BLENDED TEACHING: THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION SOCIETY

Ms Shalini Dr Manju Rani

Research scholar Supervisor
SMPG(PG )College Meerut Dept. Education,
SMPG(PG )College ,Meerut

Abstract Keywords: Teaching, Learning, Online Learning,

Blended Teaching method refers to “mixing of different BLENDED TEACHING, Web based learning
Teaching environments”. It combines traditional face-to-
face classroom methods with more modern computer- I. INTRODUCTION
mediated activities using internet and other advanced Teaching Methods such as lecturing, guided learning,
technology. Traditional teaching method is most popular exploratory discussions, debates and role-playing must be
method of teaching in Indian school and colleges. amalgamated with online Teaching tools such as podcasts, e-
Traditional teaching method is a must where there is face books, webcasts and digital video libraries, massive
to face communication .Online learning, web based multiplayer online games, wikis, etc. to create a unique
learning, intelligent tutor systems are the new innovation in Teaching path of each learner. Blended Teaching is creating a
education. Online Teaching has unique abilities to provide mix of both offline and online teaching experiences in a way
students with enriched Teaching experiences, to extend that they complement each other. The single most important
Teaching beyond the school day, and to support more challenge to blended Teaching currently is that the concept is
successful differentiated Teaching strategies that not understood properly, making availability of human
personalize students’ educational experiences. Web based resources difficult, who can successfully implement it.
Teaching has the advantage of teaching through Directly measuring the impact of blended Teaching is also a
animations, multimedia, videos and chats etc. Blended slightly difficult task because of its fluid and abstract nature as
Teaching is the teaching practice that combines teaching well as the presence of so many Teaching elements. However,
methods from both face-to-face and online Teaching is an many organizations and educational institutes have established
established. The objective of this paper is to explain basics of that using a wide range of Teaching methods both online and
BLENDED TEACHING, elements and procedure for offline are far more effective in delivering personalized and
BLENDED TEACHING, benefits, limitations and more relevant Teaching experiences.
challenges for BLENDED TEACHING. However, very Simply giving out instruction that is technology rich or
little research has actually been done on the effects of online using multiple gadgets and devices to facilitate Teaching is
education or blended Teaching in Indian continent not BLENDED TEACHING, it is much more than just
education environments. In this paper description of technology layering. Blended Teaching involves leveraging
blended Teaching initiative for future Teaching the power of the internet to create more personalized
environment are discussed. Some digital tools to support Teaching experiences to reach student where he/she gets
BLENDED TEACHING, strategy to be adopted for empowered to have an increased control over the time, place,
incorporation of blended Teaching and recommendations path and or pace of learning. Blended strategies enhance
for policy making are also given. student engagement and Teaching through online activities to
the course curriculum, and improve effectiveness and
efficiencies by reducing lecture time.
 Blended Teaching strategies vary according to the process. Blending provides various benefits over using any
discipline, the year level, student characteristics and Teaching single Teaching delivery medium alone.‖ (Singh 2003)
outcomes, and have a student-centered approach to the From above definitions we can say that Blended Teaching is
Teaching design. Blended Teaching can increase access and a fundamental redesign of the instructional model with the
flexibility for learners, increase level of active learning, and following characteristics:
achieve better student experiences and outcomes. For teaching i) A shift from lecture - to student-centered instruction in
staff, blended Teaching can improve teaching and class which students become active and interactive learners;
management practices. Research indicates that student ii) Increases in interaction between student-instructor,
satisfaction with the blended format is directly dependent student-student, student-content, and student-outside
upon the level of interaction with teachers and other students. resources;
Teachers can increase interaction opportunities through face- iii) Integrated formative and summative assessment
to-face discussion sessions and by using online tools such as mechanisms for students and instructor.
discussion forums, virtual conferencing, virtual world and In Blended Teaching blend might include:
online games, and using mobile technologies such as flip i). Face-to-face and online Teaching activities and
cameras and voice recorders to engage with parents and the formats
wider school community. ii). Traditional timetabled classes with different modes,
SOME DEFINITIONS iii). Well established technologies such as lecture capture,
Blended Teaching refers to a strategic and systematic and/or with social media and emerging technologies
approach to combining times and modes of learning, iv). Simulations, group activities, site-based learning, and
integrating the best aspects of face-to-face and online practical.
interactions for each discipline, using appropriate ICTs. There are many teachers blending or integrating different
Blended Teaching is the combination of multiple approaches types of Teaching activities and resources in classroom,
to learning. Blended Teaching can be accomplished through laboratory, practicum, studio contexts for a very long time.
the use of ‗blended‘ virtual and physical resources. Blended Today, the term ‗BLENDED TEACHING‘ has evolved to
Teaching is the integration of face-to-face and online mean the integration of classroom Teaching with online or e-
Teaching to help enhance the classroom experience and learning.
extend Teaching through the innovative use of information II. ELEMENTS OF BLENDED TEACHING
and communications technology. Many researchers and educationalists support the situational
A course that blends online and face-to-face delivery where instructional design model for ―blended theory‖ approach.
substantial proportion of the content is delivered online, According to Zemke the situation is dependent upon ―the
typically uses online discussions, and typically has some face- people you serve, the nature of the skills they must master and
to-face meetings. the context in which they are to perform.‖ Such a
Dziuban, Hartman and Moskal (2004) in a research brief for ―situational‖ instructional design model fits well with the
educase titled ―Blended Learning‖ quoted that - ―Blended concept of BLENDED TEACHING. By applying Teaching
Teaching should be viewed as a pedagogical approach at theories of Keller, Gagné, Bloom, Merrill, Clark and Gery,
combines the effectiveness and socialization opportunities of there are five key ingredients emerge as important elements of
the classroom with the technologically enhanced active a BLENDED TEACHING: L-O-C-A-R
Teaching possibilities of the online environment, rather than a A. Live Events:
ratio of delivery modalities. Synchronous, instructor-led Teaching events in which all
―The concept of blended Teaching is rooted in the idea that learners participate at the same time, such as in a live ―virtual
Teaching is not just a one-time event—Teaching is a classroom.‖
continuous B. Online Content:
Teaching experiences that the learner completes
individually, at his own speed and on his own time, such as
interactive, Internet-based or CD-ROM training.
C. Collaboration:
 The methods in which educationist communicate with Through out interaction students are able to acquire
others, for example, e-mail, and online chat. information and support from both their peers groups and
D. Assessment: their instructor/Mentors.
A measure of learners‟ knowledge. Pre-assessments can
D. Reviewing:
come before live or self-paced events, to determine prior
The objective is to have newly created knowledge
knowledge, and post-assessments can occur following
transferred to learners‟ future Teaching through sharing their
scheduled or online Teaching events, to measure Teaching
work with their colleagues and the instructor. This component
transfer.
encompasses the following three subcomponents: (i) make
E. Reference Materials: presentation (ii) review the process; and (iii) receive feedback
The reference materials that enhance Teaching learning from instructor/ mentors . The first one is a kind of ―show and
materials and transfer, including PDA downloads, and PDFs. tell‖. Students may be expected to make presentations or
III. THE BLENDED TEACHING PROCEDURE display their work online The second is a kind of self-
There are four mainly elements in the blended Teaching reflection process, where they can compare their own work
procedure: with their colleague and review their own work to see how
(a) Lead-in; (b) Planning; (c) Acting; and (d) Reviewing. well they have done their job. The third is how their work is
A. Lead-In: evaluated by their peers and the instructor so that they are
It is the preparatory point of the activity. In this component, informed of how well they have done their work and where
there are four subcomponents, which are: i) describe aims of they are expected to improve in terms of knowledge
the task; (ii) show the task by examples; (iii) show resources construction and Teaching strategies.
provided; and (iv) make arrangements. The first one is
intended for learners to have an idea what they are expected IV. BENEFITS OF BLENDED TEACHING
to achieve after completion of the task. The second is meant By learning, understanding and adopting the blended
to let students have a better understanding of the task. The Teaching technology, an Engineering Teacher can achieve
third is set to provide students with resources that they can many important benefits. Competency-based policies,
use to complete the task. The last is to make instructional dynamic scheduling, and smart recommendation engines will
arrangements, which are mainly referred to as the general make it easier for more schools to incorporate these strategies.
planning for how this course will be carried on through the Blended Teaching makes it easier to provide multiple
whole semester. Teaching strategies. Blended Teaching is making it easier to
B. Planning: leverage individual student interests through internships and
The objective of this component is to define the task by projects. Blended Teaching makes it easier to ‗flip the
learners themselves through using their knowledge. There are classroom‘ and send home a play list of instructional resources
three subcomponents, which are: (i) brainstorm if in groups; that deliver content so that class time can be spent solving
(ii) Define the problem; and (iii) identify the factors or aspects problems Blended Teaching provides partnership with a
or define the steps. If students work in peer groups, they may community- based organization. Blended Teaching can help
be required to work out to the given problem and to define extend the school calendar. In addition to extended access and
the steps that you can follow to deal with that problem. more variety, the shift from print to digital curriculum will
C. Acting: includes embedded assessments and powerful dashboards that
The objective is to deal with an actual task or problem by will allow teachers to more easily monitor student progress.
completing task-related requirements. This component Blended Teaching can make Teaching more social and more
distinguishes itself from other components by interacting with transparent. New staffing patterns, new roles, and extended
Virtual Teaching Environment (VLE). It has three Teaching time will allow many teachers to earn more.
subcomponents: (i) collect more information if needed; (ii) Many Teachers appreciate that blended Teaching makes a
carry on the task or solve the problem; and (iii) write reports. difficult job more doable. But one thing should be always kept
in mind that, Teacher can achieve desire benefits only by institutions
adopting appropriate blended Teaching strategy for their
desire subject, module or course. Benefits of Blended
Teaching are listed below:
i). Enhanced student Teaching outcomes
ii). Greater flexibility for students and teachers
iii). Improved autonomy, reflection, and research
skills iv). Reduced student withdrawal rate
v). Ability to foster a professional Teaching
environment
vi). Potential cost and resource savings
vii). Best personal integration among participants, with
the consequent exchange of experiences
viii). Ability to develop collective dynamics.
ix). Potential cost savings with the formation of groups,
to allow a whole class start and finish the course
within the same period.
x). Improved student assessment in live situations,
especially when the subject involves the formation
of relationship performance and attitude of the
student front of the public.
xi). Ability to perform field work and visits to places
of interest.
xii). Humanization of relationship between the
institution and students.
xiii). Improved Teaching outcomes within specified
time, with more diverse media and collaboration
among students more intense.

IV. LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES FOR

BLENDED TEACHING
In India, we are on the mid boundary of Traditional
Teaching and Online Teaching Environment. Until and unless
we are not totally shifting to well design appropriate blended
strategy, on cannot achieve the desire benefits of BLENDED
TEACHING. In current situation, there are following
limitations or challenges for BLENDED TEACHING.
i). Unrealistic student
expectations ii).Student-perceived
isolation
iii). Intrusion into other areas of life Time
commitment iv). Technological problems for
students
v). Difficulty in acquiring new teaching and technology
skills
vi). Lack of support for course redesign
vii). Technological problems for
viii). Need to organize classes in person, to reduce costs,
with specified dates, can limit the access of individual
students who wish to study independently and
programs with more flexible deadlines, such as e-
learning.
ix). Limits the access of students wishing to study
individual programs independently and with flexible
hours
x). Devaluation of the online teacher and high
appreciation of Professor.
xi). Professor presence has a more significant role,
however it is not he who serves the distance learners,
and students are stranded on both sides: one that
dominates the content does not care, and who does not
care dominates the entire contents.

V. DIGITAL TOOLS TO SUPPORT BLENDED

TEACHING
Following are some examples of digital tools that can be
used to support Teaching and teaching in a blended
environment. An Engineering Teachers should explore all of
them to become familiar so that they can understand how to
collaborate them for moving towards blended Teaching
environment.
Blogs: Blogs are an ideal tool for opinion. These blogs
might be written by a single author or several. Multi-author
blogs in particular topics can provide an opportunity for
improving communication .
Discussion Boards: They are similar to Blogs in that they
often work at the augmentation or modification level. This
type of Board is used for thinking and analyzing type
activities such as brainstorming, cooperative debate,
collaborative writing etc.
Live Internet streaming: It is used for live guest speech,
question answer session, demonstrations, live debate, polling
etc.
Web/video conferencing: It is used for taking online
feedback, hosting weekly discussion or Q & A session, on
site lectures etc.
Mind mapping: It includes flowcharts and graphs where
brainstorming is carried out by Learners or peers
Twitter: It can be used for taking feedback, understanding
the opinions, following specific topic, problem solving space
etc.
 Screen capture /recording: It is used to create step by step vii). Students get feedback on their performance as part of
Teaching video, recording for complex concepts, and doing the activity or following completion of the
evaluation of problem solving capabilities. activity.
Open education resources: OER enables students to create viii). The activity is manageable by staff.
their own instructional, historical or autobiographical video
Flipped classroom: In a flipped classroom, students have a
voice and are encouraged to debate, question, make decisions, VII. CONCLUSIONS
make choices and be supported in a Teaching environment. Blended Teaching in educational research refers to a mixing
Classrooms become laboratories or studios, and yet content of different Teaching environments. It combines traditional
delivery is preserved. face-to-face classroom methods with more modern computer-
MOOC: Massive open online course is an online mediated activities .Online Teaching environment can
course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via facilitate the success of students because they can review
the web. MOOCs provide interactive user forums to support materials when they want and are more comfortable asking
community interactions between students, professors, and teachers for help. BLENDED TEACHING, which typically
teaching assistants. Many MOOCs often emphasized open- extends classroom instruction online, is giving new
access features, such as open licensing of content, structure approaches and strategies for addressing the challenges they
and Teaching goals, to promote the reuse and remixing of face and for taking advantage
resources. of the exciting new Teaching opportunities that are now
VI. STRATEGY TO BE ADOPTED available. Students who took all or part of their class online
performed better, on average, than those taking the same course
Good practice in blended Teaching involves using a few
through traditional face-to-face instruction. Instruction
tools in effective ways to achieve quality Teaching outcomes.
combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger
When designing a unit for blended Teaching start first with
advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did
the Teaching outcomes and consider what supports students
purely online instruction. The effectiveness of online Teaching
will need to achieve successful Teaching outcomes. This
approaches appears quite broad across different content and
planning process includes the integration of blended Teaching
learner types. Online Teaching can be enhanced by giving
in your unit and designing the Teaching activities.
learners control of their interactions with media and prompting
i). The blended Teaching activity is planned in advance,
Teaching reflection. Some researches proved that providing
as something that the student does.
several online options in addition to traditional classroom
ii). All the components of the activity are ready (but not
training actually will increase what students learn, also the
necessarily available) before the student starts the
student interaction and satisfaction improved, along with
activity.
students Teaching more, in courses that incorporated
iii). The activity leads students towards achieving the
BLENDED TEACHING. Looking towards the benefits of
Teaching outcomes and/or completing assessment for
blended Teaching and to overcome the current limitation and
the unit.
challenges, education institutions should take initiatives to
iv). The activity takes account of students‘ incoming level
incorporate blended Teaching strategy. Also wherever possible
of expertise in online learning/independent learning.
universities and autonomous institutions should also try to
v). Students are provided with clear
adopt blended Teaching environment and should create require
guidelines/expectations about what they are to do,
framework and policy for implementation. In current situation
where, and within what time frame.
of gadget world, Institutions leading with blended Teaching
vi). The rationale for the activity is made clear to students.
environment will remain sustainable for long duration with
successful academic achievement.
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