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The emphasis shift in a teacher’s role from knowledge provider to a coach or mentor is significant. Smaller groups allow teachers to e, empower, and inspire students in experiential learning activities that require problem solving and critical thinking skills. In turn, teachers have a greater capacity to improve students’ perception of learning, which leads to increased motivation to engage in lifelong learning. Furthermore, teachers are able to build stronger relationships with the students, which gives the teacher insights to the students’ personal struggles and personality needs. With these insights and trust, teachers are empowered to comfort and challenge students through students’ personal struggles that often serve as obstacles to learning. In summary, with frequent interaction with a eacher in smaller groups, students receive the individualized and personalized instruction they need while developing relationships that inspire, empower, and instill passion. Reading Horizons provides effective resources to assist teachers with their small group instruction to engage students in hands-on learning. As students participate in these activities, and as students see success with the skills practiced, their motivation to learn inspires lifelong learning. Student Agency Horn and Staker (2015) point out that “an important part of student-centered learning is that students develop a sense of agency and ownership for their progress and a subsequent ability to guide their learning [which]…translates into an ability to become a lifelong learner”—a skill that is “necessary in today’s rapidly changing world, in which knowledge and skills become outdated quickly” (p. 10). Blended learning models include and emphasize this student agency. 6

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