It was important for me in these last weeks to understand the differences between hybrid learning – where the in-person learners and the online learners are different individuals – and blended learning, where the same individual is involved in both in in-person and in online learning. But does the online and in-person learning in blended learning happen at the same time or alternately during a course?
In other words: is multitasking a form of blended learning? For me as a teacher in the field of the Arts multitasking in blended learning is not completely excluded, on the contrary, it might even be beneficial for fostering pervasive and divers learning processes. Multitasking can therefor be used as a tool for blended learning. For example, doing something by hand (drawing, modeling etc.) can help to concentrate and enhance the intellectual learning process of learning in a lecture online (or on site). In this situation there are two parallel ongoing learning processes: first learning by doing as engaging with a material. This learning process involves the resistance of a material and the stage of the learners skills. The simultaneously happening second learning process might be for example listening to a lecture online or participating in a remote group discussion or watching an experimental film. For me it is important that the two parallel types of learning are of different nature i.e. learning by doing and learning by thinking. Doing something by hand can enhance the ability to concentrate in listening and participating in a discussion. Whereas engaging in an intellectual discourse can help to relax a handy craft practice by taking the thoughts away from the “doing” and letting the material and the hands do the work.
If blended learning happens in a non-multitasking way it might be good to consider individual learners issues and group dynamic issues to design the course. A remotely acquired, personal approach to the subject right from the beginning will help students to make the step to a practical application in the end of the course. An individual acquisition of basic knowledge in the beginning of the course might also contribute to a good discussion in the in-person face of the course. Alternating independent working (online) with work in class seems to be a fruitful model.
In our group (plo8) we looked at: Blended Learning Design: scil 4-Phase Model. Source: Sabine Seufert (2013): Bildungsmanagement. Stuttgart. P. 243 │scil: swiss centre for innovations in learning (www.scil.ch)