Inverting learning requires shifting certain learning activities traditionally completed in the classroom to home. According to Stansbury,

“Students can absorb the material as homework and then practice what they’ve learned with guided help from the teacher if they need it. This new learning style not only makes class time more productive for both teachers and students, but also increases student engagement, increases achievement, and caters to all forms of personalized learning, say the teachers.”

What makes this instructional approach intriguing is it enables teachers to customize learning to meet individual student needs. By moving certain learning activities out of the classroom (e.g., direct instruction, etc.), teachers free up valuable time during class to be available for students when they could use the teacher’s attention most. Inverted learning provides more opportunities for teachers to monitor, engage, and guide students during the most critical moments of learning.

With the availability of learning management systems like Blackboard and Moodle, teachers are able to effectively transfer core learning tasks, such as watching a lecture and taking notes, away from the classroom. These learning management systems have powerful accountability tools which enable teachers to closely monitor students as they complete learning activities at home.

An inverted model, however, involves more than simply transferring learning activities to home. It requires rethinking the way teachers design curriculum, deliver instruction, and interact with students. The success of this type of learning model hinges on the teacher’s ability to customize learning experiences for each student. As certain learning activities are moved out of the classroom, valuable time is freed up to assess students, prescribe learning interventions, foster critical thinking, and focus on individual student learning needs. This approach involves utilizing a teaching cycle based on real-time data.

Because meaningful educational reform requires customizing learning, this model presents interesting opportunities for educators.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!

Game Lessons– The Economist

Even More Research: Technology Is Making Kids Better Writers, Not Worse– Tech Dirt

Top Gear for Elementary School Students– Wired

Google Algorithm Predicts When Species Will Go 404, Not Found– Hadley Leggett, Wired

Is Technology Creating the “Dumbest Generation”– Shawn, edbuzz

Stare into the Abyss of Curriculum-Tech Integration– Miguel Guhlin, Around the Corner

Five Tips for Helping Students Become Better Bloggers– Sue Wyatt, Blog Walker

What Every Learning and Development Professional Needs to Know about E-Learning,–Clive Shepherd, Clive on Learning

Getting Students More Learning Time Online– Cathy Cavanaugh, Center for American Progress

ByApp: A Simple Task Management Tool– Free Technology for Teachers

How to Select a Webinar Provider (Part I)– Business Expert Webinars

Blended Learning Boosts Student Achievement– edbuzz

Free Webinars– Tony Karrer, eLearning Technology

How “Dumbledore’s Army” is Transforming Our World– Henry Jenkins, Confessions of an Aca-Fan

Learning and Microblogging– Harold Jarche, Learning and Working on the Web

New iPod Rules Touch Off Heated Debate– eSchool News

November: Drastically Change Ed-Tech Role– Dennis Carter, eSchool News

Is Streaming Really Replacing Downloading– Tech Dirt

The study, entitled Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, involved a rigorous evaluation of more than a thousand recent studies of online learning. Of the collection of empirical studies examined, the research team identified forty-six studies that could be subjected to meta-analysis. The meta-analysis involved examining the conclusions of the various studies in order to construct a general conclusion (composite estimate) regarding online learning.

The research analysis is based around four important questions:

1. “How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction?”
2. “Does supplementing face-to-face instruction with online instruction enhance learning?”
3. “What practices are associated with more effective online learning?”
4. “What conditions influence the effectiveness of online learning?”

Not only are all four questions very interesting but they are the sorts of questions commonly asked by educators when considering the efficacy of online learning.

In terms of the effectiveness of online learning compared to face-to-face instruction, the study found that “students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.”

The study also found that blended learning measurably enhanced student learning as compared with instruction solely based on face-to-face interaction. Moreover, it found that the effectiveness of online learning programs seems “quite broad across different content and learning types.”

The study identified three important best practices related to online instruction:

1. “Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection.” The study seems to indicate that online learning environments improve student learning when students are able to manipulate instruction based on their particular learning needs or when the online curriculum provides learning mechanisms that trigger student reflection or self monitoring of learning.
2. Online learning is more effective when the curriculum includes blended learning elements (e.g., face-to-face interaction, online collaboration, independent practice, etc.).
3. Effective online learning environments include a variety of learning activities. The simple inclusion of online learning activities such as video or online quizzes do not necessarily improve student learning. Although these sorts of instructional activities are often recommended by educators, the study was not able to find a significant connection between the activities and improved student achievement.

Although the authors of the study determined that blended learning measurably increased student learning, they were not willing to simply attribute the higher achievement to the instructional approach itself.

It’s also interesting to note that the study concluded that time on task is more beneficial to learning in an online environment than in a face-to-face environment.  This seems to confirm what many educators already know: Online learning activities enable teachers to effectively differentiate instruction and tailor learning to meet individual student needs. It seems to make sense, then, that online learning can be highly effective because it enables educators to design instruction that addresses the specific learning needs of students, provide more efficient and individualized student remediation, and individualize instruction based on student aptitude, different learning styles, and interests.

The study did acknowledge that the implications of the its findings are limited and more research regarding online learning is needed. Moreover, the implications for K-12 are very limited due to the small sample of k-12 based research analyzed in the study.

Nevertheless, the study’s analysis is very important. As many schools today face difficult economic challenges, blended learning programs may provide a more efficient and cost effective way to deliver instruction. At the classroom level, blended learning seems to offer important advantages over traditional face-to-face instruction. Perhaps the most important advantage is improved use of instructional time. By utilizing effective blended learning practices, teachers can better maximize limited instructional time while providing interesting and meaningful student-centered learning activities.