Pop quizzes and recording lessons are two ways teachers can meet the hybrid learning challenge of keeping virtual and in-person students engaged in the same lessons.
There several other strategies teachers can use to capture the attention of both face-to-face students and remote learners, said Dan Sharpe, a PD trainer with ed-tech company ViewSonic Corp., during his Future of Education Technology Conference® presentation Wednesday.
“We know that technology can be challenging and we don’t want it to get in the way,” Sharp said. “We want technology to connect kids and make them feel like they’re in class even when they can’t be.”
Multiple devices will help. Ideally, hybrid teachers will have two devices—one to connect with online students and another to display lessons to their classrooms.
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Teachers can use one device to monitor online chats and other virtual activities while in-person can follow the lessons on a projector, TV or screen, Sharpe says.
“In the hybrid scenario, we need to link the physical classroom with students at home,” he said.
If a teacher has only one device, they can share their screen to student devices so everyone can follow along.
Teachers should also try to be consistent when using technology, such as by always putting Zoom links and assignments in the same location in their learning management systems.
School teams should also try to collaborate all teachers are using the same LMS platform, whether that’s Google Classroom, Canvas or a district website.
Hybrid differentiation
Providing personalizing learning during live, online learning can be difficult because all students are forced to move at the same pace.
Teachers should therefore consider recording lessons so students can re-watch the content. Chat functions and breakout rooms in Zoom and other virtual meeting platforms are two other ways teachers can connect one-on-one with students, Sharpe said.
Flipping instruction is another key engagement approach. A teacher, for instance, could show the class an image of the solar system and ask students to name all the planets and place them in size order.
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These allows students to do the exploration themselves and share their thoughts with each other. They can reflect, and make corrections to their initial responses. Only then does a teacher step in and direct students, Sharpe said.
ViewSonic’s ViewBoard can help teachers manage all these tasks, and present content that engages online and in-person students, said Blake Everhart, the company’s manager of professional development.
For instance, instead of taking attendance in the traditional manner, teachers can post a question that not only shows who’s logged on but engages students right away, Everhart said.
