Redesigning Education with the ‘Blended Learning’ Environment

Over the last 5 years, online education has gained ground, witnessing a steep growth trajectory. The notion of K-12 education had always been that of books, boards and libraries. However, all that is fast changing. From the traditional chalk and board, large number of schools today are embracing online learning tools. In the education sector, this has been the boldest move so far. Does that mean traditional teaching & learning methods need to be completely done away with? Perhaps not. In fact, it may not be feasible to completely abandon them, but there is always a scope to improve the way students have been learning for generations now.

There is a clear paradigm shift in education. Moving away from traditional learning, schools today are pacing towards both traditional & online education. This amalgamation is what is known as ‘Blended Learning’. Big brands like Extramarks, long embraced this new age learning technique as they find it more effective, engaging and value-oriented.

If one were to dive into some of the key issues students face in the traditional learning environment, they are mostly lack of personal attention, rote learning and are synchronous - making learning insipid. Learning is for life, especially in this fiercely competitive world. There’s no doubt, smart boards, tablets, interactive online study materials - better concept learning among students. When students ‘see’ or ‘feel’, concept retention is much better. Students can also study at their own pace and space, get their doubts clarified instantly and assess & track their progress.

It’s not just students, Blended Learning is beneficial for the teachers too. In every student’s life, the role of a teacher is critical. In the Blended Learning environment, teachers have made some dramatic changes to their teaching techniques to amplify the impact of learning. It has opened new avenues in assessing data, benchmarking performance, giving personalised attention, enriching the teaching methodologies, assigning tasks better, and most importantly – keeping students engaged and motivated.

State-of-the-art learning technologies like virtual labs, animated videos, multimedia modules, etc. well blended with the traditional learning environment, help in a deeper, immersive learning.

Despite initial scepticism, India is fast adapting to the new wave of online learning. Without killing the traditional classroom learning, Extramarks with its blended approach has laid the foundation of good, quality learning. India is already the third biggest e-learning market globally. All it takes is a concerted effort from learners, parents and teachers to further better this new age learning environment.

To learn more about Blended Learning, visit: http://www.extramarks.com.