by Globaldigitalcitzen May 26, 2015 . There are many different ways to engage students, and one of those ways is through blended learning options. By using blended learning ideas in the classroom, students often learn more easily because they are interested in the activities and the knowledge.
Presenting information to students correctly can be the key to seeing them develop a higher level of interest in anything they need to learn.
Here are nine ways to achieve meaningful student engagement with blended learning.
Help Students See the Relevance of the Work
When students don’t see the point of what they are asked to do, they are far less likely to do it. When incorporating blended learning ideas, it’s very important to offer students relevant work and show that relevance from the beginning. Explaining relevance after the fact doesn’t help the student or the instructor and can slow down the learning process.
Collaborate and Problem-Solve During Class Meetings
Because blended learning incorporates face-to-face and online learning options, students can do things on their own and work with their instructor and the other students in the class. Collaborating and problem-solving are the main focus during class meetings, so the students get as much interaction and information as possible.
Mobile Learning Tools Should Always be Available
Learning on the go is vital to the success of most blended learning classes. When an instructor doesn’t provide students with mobile learning tools, it’s very hard for those students to get the information they need or complete their work. By offering mobile tools, more can be accomplished no matter where the student is at the time.
Avoid “Busy Work” by Meeting Individual Student Needs
Much of the work that is completed online is a reinforcement of what has already been learned in the classroom or through face-to-face instruction. If the student doesn’t need that work, he or she shouldn’t have to complete it. Some students grasp concepts faster than others, and being open to that can help all students learn and retain information more easily.
Goal Setting Makes Students Agents of Learning
To keep students interested, they must be agents of their own learning. Without goals, they are just passive learners being provided information that may or may not factor into what is important to them. To keep them engaged, help them set goals that work with their interests and the knowledge they need.
Make Content and Instruction Clear
There’s nothing like confusing instructions to provide disengagement when working with blended learning ideas. The instructions to all students must be clear, as does the content the student is working through. Without a good understanding of the work required, it’s far easier for a student to disengage from the learning activity.
Provide Enthusiasm and Social Opportunities
If the instructor is clearly passionate about something, it will spark student interest. That passion—and the opportunity to socialize and share it with others—is a big part of how blended learning ideas can be made more effective for all students.
Create Challenging and Authentic Tasks
Students can tell when something is authentic and respond to it much better than other options. They can also tell when they’re being challenged for a good reason, as opposed to when they’re just being given something to do that may be difficult but may also lack substance. By combining authenticity with challenge, students will respond better to blended learning ideas.
Reach Out to Disengaged Students Quickly
This needs no explanation, really. Students who disengage need to be re-engaged quickly before they lose further interest. The sooner they are reached out to, the better for all involved in the learning process.
