Hybrid teaching is quickly becoming one of the most useful teaching methods to use. But by no means does it mean abandoning traditional teaching strategies. Because of its versatility and flexible options, teachers can still use many of the traditional teaching strategies they know simply by adapting them to a hybrid setting to ensure success in the classroom.

But in case you’re not sure how here are 12 ways you can optimize hybrid learning spaces by using traditional teaching methods that have been proven to work.

Keep reading to learn how you can optimize your hybrid classroom with useful hybrid teaching techniques or see ViewSonic’s education solutions to learn more about creating an integrated educational experience using hybrid learning.  

Hybrid teaching does not have to be difficult. In fact, as a teacher, you probably already know most of the teaching methods this article will discuss. However, how to adapt those into a hybrid learning space is where the difficulty can arise.

These 12 teaching strategies are guaranteed to optimize your students’ learning spaces in an understandable way that is both fun and engaging for both in-person and remote students.

What is Hybrid Learning?

Hybrid learning is a type of blended learning that refers to implementing synchronous lessons that are taught in-person and online simultaneously.

Hybrid learning is great because it allows the children who need face-to-face instruction to receive that while those who desire a more flexible approach can receive that as well. Hybrid learning also allows for varying teaching strategies to be used with only a fraction of the challenge.

You can also learn more about synchronous and asynchronous learning here: Asynchronous vs Synchronous Learning” What’s Best for Distance Education?

Hybrid Teaching Strategies for Your Hybrid Learning Space

Hybrid teaching is more than just the technology you use, it’s about how you use it! Many traditional teaching strategies are great for hybrid learning if you’ve got the right tech.  

Direct Instruction

Direct instruction refers to the tried-and-true version of teaching we all know. This approach is strictly teacher-centered where the teacher uses simple language to explain concepts to students with few questioning prompts.

Using this strategy for hybrid teaching is quite simple. All you need is a projector, a computer, and a webcam. What is important here is to make sure the teacher is placed in the center in all formats whether it be on video, in-person, or both. Continue to use simple and clear language to explain all concepts and learning objectives.

Play-Based Learning

Play-based learning is a strategy where students use social, physical, and critical thinking skills during play tasks. These play-based activities can be teacher-led or student-led. The activity can range from self-play using imagination or educational toys used to meet certain goals.

A great way to implement play-based learning into your hybrid learning curriculum is by using tablets or interactive whiteboards like ViewBoard to encourage play. Interactive displays are also excellent for gamification of learning objectives to help students be more engaged in their learning. This can be done easily on a display with myViewBoard Classroom installed, thanks to tools such as the 3D dice and magnifying glass. Classtools.net one of many fantastic resources you can find online to incorporate more games into your lessons. 

Game-Based Learning

Game-based learning despite its name is not gamification. Game-based learning involves using physical games like board games, computers, and sports in lessons. This method of learning involves using games like Clue, Minecraft, or other games to promote critical thinking skills or simple concepts.

Game-based learning is super easy to implement in hybrid learning spaces. Many websites like safe kid games have easy to understand games ranging from educational to pure fun! Be sure to find student-safe options for your learning objectives and share them with the student! Many of the games are collaborative and use a peer-to-peer server to connect two or more students to a single game.

Prompting

Prompting strategies relate to using guided questions and suggestions to help guide a student to the correct answer. Prompting is used to challenge students beyond the learning objectives without placing too many extra materials in front of them.

Much like direct instruction, classroom setup does not need to be complicated. However, prompting does not have to be teacher-centered only. Try pairing up both in-class and remote students using computers or tablets and have each one prompt each other on different topics on a study guide. You can also try different styles of prompting like playing Charades for example.

Modeled Teaching

Modeled teaching strategies involving a teacher showing students how to do a task by breaking it into small steps. The most common form of modeled teaching are things like math equations or step-by-step tutorials.

Modeling teaching works well with hybrid learning thanks to new and advanced software. With free software like Gravit Designer and Canva students both in-class and remote can create their graphics, equations, AR experience, and more! All you need is a computer or smartphone and the required software.

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning strategies involve having students work together to solve a problem or find an answer. Keep in mind that cooperative learning is not competitive but rather to achieve a common goal. Cooperative learning is great for teachers wanting more student-centered activities.

Cooperative learning is well-suited to a hybrid setting because it can encourage interaction between in-class and remote students. Social interaction is important for active learning so by promoting cooperative activities with games, research assignments, and collective notes, all students are involved in the learning process.

Service Learning

Service-learning strategies involve having students meet learning objectives or learning outcomes by volunteering within their community. These can also be things like internships or other activities outside of the classroom.

Service-learning can blend with hybrid learning and in fact, it requires no technology at all! Except for when students come back to share. Each student, in-class or remote, can go to a different organization or you can pair different groups together.

Think Pair Share

Think pair share strategies involve having students think about a certain topic, then pairing up and sharing their ideas with their teammates. Think pair share is a useful strategy for more student-centered classrooms

Think-pair-share setups are simple. Since the main strategies involve quiet thinking time than group or peer to peer discussion, all students need is a microphone and video technology. You can even make it more personal by using smartphone communication functions or make it a group competition and have students vote on the best idea using free websites like Poll Everywhere.

Two-Minute Presentation

Two-minute presentation strategies involve students being given two minutes (or any time limit you give them, preferably a shorter one, however) to give a quick, informal verbal speech about a topic. It can be something learned, or something new they learned on their own.

To use this strategy, you can simply have in-class students come to the front of the room, or have remote students pinned. By doing this you give them center stage even if they are not present. Remember, some students may also live in a noisy environment so ask others to mute their microphones so that the presenter can easily be heard.

Fishbowl

The fishbowl strategy involves putting a small group of students in a circle with the rest of the class sitting in a circle around the group. Fishbowl is a little like think-pair-share but it’s more centered around a group of students in the middle and a group on the outside where the group of students in the middle discusses a topic while the outside is an audience, with limited participation until their given time inside the bowl.

To modify a fishbowl method for hybrid learning, you can focus less on the actual design of the classroom and instead look at alternative ways to create the two groups. For example, the students in the fishbowl can be in-class, while remote students are outside the bowl and vice versa. You can also mix it up by having ‘inside the bowl’ students hold an object of a certain color while ‘outside the bowl,’ students hold an object of a different color.

Peer-Assisted Learning

Peer-assisted learning strategies involve putting the teacher aside and letting students take charge of the learning environment. Peer-assisted learning can be used in several ways. Students can come up with their answers to a potential question, do group or individual research, or debate ambiguous answers.

To use peer-assisted learning in a hybrid setting, you can do things like give remote students and in-class students different learning objectives that they come back to teach each other or create pairs among the students. You can also implement things like riddles or study guides where students must work together in pairs or groups to find the answer.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming strategies involve students coming up with the initial thoughts on an issue rather than using prompting or previous knowledge to build on the subject or learning objective. Brainstorming is one of the core elements of a student-centered classroom.

With collaborative software like myViewBoard doing brainstorming has never been easier. With an integrated system, both in-class and remote can collaborate on ideas and share documents. By keeping notes together in a safe location, students can build upon their ideas as the semester progresses.

Final Suggestions for Hybrid Teaching

Hybrid teaching holds so much potential because you can use more than just the 12 strategies mentioned in this article. If you think another strategy will work better for your class, then use it! That is part of the magic of hybrid learning in that it is flexible and adaptive for a variety of curricula. myViewBoard Suite and myViewBoard Classroom have a host of solutions available to help you achieve high-quality pedagogy in the hybrid learning environment.

Don’t forget to check out the complete list of essential resources for hybrid learning to make sure you got it all or check out ViewSonic’s hybrid learning solution to get started today.