“If you’re bringing blended learning into a traditional face-to-face school for example, you have your classroom teachers who are used to being the master of their domain and the deliverers of content,” says Revenaugh. “When you bring in robust online content, you end up having a little bit of clash between who owns the students, who owns their learning experiences and who owns delivery of the curriculum.”
If students are receiving most of their instruction through a virtual teacher, classroom teachers need to be aware of the content the student is learning through that instruction and understand how to design discussions, assignments and activities that compliment and reinforce what is being learned online. If most of the instruction is being done face-to-face, then online activities should supplement the content taught in class.
Blended learning is still in its early days, and most schools will face challenges when trying to transition their students and teachers to this non-traditional form of education. However, having an understanding of what blended learning is and the resources needed to make it work can help schools successfully implement a blended learning structure.
“Schools may want to start small, maybe even choose a unit of a class or subject or grade to start with blended learning,” says Yoegel. “Be selective and choose a model that’s doable. Look for help and don’t do it in a funnel. Make sure you’re keeping parents involved, you’re asking other teachers what they’ve done, read publications to understand what blending learning is, and use professional development training. Make sure everyone understands what blended learning is, make sure students understand the processes and expectations that are going to put on them, and make sure parents understand what the objective is.”
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
Leave a Reply