Improving Schools with Blended Learning : How to Make Technology Work in the Modern Classroom

Improving Schools with Blended Learning is specifically designed to address the important issues needed to successfully modernise education within the context of technological change. It does this by first providing a clear roadmap for designing Blended Learning environments able to respond to the technological imperatives challenging schools at present, and then illustrating this roadmap via specific, original research that details the 'how to' aspects of a successful technology-based design process. School leaders, teachers, teacher education students and researchers will all find highly relevant information about how to manage for disruption in the new and informative approach to Blended Learning (BL) they will discover in this book.

This book arose from two different research projects the authors have been pursuing over the last 3–5 years, including school improvement research and Blended Learning research designed to investigate the role of technology in effective teaching and learning. By combining the insights gained from these two different research areas, this book is able to present a novel understanding of BL that is both insightful and clearly evidence-based.

Improving Schools with Blended Learning also provides several original contributions to specific knowledge in the areas of BL and school improvement that most educators will find highly useful, including the use of BL schemas, a clear and extended BL continuum, how to measure and evaluate the success of BL, how to scaffold teacher ICT knowledge and skills, and a specific process for contextualising applied BL in relation to the ‘disruption’ imperatives of the Knowledge Economy.

Tony Yeigh is an experienced research academic and Deputy Leader of the SCU TeachLab Research Group. He is an education professional, with a demonstrated history of successful research focused in the areas of Blended Learning, school improvement and school leadership.

David Lynch is Research Leader of TeachLab, a research entity focused on teacher education, and Professor of Education in the School of Education at Southern Cross University. He is the author of numerous books and articles on teaching and teaching improvement, specialising in whole-of-school teaching improvement.

Paul Fradale has been an educator for over 25 years; he’s been involved in teacher training as a school leader, conference/seminar/workshop leader, and a university lecturer. His doctoral dissertation and publications investigate shifting teacher practice within the context of Blended Learning.

Edward Lawless has had a 35-year career in education which has spanned four continents and multiple curricula in institutions around the world under face-to-face, blended and online conditions. He is passionate about reimagining education under flexible and sustainable Blended Learning conditions that can increase educational access and opportunity for all.

David Turner is Director of Professional Learning for the Queensland Association of State School Principals. He has enjoyed a successful career in educational leadership as principal in a variety of contexts and in university sector roles. He is interested in the leadership mindsets necessary for a rapidly changing world.

Royce Willis has a background in psychological science, currently working as a Research Officer and Casual Academic at Southern Cross University. Royce’s research spans psychology, environmental psychology, sport psychology, psychophysiology, neurobiology and education. His education-specific research includes Blended Learning, school improvement, teacher identity, and teacher and student retention.