Blended Learning and Its Types

Blended learning is the result of the encroachment that the online world has made into each of our lives. With all kinds of advancements that have come up due to the world becoming digital, education sector has also been influenced because of this. The good part is that this influence is absolutely positive. Education has become indeed very easy due to this change. By blended learning we refer to a combination of traditional face to face learning in the virtual world. Each one of us has been doing blended learning since years in one way or the other. It involves the following:

(a) Integration of online courses with face to face activities.

(b) Courses that are taught in classrooms and in distance learning programmes also.

(c) Mixing of instructional technique with real time job tasks.

(d) Incorporating the use of computers along with traditional teaching techniques.

 There are precisely 6 techniques of blended learning that you might have heard of. These are:

(1) Station Rotation Blended Learning – In this type the students rotate at various stations for learning. These stations are online stations.

(2) Lab Rotation Blended Learning - In this type the students rotate at various stations for learning in the computer labs of their own school only.

(3) Remote Blended Learning – In this type the student has to complete his course online. He meets or interacts with the teacher only occasionally.

(4) Flex Blended Learning – In this type the student becomes dependent on an online course that is flexible even if it directs the student sometimes towards an offline activity.

(5) The Flipped Classroom Blended Learning – In this type the students are provided online course and study material and later they seek support concerning the same from their teachers at school.

(6) Individual Rotation Blended Learning – In this type also the students rotate through stations according to the schedule fixed by their teacher.

Apart from these some of the other less familiar forms of blended learning are Project based blended learning; self directed blended learning; Inside out blended learning; outside in blended learning; supplemental blended learning and mastery based blended learning.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://www.teachthought.com/learning/12-types-of-blended-learning/