08 Sep Six Tips for Teaching a Successful Blended Lesson

The major outcomes we seek from our digital technologies are, of course, effective learning and high student involvement. However, these are not always the easiest things to achieve. In this post, we’ll share six tips for teaching a successfully blended lesson.

1. Start with the basics

Make sure you understand the features and capabilities of the digital tools you’re using before you try to implement them in your classroom. Trying to learn how to use a tool while also trying to teach with it can be overwhelming and frustrating for both you and your students.

It is quite simple with the best storyboard software as it has all the necessary functions and is user-friendly. Get comfortable with the technology, and then introduce it to your students gradually.

Also, be sure to double-check everything before starting a lesson. You should know everything by heart – when to switch slides or when to present the next media file. Thus, you won’t experience some unexpected issues, and your lesson will be flawless. Don’t hesitate to double-check everything, even if you’ve already made a certain lesson and know how everything works.

2. Make sure your lesson is well-organized

This is true for any lesson but is especially important for blended lessons. When you’re working with a mix of digital and non-digital content, it’s easy for things to get disorganized quickly.

Make sure you have a clear plan for what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it. Having a detailed lesson plan will help you stay on track and avoid getting lost in the material.

3. Pay attention to your students’ engagement

It can be easy to get so caught up in technology that you forget to pay attention to your students. However, it’s essential to make sure they’re still engaged in the lesson. If you see that their attention is starting to wander, take a break from the technology and do something else for a few minutes. Maybe ask them questions or have them work on an activity in pairs.

Overall, it is a good idea to prepare some activities so that the student would be constantly engaged in the lesson. These could be different tasks like answering questions, doing exercises, or discussing a particular topic. You can integrate these activities right in your presentation if you are doing one or prepare some materials you’ll give your pupils beforehand that they’ll need to use during the lesson.

4. Use technology to supplement your lesson, not replace it

Just because you’re using digital content doesn’t mean you need to ditch everything else. In fact, using a mix of digital and non-digital resources can be more effective than using only one. Use technology to supplement your lesson, not replace it.

For example, if you’re teaching a lesson on fractions, you might use a digital tool to help students visualize the concept. But you would also use other resources, like a whiteboard or manipulative, to help them understand the material.

5. Give students time to explore

One of the great things about digital content is that it’s interactive and can be used in a variety of ways. So give your students time to explore it on their own. This is especially important if you’re using a new tool or resource.

If you just give them a quick demo, they might not understand all the features and how to use them. So give them some time to play around with it and figure it out for themselves.

6. Avoid digital fatigue

Just like you can get tired of looking at a screen all day, your students can too. So, be sure to take breaks throughout the lesson to give their eyes a rest. You might even want to consider having them work in groups so they’re not looking at the screen the entire time.

In Conclusion

Overall, these six suggestions will help you create a successfully blended lesson. Just remember to start with the basics, stay organized, and keep your students engaged.

And don’t forget to give them time to explore the digital content on their own. With a little preparation, you’ll be able to teach a blended lesson like a pro!