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A Teaching Guide to Conduct Lessons Through Digital and In-person Classrooms
As blended learning becomes the new normal, teachers have to be on their toes once again. With the unpredictable nature of education delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators saw the benefits of learning both in-person and online. Since technology and the digital world are a part of every Gen Z student’s life, integrating digital learning can improve your lesson’s impact. This may leave you with many questions such as:
How can you as an educator integrate blended teaching methods while maintaining consistency in your students’ learning?
How can you effectively communicate with students both in and out of the classroom?
How do you keep conversations on track and ensure everyone is on the same page in either scenario?
This guide is created exclusively to provide some guidance and solutions for these questions. It is also filled with resources to enhance your teaching experience in a blended teaching environment. To deepdive into best practices, strategies and examples of hybrid or blended education, check out International Comprehensive’s course on Distance, Hybrid and Blended Learning.
Blended Vs Hybrid learning
Blended learning combines two or more forms of teaching where teachers may opt to mix in-person and e-learning modules.
In the case of hybrid learning, students follow their preferred mode of learning. They may choose to study either online or in person as per their convenience.
4 Easy Communication Hacks to Implement Blended Learning
Whether you're teaching a blended class, a hybrid class, or a fully online course, effective communication is key to keeping your students engaged. Blended learning require special techniques to keep everyone on task. If you believe that teaching in the 21st Century is a lifelong learning process, read on!
#1: Use Technology Optimally
Technology is a great way to communicate effectively with students. There are many different ways to use technology in the online or offline classroom. Technology can help teachers communicate with students in a variety of ways. Some resources we recommend include:
Zoom is a cloud based video conferencing platform. It offers many interactive features such as screen sharing and creating breakout groups for students to hold discussions amongst themselves!
Google Drive is a great platform to collaborate and share material through google docs, google sheets, google slides etc.
Lucid for Education is a suite for visual applications which promotes learning through digital design and diagramming skills.
Google Classroom is a great tool to efficiently organize and conduct online classes.
Cell-ed is another great platform to teach and track student progress simply on the mobile phone!
Free learning platforms like Rumie provide bite-sized lessons to reinforce knowledge and skills!
Google Arts and Culture is another great resource to help students digitally explore places and discover culture through art!
For more resources, check out UNESCO’s distance learning solutions.
#2: Integrate Videos and Auditory Media to Make Learning Fun
Videos are a great way to communicate effectively in an online classroom setting. Students can access video lessons anytime they want. Teachers can use video to supplement their in-person lessons so students can revisit key points of your lectures. When using video, keep the following tips in mind:
Keep the video short. You don't need to make videos longer than 10-15 minutes.
Include visuals. Visuals help students understand concepts easier.
Make sure the audio quality is good. If the audio isn't clear enough, then the video won't be effective either.
Be consistent. Don't change what you say in different parts of the video.
Give examples. Showing examples helps students understand how to apply the concept.
Provide feedback. Let students know if they did something well or not.
Have fun!
Edpuzzle is a great platform to put together video lessons, engage with students and reinforce accountability by checking if students are actively learning from your lessons!
Audio is another great tool for communicating effectively in an online classroom. Using audio, you can record yourself speaking about a topic, play it back, and listen to it again. This can be useful in language classes as it gives students the opportunity to hear themselves speak and practice their pronunciation. Vocaroo is a great free resource to record and share your audio!
#3: Conduct Engaging Quizzes Online
Quizzes are a great way to test student understanding of topics. Students can take quizzes at any time, and teachers can give them instant feedback. Classmarker is a great resource to create custom quizzes and tests. Google Form is another easy way to create and administer short and simple quizzes
#4: Use Discussion Boards To Provide Feedback
Online discussion boards are a great way to foster a healthy classroom community. These forums can really help your students learn from one another and socialize, especially in a purely online setting. These discussion channels can also improve in-person engagement and give a voice to students who are more shy to speak out! “Yo Teach!” is a great backchannel for you to conduct polls, create and moderate chat rooms as well as post and discuss articles. Kialo Edu is a great platform to conduct healthy debates and discussions online in a troll-free zone!