How to Maximize the Advantages of Blended Learning

Teachers got a rude and rushed introduction to blended learning when schools transitioned to remote instruction in the early days of the pandemic. Few instructors had any experience teaching online; an even smaller number could detail what it’s like to teach a fully populated class remotely.

The urgency of the crisis left very little time to prepare and, certainly, there was no universal list of Online Teaching Best Practices to draw on.

Nevertheless and regardless of any chaos, teachers are nothing if not resourceful and collaborative.

Soon, articles started popping up all over the internet, promoting online teaching hacks: stand to teach as you would in a populated classroom, incorporate visuals / write on the board, and site recommendations for the best online teaching resources, among them.

Still, the experience of teaching online was stressful and unsettling for many; teachers and students alike. That makes it a bit hard to credit blended learning with any advantages, let alone imagine what they could be.

All of that is perfectly understandable but, once we understand that blended learning is far more than hurriedly configured remote lessons, the pros are much easier to recognize. And, once they are, you’ll be keen to realize them for yourself and your students.

What Blended Learning Is and Isn’t

Blended learning, also called hybrid learning, consists of regular classroom instruction with additional online activity. For instance, the teacher might present talking points on a particular topic and then, release the students to research the topic on their own and prepare a presentation of their findings.

Blended learning is often considered a component of differentiated instruction, the practice of pointing students in the right direction and letting them explore topics according to their ability, at their own pace and using their preferred methods of learning.

It’s also often linked with individualized instruction; tailoring the classroom experience to as many students’ needs as possible.

Blended learning is not the practice of delivering instruction and assigning homework via an app. Nor is it a matter of assigning your groups online materials to study and report on.

The point of this learning philosophy is making the student an equal partner in their education instead of merely holding them accountable, through exams and grades, for what they can remember of their coursework and apply it in a controlled setting.

The Advantages of Blended Learning

Giving students license to learn as they prefer has been shown to result in higher levels of student achievement. That is perhaps one of the greatest advantages of blended learning.

By no means does that reduce teachers’ roles, though. Quite the contrary! You’ll find that, relieved of having to lead the learning, you’ll have more time to interact with your students individually. To guide them in their learning and support them as needed.

The standard classroom model forces teachers to cater to the less advanced students at the expense of those who may have a more developed understanding of the subject material; a sacrifice that no teacher likes to make.

Blended learning calls for you to introduce only the premise of the material to be explored; the depths that your students plumb and how they get there is left up to them, albeit under your guidance.

How to Use Blended Learning with Your Groups

Unfortunately, there’s no firm agreement on what, exactly, constitutes blended learning. However, there is a measure of consensus over learning models.

Face to face/teacher-driven comes close to standard teaching practices. You lead the instruction, enhancing your presentation with digital content and tools.

Flex: students learn independently from a variety of online materials; teachers give advice and support face to face.

Rotation: equal measures of independent study and classroom time.

Online driven: students complete an entire course of study online; the teacher checks in, as needed. Students can also make appointments for a consultation with their teacher if they feel some aspect of the material isn’t quite clear.

Self-blend: students elect on their own to augment classwork with online coursework.

Labs: course content is purely digital but students participate in school. This model is typically used for science lessons but can also be used for other subjects.

Depending on the level you teach, some of these models may not be feasible. For instance, if you teach elementary classes or in middle school, the Flex, Labs and Self-blend models might not be as successful as they would be for high school and undergraduate study programs.

Also, note that these are not discrete models; it may be more suitable for you to embrace a blend of methods, depending on your student groups.

For instance, you might trust your more advanced students to Flex their learning so you can focus more of your time and attention on students with special educational needs and those who haven’t yet developed a firm grasp on the subject material.

In other words, you would adopt both the Flex and the face-to-face/teacher-driven model within the same group of students.

Most teachers agree that it’s long past time to give students buy-in on their education. We recognize that they have sharp minds and a keen desire to learn. It makes no sense to group students by age when ability is what matters when it comes to learning.

Blended learning could be the better way to reach and educate your students.