Many school districts have begun the school year in a hybrid format with students attending a physical school part of the time and spending the remaining hours in remote asynchronous instruction. Some districts have started the year entirely online where students spend part of their time in live classes while working on their own during other parts of the day. My district decided to combine components from these formats to best meet the needs of our students and families. Right now, we currently have 3 formats of instruction: remote learning, brick and mortar, or brick and mortar/hybrid.
Our remote learners received 100% of their instruction online through both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Remote teachers teach live lessons for part of the day to whole groups and small groups of students while also providing independent asynchronous tasks for students to complete on their own.
Our remote learners received 100% of their instruction online through both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Remote teachers teach live lessons for part of the day to whole groups and small groups of students while also providing independent asynchronous tasks for students to complete on their own.
Our brick and mortar/hybrid teachers (like myself) plan instruction for students who physically report to school AND for those students who choose to do a hybrid schedule. Students choosing a hybrid schedule for that day will work from home to access instructional materials and resources. The work is completed asynchronously and on their own. Teachers are available to communicate through our LMS (Google Classroom or Seesaw) or email to assist students during hybrid days. Families are able to choose when and how often their child participates in hybrid days (instead of physically reporting to school) and work is to be completed that same day or prior to physically reporting back to school.
As teachers in 2021, we are forced to think outside of the box to learn new ways to teach our students from various new learning environments. I have dabbled a little in learning different instructional models over the past 2-3 years, but this year has been a learning experience for me to step outside of my comfort zone and dive into a new way of teaching whether I was ready or not. Although it has been around for awhile, blended learning is really becoming the new normal in education. Blended learning is the combination of traditional face-to-face instruction with aspects of online instruction. Blended classrooms include face-to-face instruction techniques such as direct instruction or lecture, group discussions, and small-group work while also using technology to provide in-class online learning that students can do at home through the use of a learning management system (Nieves, 2019).
This year I am using a blended/hybrid model of instruction to meet my students’ needs virtually and face-to-face on a daily basis. I rely heavily on Google Classroom to post my lessons, instructional resources & materials, daily agendas, assignments, and grades. I provide instruction using a variety of technology tools that can be accessed in the classroom or from home for students following a hybrid schedule. All of my instructional lessons must be prepared for face-to-face instruction as well as virtual learning on a daily basis. Students working hybrid will complete the lessons and assignments asynchronously.
Prior to this year, I would meet with and instruct students in small groups and provide a lot of opportunities for group activities, however that has been more challenging this year due to social distancing. One of my goals is to implement more tools to encourage collaboration such as Flip Grid, Padlet, or Jamboard. I also like the idea of allowing students to use the stream on google classroom to have a discussion and share resources. A class blog is another possible tool to encourage collaboration and small group work in a blended/hybrid environment.
Nieves, K. (2019, April 2). 4 Tips for Managing Blended Learning. Edutopia. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-tips-managing-blended-learning
Ferlazzo, L. (2020, August 19). Blended Learning in the Age of Covid-19. Education Week. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-blended-learning-in-the-age-of-covid-19/2020/08
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteReady or not here you come blended learning! And yes, I agree with you that blended learning is definitely becoming much more of the new “normal”. It will be interesting to see if/when that shifts again based on health & safety guidelines. With so many modalities that we have to teach in (hybrid/in-person/virtual) the preparation has become an extremely important factor. As you know, you have to prepare lessons for in-person and virtual, as well as synchronous and asynchronous (thank goodness for technology)! Tools like Flipgrid, Padlet and Jamboard allow for that collaborative piece and the potential for small group instruction, so use those tools!
Layla