Blended learning approaches have recently been credited for achieving extraordinary student learning results. With any new approach it´s important to know how to make the most of it. So, what are the keys to a successful blended learning strategy? How can schools guarantee an effective launch of a blended methodology? There are a lot of elements in play here and any educational institution should be well-informed and able to give support to each and every pupil and teacher through the transition process, in order to achieve maximum potential from any Blended learning strategy.
CAE has put together a few keys to success in any blended Learning strategy, you can read them here:
#1. Teacher coaching
With any educational methodology it’s important to provide teacher support and professional learning in order for teachers to grown and achieve positive results. Providing teachers with individual coaching and goal setting is a good way to foster and monitor a successful Blended Learning strategy. Through regular sessions with teacher who use these methods daily, you will be able to see how to improve its implementation in the classroom. It’s beneficial to create and model best practices, as well as regular feedback meetings, to provide a targeted approach and make the most of blended techniques. Well informed staff and school administrators generate better results, both in teaching practises and student achievement.
To help with the coaching process have a look at our methodology.
#2. Data-driven instruction
Data doesn´t have to be a scary concept nor something that should intimidate people. Collecting the right kind of data and acting on it accordingly results in informed decisions and a higher quality outcome. In other words, data helps you make the right choices and to quickly see if something needs changing in order to keep moving forward.
Dexway Analytics helps you with this. Both students and teachers can see their learning progress at any given time. This helps teachers to quickly see problematic areas and reinforce them with extra support. It also motivates the students to keep learning, knowing that they are making improvements. The more they put in the more they can achieve.
Data analysis can also help you when setting goals and objectives. Knowing what the class has achieved in previous terms or how well the students reacted to certain challenges can help you set future class goals or identify the need for a targeted intervention.
#3. Personalized Instruction within the group
It´s often said that small groups work best. A lot of language academies only accept a maximum of 10 to 12 students in their groups. The philosophy behind this is that smaller student numbers allow teachers to give students more individualized attention. It targets individual learning needs. While this makes a lot of sense, using Blended Learning optimized environments such as Dexway Station Rotation labs makes personalized instruction a lot easier and more manageable. The teacher can give personalized attention inside a larger group without missing the smaller errors or sticking points. While one student is stuck trying to pronounce a word, one is learning verb forms and another flying through vocabulary.
As the teacher you can oversee the learning progress of the whole group while targeting specific areas and giving help where its most necessary while the online platform works with the student to correct smaller more binary mistakes. This gives the opportunity for building stronger relationships with individual students as well as ensuring a comprehensive and corrective learning process.
#4. High-quality technology
Another one of the keys to a successful blended learning strategy is the technology teachers can use in class. However, it´s easy to blind ourselves by the amount of platforms and solutions on the market. Just a technological solution isn´t enough. It has to be a high-quality and intuitive solution to really make a difference to your blended learning strategy. Our Voluxion Pro Learning Content Management Software (LCMS) includes features to reduce the administration burden on teachers. Using Voluxion Pro with Classroom Companion, helps teachers take control of class content and offers them an easy-to-use program interface where they can edit, change or add new interactive activities with just one click of a button.
- Easy-to-use student evaluation and student monitoring
- Cloud content to compliment the course
- Interactive multimedia activities, which are also customizable
- Instantaneous feedback to students, either automatic or customizable by the teacher
These are just some of the features that come with our LCMS Voluxion Pro.
Technology is our friend, not our foe and is a key tool for engaging students in the learning process.
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