Intro To Hybrid Learning | Benefits Of Hybrid Learning

Hybrid Learning: As Benjamin Franklin quoted, \”An Investment in Knowledge pays the Best Interest,\” education helps in imparting knowledge in younger minds at the very early stages by Teachers who teach the students the value and importance of it. Beginning from Face-to-Face teaching to online teaching, everything has changed since generations. The channel to convey Information Methodology and curriculums have changed, but sharing the knowledge and teaching the learners is the one aspect that stood perennial.

As the slogan goes, \’Modern problems require Modern Solutions\’…! This pandemic has made a huge impact on the Education sector, and this bought into the limelight, the online schooling mode. The Teacher-student relationship took a step further by the usage of computers and keyboards. They formed a channel between the Teacher and the student, where they could engage with each other despite the chaos of the outbreak that affected the world. One of such modes is Hybrid Learning, where learning meets fun!

Before getting into the topic, let us know what exactly it is Hybrid Learning? It is a mode of education, where some students opt to attend classes or school from the comfort of their homes via digital media or gadgets like (Laptop, Computer, Internet, Mobile phone, etc.) and some of them attend schools physically. This makes learning reach faraway remote places, making it accessible and spreading the wings of education.

WHAT IS HYBRID LEARNING?

Hybrid Learning was initiated in the 21st Century, in the modern educational system, after the invention of technology and its wide usage has prompted Educators to blend it into teaching. It proved to help provide easier access to several observations of different scholars that were not available in some areas or schools. Many Universities and colleges often come up with various Hybrid Learning models and courses according to the needs of the students, and they are given a choice to whether choose this methodology or not.

While talking about Hybrid Learning, one also comes across Blended Learning. These two methods are often mistaken as the same, but in reality, they offer different types of teaching. In Blended Learning, Teachers use Tools and online activities as a part of teaching the students for better exposure, whereas Hybrid Learning allows the Teachers to teach the students virtually as well as in–person.

Hybrid Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The health and safety of students and employees should be a priority for all school programs. Leaders of national and local programs should develop and implement plans to reduce transmission in their communities. Keeping up with fast-paced beats is not always simple. Every week, circumstances change, and even countries with low numbers today must be cautious and ready to adapt in case of a recurrence. Teachers have long understood the importance of curriculum planning and learning areas, and how to meet the needs of different age groups, students, and school programs. Similarly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to determining the most appropriate learning model for COVID-19.

What we do know is, through our research and data followed by UNESCO (United Nations Education and Scientific Organisation) and NWEA (North-Western Evaluation Association), that certain student groups have encountered major challenges and will continue to face many challenges in remote learning areas. In areas where disease transmission is controlled, and supervisors can resume classroom learning, these students need to prioritize.

Opening schools should not be an empty proposition. Students with learning disabilities, economic hardships, or unstable local environments may find distance learning difficult. Developing in a remote area where there is no manual guidance, emotional support, or access to technology is a challenge for most of these students. While rural schools may not have reliable internet access, they have enough physical space to retrieve all students. Urban schools may have more and better digitalization but less space.

Managers can set up multiple distribution channels to ensure that every student has access to learning. Some school programs lack digital infrastructure, resources, or local technology to deliver online learning. For them, a suitable model for remote learning could include the use of large media, simple messaging apps, and paper delivery. More than 30 countries use radios for distance learning, while many use double television. For example, The Gambia has used donor funds to distribute solar-powered radios to all communities without electricity and broadband. Morocco has also launched its own sports channel to broadcast educational content.

There is more to hybrid learning than just digital classroom versions. The benefits of hybrid learning during Covid-19 are more than using the traditional classroom learning model. When the epidemic hit the beginning of the year, many teachers had no choice but to move existing classes online. We now have the opportunity to create better solutions to enhance student learning in remote and diverse areas. In the hybrid study, the default model divided classes between two groups and provided live simultaneous instructions to both. Denmark, for example, divided the elementary school classrooms into halves – one group, one class.   

Teachers provide math and language instruction to the live group while the remote group calls. Some Chinese schools similarly divided classes but kept both on-site: teachers gave instructions to both groups with live video feeds, changing classes from time to time. Another advantage of this model is to make things easier, as teachers need less training and stick to existing curriculum plans. However, it is often difficult for distance students to follow a course that is also given to a large group of working students. Some models enable teachers to provide small group support with a focus on the inner people, alternatives that give students some facial time in the classroom.

While in a traditional or homeschooling model, teachers provide education at school, and students practice at home, or students get educated at home with private educators either online or through traditional workbooks. In the \”classroom-designed\” model, students learn new ideas by watching pre-recorded videos and then come together as a class to complete exercises and presentations, with the Teacher acting as a trainer.

In the asynchronous hybrid model, students experience a mix of learning activities at school and home. Teachers test their understanding of children\’s little amount of content and provide additional instructions, actions, and feedback on new things to improve when they meet each other in – person. When they are far away, they operate independently of unique content.

Many students will return to school under some pressure. Some will have lost family members. Some may be struggling to cope with the loss of their parent\’s jobs. In addition to being exposed to warnings about the virus, students are becoming increasingly aware of systematic discrimination, climate change, and other issues that may contribute to a common anxiety disorder. While it is important to assess students\’ situations and try to recover lost learning, teachers must first focus on rebuilding relationships and a sense of community.

That effort will pay off benefits over time and can be incorporated into remote settings using experimental or well-thought-out thinking, as well as the intended curriculum. The BARR model, for example, provides tools to help teachers address the emotional, social, and physical needs of their students in all communication, form nearby crowds of students, and provide weekly lessons on building relationships. Best performing teachers are inclined to focus on every child. The school system can try to bring this practice to the attention of all students.

ADVANTAGES OF HYBRID LEARNING

In this Covid-19 pandemic, hybrid learning has many advantages, and its application is well known across the globe. Let\’s discuss some of them.

Improves Student-Teacher Relationship for a better future

Teachers must be in – touch with their students so that they will be up to date on the concepts they learn. By Hybrid Learning, Students can interact and connect with their students without losing any time, especially during Covid-19. They can also revise along with the teachers and be educated. It also gives benefit to the teachers to look after the student\’s well–being without affecting his/ her studies. This can also increase the classroom interaction where a teacher can focus equally on both groups. Students also will be able to follow instructions without any distractions.

Digital Exposure

Students get to know various usages of technology and will be able to experience a new world. They can browse the Internet and research according to their topics. They will have easier and immediate access to lecture materials and can preserve them for future use. The activities and exercises help in their Overall Growth, Individuality and Imagination, application, and logical thinking.

Save Paper Save Earth

Online teaching\’s one of the best advantages is that it uses less amount of paperwork and more amount of technical work. This reduces the usage of paper at unnecessary times and saves hyper-production and consuming costs. This method is one of the greatest contributors to reducing Global warming without cutting a greater number of trees and making The Earth a better place to live in.

DISADVANTAGES OF HYBRID LEARNING

Despite all the advantages and uses that Hybrid Learning has, we can also see its various disadvantages.

Too Much Usage Of Tech – Tools

Technology has become more a bane than a boon. Because of the online classes that students have to attend to continue their education, one in ten students own a laptop, system, or Mobile phone. The usage of these gadgets is only limited to educational purposes and not for their personal use. These days students from their earlier stages of education are getting dragged into this humungous world, hence resulting in too much usage of tech – tools.

Hybrid Learning, Is it Hybrid?

Though some of the students learn in a Hybrid way, it affects the other part population of students that attend their school or classes physically. The face–to–face interaction might arouse problems in the classroom environment where the students are taught in a group rather than the Teacher giving individual attention to each of them. This may lead to insecurities in students, thus degrading their performance in their studies. As the cost of online education is less than the offline methodology, it might also throw the parents into a frenzy, and the students express no interest in continuing their academics.

This might lead to huge misunderstandings between the Teachers and the parents as well as among the student groups. The students who take up online learning will not be able to interact and communicate in groups and become timider in the crowd. We shouldn\’t ignore the problems like network interruption and connectivity issues that both the parties face and the effect that it has on education, as well.

Teachers – Not much of a Tech – Savvy

Though a certain number of Teachers are familiar with the technology and its uses, some of them are not. Before teaching their students, teachers have to learn the operations and utilization of mobile phones, smart boards, laptops, and other electronic devices. This might take up a huge amount of energy and consume a lot of time for them to study. This might become a greater issue that may affect the future of the student as well as the Teacher. So, usage of technology must be limited as it may take a toll on the Teacher and Student\’s health as well.

ENDING NOTE

Hybrid Learning is the new revolution in the modern era and is a stepping stone for upcoming generations. The smartest way possible. It ensures safety and self-enlightenment to the students and makes it easy for the teachers to concentrate on the academic knowledge and welfare of the students. There is a huge misconception that Hybrid Learning is not a flexible way for teaching and that it is like a far–fetched dream in many Countries. However, with better usage and direction of the mode, it is proved to be the biggest and greatest source of education that changes the life and evolution of Humanity.

Also read: Will Technology and Education ever rule the world?