But the combination of both can help an educational
institution stand at the top. Students who have grown up with interactive technology do not pay attention to old traditional classroom lectures. What educators need to do is provide students with relevant and engaging learning experience. Traditional approaches become effective in enhancing education if and only if they are combined with technological approaches; for those educational institutions as well as educators who truly believe in the above principle, shifting to Blended learning is a very good solution.
Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace. The methodology behind blended learning is to combine classroom learning with mobile learning and online learning. It also has different names like mixed learning, hybrid learning, blended e-learning, melted learning, etc. In this article, we cover different ways of using blended learning which can be incorporated successfully into the classroom.
6 forms of Blended Learning:
- Face-to-face Driver
- Rotation
- Flex
- Online Lab
- Self-Blend
- Online Driver
Face-to-face Driver:
Face-to-face driver is a blended learning model in which teachers deliver most of the curriculum. Teachers lead the class in a lecture following an established protocol taking precedence and technology being a secondary thought. However, they also produce online resources to supplement or revise course material which students can study at home, in the classroom or in a technology lab.
Rotation:
In the Rotation model of blended learning: within a given course, a student rotates on a fixed schedule between learning online in a one-to-one, self-paced environment and sitting in a classroom with a traditional face-to-face teacher.
Flex:
Flex model of blended learning features an online platform that delivers most of the curricula. It’s the model where most of the learning is done online and the face-to-face model exists to provide on-site support for a flexible and adaptive, as required basis through in-person tutoring sessions and small group sessions.
Online Lab:
Online lab is a model of blended learning that characterizes programs that rely on an online platform to deliver the entire course but in a brick-and-mortar lab environment. The entire course and teaching are done online. Teachers interact with students through pre-recorded videos, audio and video conferences or discussion forums and email.
Self Blend:
The Self – Blend model is a fully individualized approach that allows students to choose to take one or more courses online to supplement their traditional school’s catalog. Maximum part of the learning is done online, but the student will still attend face-to-face classes.
Online Driver:
Online Driver involves online platform as well as teachers to deliver the curricula. Students work from remote locations most of the time and come to school for optional or required face-to-face classes.
Have a look at the infographic below to know what blended learning is, what are its different forms, why it’s spreading, and how it works in real and virtual classrooms.
This infographic originally appeared here.
We’d like to know your personal views on blended learning programs in your classroom. Please feel free to share with us in the comment box.
