Hybrid mode of teaching
ONE positive thing that Covid has brought to the surface is the importance of a hybrid model of teaching and learning which is a good blend of onsite and online classrooms.
Hybrid learning is an educational model where students are given a chance to attend class in person or join the class virtually from home.
When planned well, hybrid courses combine the best features of in-person and online learning while making education more achievable for many students.
With a flexible learning experience, Synchronous communication opportunities, the freedom of independent academic exploration, and more efficient use of resources Hybrid model of teaching and learning seem to be the future of education.
We have discussed a lot about the destruction caused by covid 19 especially in the education sector but now there is a need to talk and work on strategies to support hybrid mode of teaching and learning not only to provide help to those who were affected by covid 19 and the learning gaps that have emerged due to school closure and the uncertainty in future as the third wave will bring more challenges but also invest in technology, training of teachers and modification of curriculum.
Hybrid mode of teaching and learning will act as an accelerator to our education system with effective synchronization of blended learning with personalization and community development.
It’s high time to change the traditional way of teaching to a more advanced form, as generation Z is mature enough to adopt new ways that are best aligned with what they are experiencing with their smartphones in their hands 24/7.
Such a blend of the online and onsite model will not only transform the unsocial experience of people where they listen to lectures on YouTube only with no personal interaction into a social environment that embraces curiosity, diversity, and value learning new things.
Hybrid mode along with flexibility also gives provision to explore and discuss new ways of doing the same task with the use of technology hence widen the perspective of our students to analyze and produce with individuality.
This demands a new form of relationship and trust between teacher and students as they need to be active through the chat box, MS teams, zoom, or any other virtual platform.
This will also help them develop soft skills like emotional intelligence, adaptability, communication, collaboration, persuasion, and teamwork.
With a Hybrid model in the future, our assessment system needs attention too where we need to assess students, not on the pre-designed answers and two-to-three-hour papers but must also be assessed on their portfolio comprises of research work, data collection, analysis and conclusion, projects, presentations, community service, volunteer work, internship and any other form of work where they can produce their own learning.
Along with this, providing online assessment will also help our learners in such unpredictable times.
There is an urgent need to modify the syllabus and to design an online assessment model where there is less chance of cheating and plagiarism.
Working on a single national curriculum alone with no focus on improving the current situation of schools and the quality of teachers will not work.
In my opinion, the need of an hour is to provide internet connection, digital devices, training to teachers and to facilitate schools/college universities with modern infrastructure with updated technology to support hybrid model of teaching and learning along with the partnership with private schools/colleges and universities who have adapted to this model more successfully than the public sector.
—The writer is an educationist based in Islamabad.
