Page 32 - ELG1806 June Issue 458

BEST PRACTICES FOR BLENDED
LEARNING, Pete Sharma and Barney Barrett
ISBN: 978-1-911028-84-0
Pavillion Publishing

he authors of this title point out early
on how the term ‘blended learning’
(BL) seems to mean all things to
Tsome and perhaps nothing to others.
The general consensus, however, is
that BL combines traditional face-to-
face classroom teaching with an online
component.
After an introduction to key terms used,
such as ‘Learning Management System’ and
‘Virtual Learning Environment’, the authors
first critique several early definitions of BL.
They then move onto its positive and
negative connotations, and, all importantly,
the expectations in the minds of potential
users of BL.
But we are not done yet with the ever-
expanding lexical set of the BL phenomenon:
the authors take time to explain how words
such as ‘disruptive’, ‘redundant’, ‘sustainable’,
‘mobile’ and ‘flux’ take on a variety of
meanings in the digital arena.

You won’t be surprised
to learn that the latter
radical approach is still
very much up for debate.
Several advantages
and disadvantages are

provided, including ‘how
much to flip?’ Blending in

After chapters on the brief history of BL
(the term seems to have first been used in
2000) the authors give their thoughts on Wayne Trotman reviews a book outlining a sensible
research into this area and urge us to be
cautiously optimistic in terms of its value to approach to blended or ‘flipped’ learning
language learning.
When a course actually becomes ‘blended’ experience with BL, however, the authors practitioner experiences of BL in action
is a matter for debate. point out how teachers often end up doing around the world, this title presents a
The authors present us with a variety of more in terms of looking after online principled approach to adopting it.
models including ‘dual track’ and the ‘flipped learners than expected, and although extra It then presents individual detailed
classroom’. payment would be appreciated, it’s not always chapters that cover using BL to teach the
‘The what?’, did I hear you ask? Flipping forthcoming. core skills, introduce games and projects and
your classroom is a case of role reversal, when Further challenges of BL are also provide assessment and evaluation.
the online element provides the input (at underlined, such as implementation time, The final section on resources discusses
home) and the teacher follows this up in the available financial resources and teacher the future of BL, one which, the authors
classroom with related tasks. knowledge of IT. To succeed in the light of suggest, involves virtual reality and artificial
You won’t be surprised to learn that the such challenges, the authors recommend a intelligence. The authors have done superbly
latter radical approach is still very much focus on four critical factors: appropriacy, well to reduce what might appear to be
up for debate. Several advantages and complementarity, attitude and training. a complicated area to one that even IT
disadvantages are provided, including ‘how Implementing a BL course requires a dunderheads such as myself could appreciate
much to flip?’ The recent consensus suggests framework and a platform, and the two with ease.
not all the time. chapters covering this area are perhaps the
Considering the likely disruption to most enlightening in the whole book.
the status quo, I was keen to read chapter The authors’ vast experience of working
five: ‘Why run a blended learning course?’ in this area is clear here as they expertly Wayne Trotman is a
Flexibility, adaptive learning and living run us through fourteen possible platforms, teacher educator at Izmir
up to learner expectations appear to be including Moodle, Facebook and Wiki. Katip Çelebi University,
the positives. In line with my own recent After exploring ten case studies of Izmir, Turkey.
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