Global Educators Share Their Latest Research on Blended Learning

New York, N.Y. — A decade ago, many predicted that K-12 education might shift entirely online, especially in the upper grades. Michael Horn, co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, spoke of blended learning as the “new model that is student-centric, highly personalized for each learner, and more productive, as it delivers dramatically better results at the same or lower cost.” C M Rubin, Founder of CMRubinWorld, asked global teachers to discuss this new model of learning in a digital age. Is it disruptive in a powerful way or is it considered an overhyped myth?

“At present, there is no escape from using ICT as a component in the teaching learning process,” says Rashmi Kathuria in India. However, Adam Steiner in the US notes that when “technology use is kept separate from a collaborative learning experience,” the outcome is not as beneficial. Maarit Rossi in Finland says she has positive expectations to the possibilities of blended learning but this technology means schools need “versatile teaching methods and balanced assessment.” Jasper Rijpma in The Netherlands adds that blended learning gives him the “opportunity to differentiate between the individual needs” of his students. He notes that we need to be careful about confusing “technology with actual teaching.” Craig Kemp in Singapore believes that “blending traditional and new teaching methods” will provide students with “an innovative and effective learning experience nurturing skills students need to succeed both in life and in a tech-driven workforce.”

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CMRubinWorld’s Top Global Teacher Bloggers are leaders and innovators in fields such as technology integration, mathematics coaching, special needs education, science instruction, and gender equity. They have founded schools, written curricula, and led classrooms in 16 different countries. The Top Global Teacher Bloggers is a monthly series where educators discuss today’s most important topics. CMRubinWorld uses this platform to propagate the voices of the most indispensable people of our learning institutions – teachers.

The mission of CMRubinWorld is to ask the important questions, share the most innovative ideas and ultimately be a bridge builder between the past and the future of learning. CMRubinWorld was launched in 2010 to explore the kind of education that would be needed to prepare students to succeed in a rapidly evolving globalized world. Its award-winning series, The Global Search for Education, introduces distinguished global educators to explore the key learning issues faced by most nations. The series has become a well-respected platform on 21st century education, offering an expansive range of significant issues which are presented by the series founder, C. M. Rubin, together with the world’s leading thinkers in education. C. M. Rubin has produced hundreds of interviews and articles discussing an extensive array of topics under a singular vision: when it comes to the world of children, there is always more work to be done.

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