Dyslexia, proving its effectiveness. At-risk students that used Lexia Core5 for at least sixty minutes per week were found to be “twice as likely to become proficient readers”, as opposed to students not participating in Core5 (Hurwitz & Vanacore, n.d.).
Lexia tracked 36 of our students who started the Core5 program in the Dyslexia lab at the beginning of September. These 36 students used Core5 with fidelity at least sixty minutes per week and attended the lab at least 4 times a week. Out of these 36 students, 75% of students showed progress, growing at a minimum of one to two grade levels in reading, which allowed them to transfer those skills to become proficient readers. The remaining 25% of students who did not show significant improvement were in need of intense intervention, extra teacher-led small group instruction, and were supported in additional pull-out programs to assist in closing their foundational gaps. These progress measures happened in about an eight-month span of implementation of Lexia Core5 in a Dyslexia Lab blended learning environment.
Not only did i-Ready and Lexia Core5 close learning gaps and increase student achievement, but these adaptive digital programs also produced visible and positive transformations in our student's confidence and motivation levels as well.
Barriers to Proper Implementation of Blended Learning
We must surpass many barriers in order for a successful implementation of blended learning to occur. For example, a clear goal and a long-term sustainability plan should be in place prior to implementing a blended learning environment with adaptive learning programs. Like with any new initiatives the who, when, where, and how, must be clearly stated. Those involved; district leaders, teachers, and students should also be committed to supporting the goals of the plan. Research by Darrow, Friend, and Powell (2013), suggests that planning and implementing a successful blended learning environment involves several elements, such as a reliable technology infrastructure and strong leadership with teacher buy-in.
Infrastructure
One major barrier to the proper implementation of a blended learning environment with the use of adaptive learning programs is infrastructure. New technologies, wifi bandwidth, and the purchase of adaptive learning programs must all be in place in order to implement a successfully blended learning environment. According to Blended Learning in DC Public Schools, building blended learning classrooms comes with a cost (Lautzenheiser & Hochleitner, 2014), and although many districts have already invested and budgeted for technology, equipment, and programs, creating a sustainable blended learning environment may take extra funding and planning. Since technology can be a powerful tool that if used effectively, can enhance the ability to create, investigate, and inquire through authentic learning opportunities (Harapnuik, 2018), a clear plan must be set to determine how devices and software will enhance student learning and efficiency (Horn & Staker, 2015).
Strong Leadership and Teacher Buy-In
Another potential barrier that must be considered is that of strong leadership and teacher buy-in. Administration must set a clear vision, attend training, support blended learning, model desired actions, and ensure technology is not an additional initiative but a part of the curriculum (November, 2013) in order to move past this obstacle. According to Darrow, Friend, and Powell (2013), it is important to keep the classroom teacher in mind when implementing blended learning because they will need to embrace the change that will take place during implementation. With that being said, how do we get teachers to buy into and believe in the blended learning model? According to Harapnuik (2014), it takes four steps to get people to buy into new things, such as implementing a blended learning model. First, “it starts with WHY” (Sinek, 2009). Educators must know WHY their current instructional methodology needs to be added to or improved upon. Secondly, key social influencers must be recruited to help with motivating others around campus to emulate their actions. Thirdly, a specific, effective execution strategy must be put in place to create immediate change, and lastly, self-differentiated leaders must be enlisted in order to inspire others to see beyond the implementation challenges and keep pushing forward. Using these four steps will help the culture of the school welcome and support the blended learning innovation with the end goal of being a community of engaged, high-achieving learners (Darrow et al., 2013).
Conclusion
According to Dewey (1940), “The world is moving at a tremendous rate. Going no one knows where. We must prepare our children, not for the world of the past. Not for our world. But for their world. The world of the future." Considering that Dewey said this almost eighty years ago, imagine how rapidly the world is moving today with the technology we have at our fingertips. If the goal is to educate all children to reach their highest potential, schools need to retreat from unchanging, inflexible classroom models and move toward a student-centered model that demands “mass customization” (Christensen, et al., 2008). Blended learning can provide that student-centric model while providing personalized learning through the use of adaptive digital programs and technologies needed for 21st-century skills. As the classroom shifts from teacher-centered to a more student-centered approach, students may begin creating their own personalized paths toward more meaningful work.
Summary
Contributions of This Body of Literature to the Broader Field of Education
This literature review will help educators understand the benefits and barriers of implementing adaptive digital platforms in order to provide personalized instruction within a blended learning environment.
Strengths and Weaknesses of This Body of Literature
This body of literature encompasses research and data that is helpful to know when implementing adaptive programs, specifically Lexia Core5 and i-Ready.
Although we could see how much progress and growth each student obtained using Lexia Core5, one weakness we encountered while conducting our research, was that the program does not provide a beginning of year, middle of year, and end of year diagnostic, which would have been helpful in obtaining data.
What is the Focus of our Study and What is Missing from This Body of Literature
The focus of our study is to explore the usage of adaptive programs within a blended learning environment, specifically i-Ready and Lexia Core5, and how they promoted higher motivation and academic growth in our fourth-grade and dyslexic students.
Upon examining our available research, we realized that due to our students being on summer break we were not able to provide surveys and polls to gauge the increase in motivation in a quantitative way. We were, however, able to visibly see the increase in engagement and motivation. As for academic growth, we were able to collect data and see visible growth and achievement.
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