As schools reopen, let’s see how to create an effective learning environment for everyone. Everywhere in India, it’s back-to-school season. And it is imperative for you to make sure that you don’t contribute to the increasing incidence of COVID-19 cases as we are going through the vaccination drive in phases. This is just the beginning of the battle; we have a long way to go.
THE DIFFERENTIAL NEEDS
This year’s preparations are fraught with fear and anxiety as parents, educators, and administrators need to balance the need to reduce the spread of this deadly coronavirus with the aim to provide productive learning environments to the students. The topmost priority of all the schools is to reduce virus-transmission, not jeopardise students and staff’s health while conducting disseminating education. This is an uphill task, given COVID-19 is a fast-moving pandemic.
Schools must be equipped to change the course if there’s a resurgence or circumstances change because education shouldn’t take the backseat ever. Learning must continue at all times. Therefore, no fixed template should be used at the moment to educate students. It has to be a hybrid learning model that combines both – educate them remotely via online classes and educate them in the physical classrooms.
For instance, in the United States, more than 75% of the schools have opined to start schools remotely due to continued infections. Philippines’ officials have announced that they will keep the schools shut until a vaccine is widely available, while Kenya has vowed to keep its schools closed until 2021. There is a stark contrast in Europe; countries such as the Netherlands plan to resume full-time physical classroom teaching.
McKinsey’s reports suggest no one-size-fits-all approach that everyone can follow to arrive at an optimal learning model during the COVID-19 crisis. Learning should continue; there is no doubt about that. Having said that, opening schools should not be an all or nothing proposition.
UNESCO says that many students who have suffered greater setbacks than others and will continue to face more obstacles in remote-learning classes need to be prioritised if the administrators decide to resume physical classroom learning. For instance, students who have to deal with economic hardships, learning disabilities, or unstable home environments find remote learning very tough. They suffer from various accounts such as no access to technology, inability to afford remote learning, emotional support, etc.
Also, we need to provide learning opportunities to the students without putting them or their families at risk. We need to devote significant resources to disadvantaged students for effective learning.
THE NEW TREND: HYBRID LEARNING & LMS
This is why we need to have hybrid learning in schools. We can ensure this model’s effectiveness if the schools start using good Learning Management Systems (LMS). Every school needs to adopt this new approach to rise and shine during this pandemic and the post-pandemic era.
This new hybrid learning model is a fascinating and great experience for all students, irrespective of their ages. Under this education model, students experience a mix of the traditional physical classroom and homeschooling instructions. It is a sound balance of stay at homeschooling and formal schooling. It is a mix of new forums, challenges and learning.
As we are all aware that the traditional learning model of education proved to be insufficient in the present era and is not quite in tandem with the evolving needs of the new normal, hybrid learning has come as a much-needed respite where students can leverage the opportunity of experiencing both physical learnings in the traditional classrooms and distance learning in the digital classes. This new model is called “Hybrid learning” or “Blended learning”.
In this model, the schools don’t operate from their premises daily. The students have to attend the physical classes only 2-3 days per week, and on the rest of the days, they can attend online classes from the comfort of their homes. In such a scenario, the school can call 50% of students on any three days and the rest 50% on the rest of the days. The school designs the curriculum so that teachers and parents are always updated about their child’s progress at all times.
The blended learning model offers customised learning solutions to each child that are uniquely tailored, keeping the child’s interests, learning styles, personality and requirement in mind. This can be done effectively by using the new technology in the form of a Learning Management System (LMS).
An effective LMS provides one platform to the schools to administer, manage, and track education delivery via both modes – online and offline. It automates and streamlines the administrative, educational and managerial functions. Therefore, you need to invest in a good LMS for school before resuming your schools. A sound LMS is a boon for the teachers, students, parents as well as administrative staff.
Through efficient LMS, a hybrid learning model is an innovative way of experiential learning, which is growing with fervour worldwide. This is the fastest-growing education model in countries like Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, UK, France, Canada, Australia, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Russia, etc.
It is an interesting, fun, and engaging learning model for all the students because it uses various tools and techniques such as gamification, slides, images, and videos to engage the students. This way, the students feel motivated to participate in the classes actively. The students are very relaxed as they have access to the material 24*7, and they can learn at their own pace.
Don’t rob your kids of education when technological solutions are available. The new hybrid model of learning is indispensable for rewiring the current outdated education system. We hope you invest in a smart LMS solution to rock the world of a new learning model to stay ahead in the education field. Having an LMS is like having insurance cover for your school. It will always keep your school rising and shining amidst all the turmoil and unprecedented times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
