Blended learning best practices during the pandemic

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October 14, 2021

The 10 minute teacher: Blended learning best practices during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for educators. For many of the teachers who responded to a nationally-representative survey we conducted last spring, the 2020-2021 school year was the most difficult time of their careers. But in the midst of these challenges, some teachers found ways to use blended learning to build relationships with their students, identify their students’ needs, and empower their students to take ownership of their learning.

Last month I had the pleasure of chatting with Vicki Davis, a high school teacher from Georgia and host of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast, to discuss insights from my recent report, Carpe Diem, Convert pandemic struggles into student-centered learning. Carpe Diem outlines the Christensen Institute’s latest survey findings, and my conversation with Vicki touches on a number of topics relevant to teachers, administrators, and other education leaders:

  • What was the most common approach to hybrid instruction? What made it difficult for teachers? And why did so many schools pick a more difficult-to-manage approach?
  • What were some of the tools and practices teachers found helpful during remote and hybrid instruction?
  • What are some of the positive trends in blended and online learning coming out of the pandemic?
  • How did administrators’ views of the 2020-2021 school year differ from teachers?
  • What are the encouraging paths forward for schools and educators as they tackle another year affected by the pandemic?

You can listen to our complete conversation below.

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Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages.

Thomas Arnett is a senior research fellow for the Clayton Christensen Institute. His work focuses on using the Theory of Disruptive Innovation to study innovative instructional models and their potential to scale student-centered learning in K–12 education. He also studies demand for innovative resources and practices across the K–12 education system using the Jobs to Be Done Theory.