Greetings everyone! I’m thrilled and a bit nervous to dive into my first blog post. While I may not be the most tech-savvy person, I’ve embarked on a journey to update my skills and knowledge. The excitement of taking this captivating course motivated me to share my experiences and challenges with blended learning. Back in my school days, it was all about the traditional blackboard-style learning. However, in my professional career, I’ve encountered the world of blended learning. During the pandemic, schools shifted to online classes, where lectures were recorded, allowing students to access and understand them remotely. Some students opted for face-to-face classes either over Zoom or physically in the classroom.
One major challenge arose for science students (as I was teaching science subjects) who found it difficult to maintain their practical exposure through virtual classes. The absence of hands-on experiments impacted their learning significantly. Additionally, many students faced issues with devices and high-speed internet connections, hindering their seamless participation in virtual classes. In my upcoming posts, I look forward to exploring more facets of blended learning and sharing insights into how we can enhance this educational approach for a more inclusive and effective learning experience.
Hello Jasvinder,
I can relate to your experience shifting to emergency online teaching. I teach a math/physics based course, and without the hands on, it was challenging. I was able to teach synchronously over Zoom, which I believe helped make the transition easier for my and my students. I was able to keep the lectures interactive and worked on engaging the students. Hopefully this class will give us some skills to develop future blended classes in a more pedagogically sound way!
Hello caked,
Thank you reviewing and sharing your experience of Maths/ Physics classes. Indeed, creating interactive sessions over zoom is crucial, especially for subjects like these that can be challenging to grasp online. I also struggled with physics in my undergrad, so I understand the difficulties student face in comprehending complex concepts remotely. I truly understand that as a teacher, you have dedicated yourself fully to nurturing students’ pedagogical skills and enhancing their abilities. It is commendable to see educators like you giving their all to support student learning and growth. Thankyou!
Thank you for your first post! Many of my colleagues could relate to your situation, as they had to figure out how to teach engineering labs remotely. Demonstrations could obviously be recorded, but it was certainly a struggle for the students to develop those practical skills. (Some of our instructors were geniuses and developed take-home electronics kits for students to use during their zoom lab sessions. They were very successful!)
Hello Lauren, Thankyou for reviewing my first post! Yes, I agree. I have also used demonstration method for teaching Grade 10 students, especially to illustarte chemical reactions and their properties. It is unfortunate that during the pandemic, students might have missed out on valuable hands-on learning experiences.
Agreed with the hands-on learning challenges. Kudos to all of the science/lab teachers out there that had to navigate through online learning in a hot panic.