Blended Learning: A Brief Guide

Education is continually evolving and can be rendered as future-focused pedagogy. Leaps in technology have changed how education is imparted to children. One of the forms is blended learning - education that combines technology with brick and mortar classrooms. 

Basically, it refers to utilising web-based technologies and elements of traditional classrooms to transform the learning experience. By using this approach, the learning environment becomes constructive and interactive. Furthermore, there are countless innovations in the works to further streamline and strengthen the framework of blended learning. 

A few tweaks were worked out in virtual learning especially during the COVID-induced shut down of schools. For instance, technology platforms are aiming to make the classrooms even more interactive by using 21st-century technology. This allows the traditionality in teaching to not get lost while using the technology to streamline it. 

We are one of the leading CBSE schools in Dubai to have employed blended learning in the curriculum. Looking at so many platforms using the blended learning teaching model, you learn what blended learning is and how it can benefit your child. 

This post will cover everything you need to know about the approach, along with its benefits. 

Without further ado, let's begin. 

Evolution of traditional mode of teaching

Let's first begin with the traditional classrooms. We understand the benefits that learners can gain from one-on-one and face-to-face instructions from the teacher and collaboration with their peers at the best schools in Dubai. 

Blended learning does not do away with this part of learning. Instead, it builds on it and arms the teachers with more resources to focus on the key areas. For instance, teachers spend a fair amount of time, allowing the students to jot down class notes. Blended learning enables the teachers to deliver all the essential notes and lecture summaries virtually. Moreover, the smartboard records whatever the teachers write on it so that learners can refer to the notes later. 

It does not make the presence of teachers and the classroom experience obsolete but incorporates state of the art educational technology to forge a dynamic and interactive environment. It saves time and allows teachers to invest resources in actually steering the learning process constructively. 

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Why Blended Learning?

Blended learning approach has become a norm in the best schools in Dubai with high-quality platforms, mainly because of its overarching benefits. 

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Here are the three crucial benefits of incorporating a blended form of teaching and learning: 

1. Enhanced educational methodology

In the traditional setting, most teachers use a transmissive mode of learning to convey a vast amount of information to the students. The information gets delivered to the students, but there is no way of knowing how the students are receiving it. 

Blended learning creates a dynamic environment to enhance interaction, collaborative learning, and adopt an individualised learning approach. With the use of technology, learners connect with their peers and teachers, enhancing interaction. Hence, better communication paves the road for effective and collaborative learning. Furthermore, the individualised approach enables the students to acquire knowledge at a pace they are comfortable with. 

Finally, teachers do not have to waste time conveying factual information to help the students memorise dates. Teachers focus on instilling digital literacy skills to help students become better with online research. In totality, it enhances the pedagogy to foster holistic learning and development of the students. 

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2. Easy access to information

The access to information is easy and straightforward with blended learning. It is one of the main reasons why the program is relevant today. As per their convenience, learners can access lecture notes, class notes, factual information, presentations, and more. They have all the resources with them and can refer to them any time they choose to. 

The kind of flexibility students can practice with gaining learning materials from a distance makes sense. More importantly, the flexibility to seek help from teachers and peers in a virtual environment is also beneficial. 

3. Ease of revision

We discussed the benefits of easily accessible information, course material, and lecture notes. There is another advantage of a blended learning program, and it is the ease of revision. 

When all the relevant information and resources are available on a virtual platform, reviewing what you have learned becomes an efficient and streamlined process. During the tests or project work, students can easily find what they need to work on. 

Moreover, we also covered the benefits of enhanced interaction with teachers and peers. This further makes it easier for students to clear any doubts regarding the course content or assignments. 

The models of blended learning

Each learning platform uses a different mode of teaching. Hence, the way a school implements blended learning depends on the varying expertise of the teachers and the school community. 

For instance, GIIS Dubai, which is one of the best CBSE schools in Dubai, created a smart campus to make blended learning a core component of their educational framework. It's where education becomes a streamlined process for learners, teachers, parents, and all the other stakeholders. 

There are four models of blended learning, and some schools may prefer one model over the other.

Let's learn what they are:  

● Face-to-face instruction model: Schools widely use this model. Here the teacher delivers the curriculum by employing advanced tools to complement the traditional pedagogy of face to face learning. 

● Rotation model: The rotation model has always been a part of the educational framework, but now online learning has been added to the model. Basically, in this model, learners move between multiple tasks such as practical work, brainstorming sessions, project work, and online learning. The teachers and school administration design the task and time limit.

● Self-blend model: The self-blend model is gaining popularity every day as it allows learners to practice flexibility. It enables learners to pick up online learning outside the confines of general coursework. The model is perfect for struggling learners working on weak areas and high achievers who want to further enhance their knowledge. To facilitate the model, usually, teachers, parents, and the student work together to develop a self-blend learning plan. 

● Online driver model: In the previous models, online learning's role was a part of a bigger picture that involved brick and mortar classrooms. However, the online driver model relies solely on virtual learning. Students take the classes from remote locations, and teachers resolve their queries via telecommunication. The model is ideal for learners who cannot physically be present in the school. Moreover, it is perfect for students who wish to increase the pace of learning in the classroom that otherwise would not have been possible. 

Key takeaways

In this post, we covered the crucial pointers of blended learning. Let's take a quick look at the few key takeaways that we can draw from the article: 

● At the best schools in Dubai, blended learning is an amalgamation of the traditional classroom setting and 21st-century technology. 

● The introduction of blended learning does not make brick and mortar classrooms obsolete. 

● Blended learning enhances the educational methodology where the classroom environment becomes more interactive, collaborative, and constructive. 

● It enables the learners to access the information and notes remotely and as per their convenience. 

● The four models of blended learning are face-to-face, rotation, self-blend, and online driver model. 

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