Investment

Seton believes that it is important to invest in all members of the school community in both the blended learning model and the educational goals of the school. When students, families and educators are all invested in the same goals and model they can work together for the best student outcomes. When students are invested in the blended learning model—both the online content and small group instruction—they are more motivated to work hard and be the best learner they can be.

To promote investment in a blended learning community Seton has compiled resources around how to cultivate a growth mindset in your community, how to partner with and communicate with families around blended learning, and how to track student progress through conferencing, goal setting, tracking and incentives. These three components are essential for creating buy-in and sustain ongoing investment in a blended learning model.

Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the self-perception and belief that one can learn more and become smarter through hard work and perseverance; that intelligence is not fixed. Seton’s model relies on a student’s understanding that their effort on blended content will directly contribute to their success and growth academically, now and in the future. In order for adults to foster and support students in their development, we need to be firmly grounded in the nuances of a growth mindset.

Researched and popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck, “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment”. Research has shown a variety of benefits to student learning if students hold a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset as learners. A blended learning classroom provides even more opportunities for a growth mindset to positively impact student achievement when we consider the individualized instruction students receive through their content providers. However, before promoting or adjusting student mindsets, teachers should evaluate students’ current mindsets. Teachers can establish a frame for comparing fixed and growth mindsets and then practice praising a student’s efforts and process rather than innate ability in order to encourage growth mindsets in their classrooms.

Resources for Growth Mindset

Growth Mindset Language

A guide to incorporate growth mindset language in the classroom.

Growth Mindset Teaching Strategies

Teaching strategies to foster growth mindset adapted from Teach Like A Champion.

Activity Clearinghouse

A collection of growth mindset activities and resources for K – 8 educators.

Growth Mindset Reflection Examples

Examples of growth mindset reflection and self-assessments used in classrooms.

Growth Mindset Language Images

A collection of example growth mindset posters for classrooms.

Growth Mindset Lesson Plan (K - 2)

A lesson plan introducing growth mindset to K-2 students.

Growth Mindset Lesson Plan (3 - 5)

A lesson plan highlighting a growth mindset in 3-5 students.

Growth Mindset Lesson Plan (6 - 8)

A 6-8 lesson plan discussing the connection between the brain and growth mindset.

Parent Communication

Parents or guardians are the first and primary teachers in a child’s life and thus it is crucial for schools to communicate with adults in a student’s home about blended learning—whether it is a new, exciting or confusing, academic model the school is adopting or already familiar to the community. This frequent and proactive communication creates partnership with families, opens dialogue for parent voices in the school community and increases the overall investment and power of the blended learning model.

The resources on this this page support educators’ communication with families from introducing blended learning for the first time, to providing updates on student progress, preparing parents for high stakes testing and teachers and leaders for conversations with parents around blended learning.

Resources for Parent Communication

Blended Learning Introduction Letter

A letter to families outlining the blended learning classroom experience.

Blended Learning Talking Points

A resource aiding leaders or teachers in responding to common blended learning questions.

Parent Blended Learning Presentation

A presentation for families highlighting the elements of blended learning.

Blended Learning Parent Progress Letter

A letter to families outlining a student’s progress to goals on their content providers.

Communicating about MAP Testing

A collection of example letters to families with information about the MAP test.

Parent Conference Guide

A guide for teachers to use in conferences to share blended learning data with families.

Student Progress

One of the greatest strengths, and crucial components, of any blended learning environment is the breadth of data and innate ability to monitor, incentivize and communicate student academic progress. Highly effective blended learning educators lean into a collection of student data as a tool to inform and target instruction; encourage, celebrate or redirect student learning; and communicate goals to students, parents and the school community.

The resources in this section relate to the four student progress elements Seton believes maximize the power of data to increase academic growth: tracking; incentives; conferencing; and goal-setting. None of the first three elements can be effective without strong and thoughtful goal-setting practices with students. Many educators and schools have natural strengths or prior experiences with one, or some of, these elements; the integration of all four elements in a school and classroom culture results in students that are highly motivated and take ownership of their learning and progress, while instructors and leaders frequently hold students accountable for their progress, provide feedback and deepen learning relationships.

Resources for Student Progress

Arc of Tracking

A table outlining three different ways to track student progress on content providers.

Methods of Tracking

An outline of three main methods for tracking student data in blended learning classrooms.

Schoolwide Tracking

Best practices for tracking data for all students in a school.

Tracking Action Planning Docs

A planning tool for teachers to create student progress trackers.

Tracking Template Examples

A folder of templates for tracking content provider data and progress to goals.

Tracking Photo Examples

A collection of photos showing example blended learning trackers.

Tracking and Goal Setting in a Blended Learning Classroom Professional Development

Professional development on goal setting with students and how to track progress towards goals. Includes: powerpoint, facilitator guide, guided practice, and participant handout.

Incentives 101

An outline of best practices for introducing, executing, and adjusting classroom incentives.

Schoolwide Competitions

A guide for administration and teachers to launch a school wide competitions.

Classroom Based Incentives and Competitions

A list of ways in which teachers and schools can incentivize and reward students.

Student Conferencing Best Practices

An outline of best practices for student-teacher conferences.

Student Conferencing PD Video

A video tutorial outlining best practices for student-teacher conferences.

Student Conference Script

A sample conference script between a student and a teacher.

Student Conference Planning Template

A planning tool for student-teacher conferences and a table to record what happened during conferences.

Student Reflection Sheets

A collection of templates that can be used to prompt student reflection on blended learning.

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Quick Tip:

Too much data can be overwhelming or even counterproductive – it helps to pick one metric, one goal and one time frame at a time to start!

Finding time to do data-driven, targeted instruction can be difficult given curriculum restraints – try setting aside 30-45 minutes once a week to make it a priority, such as Targeted Tuesdays!

Using targeted instructional time to highlight a challenging skill from a previous unit or a topic needed as a foundation for an upcoming lesson, is a great strategy!

Don’t be afraid to regroup students as often as needed – the dynamics of different students often propels students to new understandings!

Data can be used to inform and differentiate almost any component of a lesson, so take the time to find what feels comfortable and impactful for you and your students.

Not all student errors or misconceptions are the same, so analyzing student errors can make your targeted instruction a lot more stream-lined and focused.

Consider how you can utilize “flex” times in your day to address students whose data shows they need extra support.

FAQs

What does blended learning look like for my classroom or my school? How does it fit into my schedule?

A blended learning classroom can look different from a traditional classroom because it has distinct areas for small groups. There are usually two groups of students - one working on computers and one working with their teacher. Blended learning is a mixture of high-quality, personalized online content and data-driven small-group instruction that allows teachers to efficiently differentiate across the wide variety of learners in a classroom.

The entire class is involved in the blended learning program so that all student levels can be addressed. Students work on a personalized learning path on their online content to meet their individual needs. Teachers use test scores, observational data, and online content data to group students. This enables teachers to teach to the needs of their students not just to grade level standards.

Blended learning can fit into your schedule during any subject area. There are many creative ways to schedule when using the blended learning model.

Can blended learning be used in any subject area?

Yes, blended learning can be used in all subject areas. It is most commonly used in ELA and Math for all grades, but many schools use the blended learning model for Science and Social Studies in middle school classrooms. Most Science and Social Studies teachers use reading data to group students, but this is up to the discretion of the teacher.

Blended learning can be used for all grades, no matter the student age. The systems and procedures you have in place may vary by grade level (i.e. older children can complete more independent tasks whereas younger grades may need more hands-on help for tasks) but it has proven to be successful in all grades in Seton partner schools.

What needs to change in a traditional classroom to allow for successful blended learning?

Blended learning involves the interaction between online computer content and small group teacher instruction. While there is space for whole group instruction occasionally, the secret sauce in the blended learning model comes from the ability to teach students in small groups. While those small groups are occurring, students who are not learning with the teacher work on individualized learning programs via content providers. Some teachers choose to split students into more than two groups, but that is a choice that is often dependent on the grade and subject, as well as the particular students in a class.

In order to allow for small group instruction, the classroom layout may be different than that of a traditional classroom. Many classrooms have a small group area near the teacher and/or board to create an intimate setting for learning. The computer group is far enough away from the small group to ensure the computer group does not overhear the small group. This allows for two distinct spaces of learning. While some traditional classrooms have computer stations, implementing a blended learning model is different because students are working on an individualized computer program tailored to their grade level and learning needs.

Why is blended learning beneficial for my students?

The blended learning model of combining online learning and teacher-led direct instruction has many benefits for student learning.

Small group instruction provides students with more individualized attention, as well as more opportunities to share their answers and practice skills.

Online content provides students with the chance to learn skills that are personalized at their own level, and allows students to work through lessons at their own pace.

Data from content providers gives teachers a better understanding of each student’s strengths and areas for growth, allowing for students to receive more personalized and targeted instruction from their teacher.

How will blended learning impact my teaching practices?

The combination of online learning and teacher-led direct instruction in this blended learning model is likely different from what practices currently exist in your classroom.

Through this model, teachers place students into small groups for math and reading instruction. Teaching in small groups allows students to learn in a smaller teacher-to-student ratio, providing them with more frequent opportunities to practice, and to get more individualized attention from their teacher. Additionally, small group instruction allows teachers to target, differentiate and scaffold instruction based on the needs of each group.

Online content providers allow students to work on lessons at their ability level, at their own pace. Because students are working on skills on their current level, these content providers can help remediate and fill gaps for students who may be struggling, provide students with additional learning in an additional format for grade level skills and lessons, and push students who may be already mastering grade level standards.

Student work on online content provides teachers with student data that they can then use to inform their instruction. Teachers will gain new insights into student learning, and can use this data in combination with classroom assessments to paint a more complete picture of what skills students are mastering and what skills they may be struggling to understand. As a result, lesson plan adjustments can be made easily.

What if my children are on other grade level material (advance/behind)? Do I have access to other grade level materials?

Yes, teachers have access to computer based content for a wide variety of grade levels, and each content provider has a range of grade level lessons. Many content providers have students complete a benchmark or diagnostic before they start working, which places students at their current level (which might be on, above or below grade level). Other content providers allow teachers to place students or assign lessons based on their knowledge of student abilities.

After a diagnostic or benchmark test, students begin with content at their current level. Some students will be working on skills from previous grade levels to fill gaps, some will be working on grade level content, and some may be working on above grade level lessons. As students progress, some may exhaust content at the grade level they started on and progress to the next level.