Even though it didn’t go exactly as we planned, we have to admit that our lives have changed drastically after March 2020, with the pandemic of COVID-19. Schools being the first instructions to be shut down with the spread of the pandemic, the educational system was also the first field to show how unprepared we were for such an unexpected event. With much effort and challenges, the educational system started developing new ways to keep up with the requirements of this new COVID-19 age and starting with distance education, it finally managed to come up with an educational concept much versatile and preferable, namely hybrid learning which incorporates face-to-face classes with online learning with the help of technological tools. Let’s dive into what is the meaning of hybrid learning and what can be the pros and cons of hybrid learning for students and parents.
What Is Hybrid Learning and How Does Hybrid Learning Work?
Hybrid learning is an educational model in which the in-person learning is brought together with a virtual learning experience via technological tools that help to strengthen and facilitate the bond between the two educational models. In the hybrid learning system, the educators teach the same subjects simultaneously to two different student groups, one group being in class and learning face-to-face while the other group attending the class with the help of technological tools like a video conference session. In order to enable a more fruitful learning experience, the educators may use the following technological tools and many more than these:
- Simultaneous video conferences
- Discussion forums that are held online
- Online quizzes
- Online interactive games and exercises
- Asynchronous tools such as pre-recorded classes
- Online discussion rooms
What separates and makes hybrid learning a more preferable teaching method from remote education is that to some degree, it still incorporates the conventional aspect of education into the learning experience of the children. Being a system in which the educator teaches the students both in-person and online, hybrid learning also shows the importance of online educational apps and tools like Twin App and Twin Kits. Making education a more personalized and individualized experience for kids, Twin Apps and Twin Kits that aim for a double-winged educational model and that are designed for kids with different interests, make the hybrid learning experience more fruitful and fun as they give children a space to educate themselves both online via Twin App and in-person with Twin Kits. So, in a way, Twin App and Twin Kits also offer a hybrid learning experience in an age when we most need it!
Now, knowing what hybrid learning is, let’s take a closer look at what are a few of the advantages and benefits of hybrid learning.
Advantages of Hybrid Learning
- It teaches children time management.
In the conventional education system when students go to school five days a week for a certain amount of time, during the time they spend in school, the time management is done by the school as an institution and the teachers for the kids. They spent the entire day in an environment where the time for everything, from learning to eating food, is specified for them. So, for five days a week, they don’t need to think about how they should manage their time during the day. Yet, in the hybrid learning system, the students learn to manage their time on their own as virtual learning would require them to stay at home and during their time at home, they have to keep up with their workload on their own. Learning to reserve a certain amount of time for everything from online classes to homework and a certain amount of free time for themselves, the hybrid learning model teaches kids how to manage time on their own!
- It offers a more personalized and accessible education.
In the hybrid learning system, the needs of both students who learn better at school and who learn better at home is met. While those who prefer to stay at home can learn via online classes, those who prefer to go to actual school can learn by attending the in-person classes. In addition to that, offering the chance to those who don’t have the right circumstances for attending in-person classes (whether it be the distance to school or a working parent), the hybrid learning offers access to a wide variety of students. Plus, as the sizes of the classes would be reduced, the quality of both the in-person and the online classes would be much higher.
- It creates a safe and moderated relationship with technology.
Today’s children are engaged and have to be engaged with technology more than ever whether we approve it or not. And rather than having a bond with technology through online video games or unmoderated platforms, the hybrid education model allows them to create a relationship with technology that is much healthier. Computers and other technological devices have been in our lives for a long time and it seems that they will continue to be so in the future as well. Hybrid learning model inevitably entails the use of computers and technology and students who attend classes via video conferences and attend exercises that are done online not only excel in the topic they learn but also have a chance to excel in technology use that will be useful to them in their future lives and careers. Online educational apps like Twin App also offers kids to discover the online world via entertaining and educational means with a wide range of App sections from Adventures and Experiments to Trivia quizzes!
The advantages of hybrid learning can be multiplied. Stating the advantages of hybrid learning doesn’t mean that it only has pros; as we all know, for every pro, there is always a con. Increased screen time , having less social interaction with their peers, spending too much time at home and a lack of physical activity can be a few of the drawbacks that the hybrid learning experience may have on kids. Yet, we live in a technology-driven world. And since 2020, this ¨technology-driven¨ world has turned into a ¨pandemic-driven¨ world. Considering the shock and anxiety we all have experienced during the start of the pandemic with the quick switch to remote education, hybrid learning model offers a more balanced, equable and versatile learning experience for both parents and kids!
Twin brings the hybrid learning experience into life with its Premium subscription. By having a Premium subscription to Twin App, you can have access to all the Premium features that the Twin App offers from exclusive DIY projects to live shows with STEM experts while also owning 6 Twin Science Kits! Twin App also sends each parent a monthly skill report to let them know about the development of their kids by analyzing their participation and activities in the app. Offering both a safe and a moderated platform for kids to discover technology and also a hands-on experience with science kits, Twin offers a hybrid learning experience in the most efficient and entertaining way possible!
