With the integration of home-based learning as a regular part of the school curriculum, technology has become a central part of the classroom experience. Mr Luis Tirtasanjaya Lioe, a School Staff Developer from Nanyang Girls’ High School, shares with us more about the observations, positives and challenges he experienced with implementing blended learning in the classroom.

Adapting to the New Normal

A significant impact the pandemic has on education is that it has sped up our reliance on technology and pushed us to adapt quickly to new ways of teaching and learning.

Luis, who is also a Math teacher at Nanyang Girls High School (NYGH), says, “In the past, there was a tendency for us to regard technology as a good-to-have resource to supplement our teaching strategy. We may see it as a useful tool, but not necessarily the most essential component in, for example, teaching and learning Math.”

“The pandemic, however, has made us realize that technology will play a far more crucial role in how we engage our students and improve their learning outcomes.”

He shares that NYGH is implementing a home-based learning (HBL) day every fortnight as part of the blended learning plan. This means that teachers will have to include HBL components in their lesson plans.

“For example, I often assign self-quizzes through online platforms, such as the Student Learning Space (SLS), so that students can get immediate feedback. I also use an online chat group and Padlet for students to continue their discussions beyond their lessons, when they do self-practice or revisions,” he adds.

Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning

Luis defines blended learning as an approach that integrates both aspects of when students study on their own (asynchronous activities) and in the presence of teachers (synchronous activities), either at home (online) or in school (offline).

He emphasizes that when integrating both asynchronous and synchronous activities, it is vital that teachers communicate clearly the objectives, instructions and criteria of success to their students.

“For asynchronous activities, I either assign reading materials and worked examples from textbooks, or create explanation videos that teach the basic concepts and assign students a learning package from the SLS that has been customized to each student’s needs,” he explains.

“After watching the videos, students can either complete self-quizzes in SLS or submit ‘exit cards’ into Google Classroom. These are cards that contain questions or prompts that they can answer,” he adds. He uses these tools as a way to collate their misconceptions or common mistakes and assess their readiness before synchronous activities.

Synchronous activities, meanwhile, could be held through Zoom or face-to-face discussions. Using information extracted from the exit cards, Luis will highlight the common mistakes made, discuss various misconceptions and share the different approaches other students have taken to answer the same question. The purpose of the discourse during synchronous activities is hence directed towards clarifying and synthesizing concepts.

“It is important to remember that the purpose of such assessments is not merely to know whether a student has answered all the exit card questions correctly, but to understand each student’s learning processes. Based on this assessment, teachers should include a follow-up plan that addresses the students’ mistakes or gaps, as well as the effectiveness of the methods used although the students got the right answer,” he remarks.

He stresses that although students are learning independently when interacting with these resources, it is necessary to establish a continuous assessment of students’ learning and understanding.

Key Considerations for Blended Learning

Based on his experience during the full online learning period, Luis notes that the scope of online lessons could not mimic those of offline ones. This is where blended learning could be the solution but teachers need to keep in mind certain considerations.

“During the full HBL, I made the mistake of planning a lesson to cover the same amount of materials as an in-person class. The mode of learning, the types of guidance, the skills that the students need, including note taking, are quite different in these two environments. We need to consider all these aspects when teaching Math online and offline,” he states.

When developing blended learning lessons, teachers also need to take into account there are students who may have difficulties in keeping up with online lessons. If not identified early enough, these students may fall behind in their learning.

He reiterates that it is important to establish trust and empathy that will facilitate the way we incorporate check-points frequently at appropriate junctures. “Build a positive relationship with your students so that they feel safe in sharing with us their difficulties. We should create a safe space for them to explore, make mistakes and share them with you.”

Fostering an Encouraging Environment

Luis shares that as a School Staff Developer, he works with various professional development (PD) teams such as Senior Teachers and Educational Technologies (EdTech) committee to support teachers in their PD. In 2021, NYGH created a Blended Learning taskforce to explore the integration of blended learning in the curriculum and he works closely with them in this journey.

“The school management has given us support, space and autonomy in exploring the way we do blended learning. Much of the actual work, though, is involved at the team and individual level. The process requires a lot of brainstorming, exchanging of tips and learning from one another,” he says.

He advises teachers not to be afraid in approaching their colleagues and the wider community of educators for help and encouragement. “You will find people on the same boat driven by the same objective: to make students’ learning effective and fruitful,” he adds.

Shifts in Mindset and Familiarity

According to Luis, the main difference before COVID-19 and now lies in the teachers’ and students’ mindset and familiarity of using technology in teaching and learning.

There are strengths in full HBL that can be carried forward to in-person sessions, such as using technologies to assess students’ learning quickly and facilitating students’ collaborative learning.

“With that said, technology can never replace our presence and facilitation of students’ learning. When they ask questions, it is their teachers and not the machines who guide them,” he points out.

“Blended learning empowers students to take ownership of their learning, to set goals and plan their own learning and to choose what they want to learn. If we can integrate these strengths effectively in our lesson units, we can have the best of both worlds,” he affirms.