What Is Blended Learning and What Are Its Benefits?
In the age of COVID-19 educators and educational institutions will have to move towards a new way of teaching.
Face-to-face tutoring or learning will not always be possible due to health and safety. There are now unfortunate implications of having large groups in a physical setting.
This is why blended learning is one of the best ways to teach going forward for a new semester and teaching year. In this article, we will explain what exactly blended learning is and what are the benefits of this approach.
Make sure you and your institution feel confident in putting together the best educational plan for your students. Read on to find out more.
What is Blended Learning?
Blended learning is a combination of in-class teaching and online class teaching. It means that your students are able to get the most out of their learning whilst doing it in the safest way.
It means that educational institutions can choose a schedule that involves both online and in-person teaching. Learners are then able to engage in various ways of teaching.
The weighting of the online and in-person teaching is up to the discretion of the institute. It will need to accommodate a range of factors to ensure it is utilized efficiently.
Factors such as group size, frequency of classes, and practical elements will all play a part in deciding the amount of blending learning an education institution will schedule.
Allows Greater Flexibility For Students
This is especially the case if you have more mature students that have extra responsibilities. These can be childcare or full time or part-time jobs. They might struggle with finding adequate cover for childcare or fitting in their learning with an already busy schedule.
It means that they have a fair amount of breathing room to complete the necessary work at a pace in which they comfortably manage. Students are able to go at their own pace and access the work in their own time, helping them to be better motivated at setting their own schedule.
They will have set times when they can contact their teachers or have an in-person or online tutorial. This allows a much greater sense of freedom to pick the hours in which they access and complete their own learning.
For younger students, this encourages them to become autonomous in their education. This promotes great life skills and attributes that will stand them in good stead for further education.
Better Instruction and Feedback on Work
With large group numbers in classrooms, it can be difficult to provide adequate and in-depth feedback to students. Especially with how they are working and the quality of work they are submitting.
With blended learning and a combination of online learning, teachers can use technology such as school management software to provide feedback. They can also keep students up to date with various tasks and setting of homework.
It means that any instructions or work is sent to student’s email addresses or profile. They are then informed of anything that needs completing or working on.
In face-to-face teaching, instructions are not always clear for every student. They sometimes may miss or not understand the instructions. With technology such as this, it means they always have a port of call for checking any homework, classwork, or feedback.
More Effective Communication Between Students and Teachers
With blended and online learning, it means that students and educators are able to converse in a number of different ways to cement any learning. They are able to speak face-to-face but also in email, discussion boards, or video chats.
It means that learners are able to converse in a method that suits their learning style and preferred method of communication. It also helps them to get a better understanding of the topic in general.
Before with face-to-face teaching, if a student didn’t understand something, they wouldn’t be able to follow this up until the next lesson. However, with blended learning, they can ask their teacher for further clarification much faster.
Improved Teaching Conditions and More Engaged Students
Many educators find classroom teaching to be draining and exhausting at times. This is especially the case if poor behavior or disruption is a problem in lessons. With blended learning, the pressure of teaching a full timetable week to a large group of students is off.
It means you are able to conserve your energy and put more effort into teaching a reduced number of face-to-face lessons as well as online. Online lessons are a lot easier to manage in terms of student’s behavior and means your students will be better engaged.
It allows your students to do more independent learning and work at their own pace whilst you are able to help the ones that need additional support.
Another benefit is that high attaining students can work at a faster pace and access supplementary work already integrated into the system. It also means you don’t have to disrupt your flow or break away from your discussions with students that need more support.
This is perfect for a classroom with mixed attainment students. This is because sometimes it can be difficult to deliver a lesson that caters to all levels of students. It allows students of differing abilities to engage with the work set at the same time.
Blended Learning: Where Can I Find Out More?
We hope this article explaining what blended learning is and its benefits has been helpful in getting you prepared for a new term.
Whatever method of learning you choose, teacher and student’s health and safety should always be paramount. Blended learning gives educational institutions an opportunity for various ways of learning to be delivered.
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