Ana Reyes
Marketing Project Manager, Kiddom
How has COVID-19 affected blended learning practices in the classroom? Our recent blended learning survey showed some surprising and uplifting results.
The past year has forced us to face new challenges and pushed us to try new things that we had never considered before, or simply did not have the time to implement. One of those things, according to our latest survey, is blended learning.
Before we get into the details of our survey’s surprising findings, let’s recap what blended learning is. According to the Christensen Institute:
“Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns: at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.”
When did most teachers start using blended learning in the classroom?
A surprising 60.6% of teachers we surveyed said they had never used blended learning prior to the pandemic, and perhaps it was the need to pivot that drove them to explore blended learning models.
Which blended learning models were picked up during COVID-19?
When asked which blended models educators had implemented, Enriched Virtual was the clear winner!
Rightfully so, since this model requires that students have some face-to-face interaction with teachers (but not much) and then complete most of their coursework on their own. Something that can be easily done with Kiddom!
So how are folks using Kiddom to do blended learning? One survey respondent, Teacher Mary Fultz, shared that she’s using Kiddom with the EL Education curriculum to do a rotation model of blended learning with her virtual students.
Kiddom gave her the flexibility she needed to continue working with her students virtually and make assessments available for them to complete.
For more on how she used Kiddom for blended learning, keep an eye out for our next blog in this series!
Is blended learning here to stay?
All in all, it looks like blended learning is here to stay, as 86.7% of surveyed teachers said they would continue to use it post-COVID.
Though it was not an easy year, these stats reveal a silver lining that some good has come from our struggles. As one survey participant pointed out, the pandemic has helped build community in the classroom:
“I started out totally remote learning and then at 2nd quarter, some students slowly started returning. As Covid spiked, some left and went back remote and others entered the Face to Face classroom. My room has been a revolving door but one thing remains constant, the kids and I are a community and we’ve learned together to have grit and roll with technical problems that arise.”
For many schools the pandemic was the push they needed to get 1:1 technology for their kids, and for others it was the first time they learned to use the technology they already had, yet in new ways that will continue to improve their pedagogical practice when they return to the classroom, as our survey shows.
Whatever the final outcomes, one thing is for sure across the board – our educators have shown an incredible amount of adaptability and resilience during this time.
Read part 2 of this blended learning series to learn how Teacher Mary Fultz is using Kiddom with EL Education to do the Lab Rotation model in her classroom!
Kiddom seamlessly connects the most critical aspects of teaching and learning on one platform.
For the first time, educators can share and manage digital curriculum, differentiate instruction, and assess student work in one place. Learners can take assessments online, see student performance data with the click of a button, and teachers have the insight and tools they need to create individual learning paths.
Ready to bring digital curriculum to your school or district?
Connect with us in a 15-minute meeting to learn more about available pre-packaged curriculum, and how the Kiddom education platform can support your learning community.
