This is the fifteenth in a series of posts explaining the Acton Academy Principles of Education.

Education Principle #15: Blended learning is effective

As defined by oxford dictionary, blended learning is "a style of a style of education in which students learn via electronic and online media as well as traditional face-to-face teaching".

Traditionally, we have learned from teacher instruction. Learning from collaborative, face-to-face interaction remains important. People learn from each other every day whether it's from an instructor or from our peers.

The game changer is the integration of online learning because adaptive software now allows students to take charge of their learning, to move at a pace they are comfortable with, and to be aware of where they stand and what they have left to do to master skills they're learning. It allows for truly personalized learning.

From there, online learning could be incorporated into the traditional face-to-face learning. As an example, imagine students learning US History online and then making a presentation to peers on the movement for women's suffrage spanning from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. Students learn, they apply their history learning and combine it with technology and presentation skills to teach their peers.

It sounds great. Is it effective? Yes, very much so! Study after study after study finds that students in blended classrooms outperform those in traditional in-person classes.

At Acton, blended learning is central to delivering a personalized, engaged approach critical for helping students be successful in their learning journey.

Want to learn more? See the research behind the principle.

Further Recommended Reading: Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools by Michael B. Horn & Heather Staker