“Serving two student populations at the same time. I have people joining online and joining from the classroom. Learning to work with both groups simultaneously – that was pretty difficult.”
-Orion Smith
Teaching both groups of students at the same time through hybrid learning can be overwhelming.
Not only do you have a diverse group of students, but now you have to teach them in a variety of ways.
For over a year now, teachers across the world have had to pivot what the face of learning and education looks like to accommodate the crisis of COVID.
During this time teachers have been struggling to keep students engaged while also battling other obstacles on the way.
When I first entered the hybrid learning world after months of online learning, I thought that the two models would be similar.
I also thought that the student engagement strategies that were proven to work for online learning would be efficient for hybrid learning or flipped learning.
However, that was not the case at all.
While struggling to teach both at the same time, it came to my attention that I felt like I was a circus juggling both forms of engagement at the same time.
But after several cases of trial and error and research, I discovered several student engagement strategies for hybrid learning that will save you time and energy.
These strategies are perfect if you are feeling:
- Overwhelmed
- You have no idea how to keep both engaged at the same time
- Like finding something all the kids will relate to is nearly impossible
So grab a coffee because today we are going to cover:
- What is Student Engagement For Hybrid Learning?
- Why is Student Engagement For Hybrid Learning Important?
- 3 Student Engagement Strategies For Hybrid Learning That You NEED To Incorporate in Your Classroom
(This post may contain affiliate or external links. Meaning I get a commision if you purchase anything through my links at no cost to you. Read full disclosure here.)
What is Student Engagement for Hybrid Learning?
Before we discuss what student engagement for hybrid learning is, let’s first talk about what hybrid is.
Hybrid is the blending of traditional in-person learning with an online component.
For many different districts, hybrid learning or flipped learning (another name for hybrid) can consist of teaching both in-person and online at the same time or on different days.
With this in mind, it is easy to understand why many teachers struggle to keep students engaged while trying to accommodate all of the different learning modes.
That is where student engagement strategies for hybrid learning come in.
Student Engagement Strategies for hybrid learning are difficult to implement because:
- They have to engage not only students in the classroom with you but also those online.
- Students online may not have access to the resources that those in the classroom have.
- Trying to walk around the classroom while also teaching at the computer can be nearly impossible.
Why Are Student Engagement Strategies Important for Hybrid Learning?
As we covered in the last section student engagement strategies for hybrid learning are important for several reasons.
First of all, effective student engagement strategies for hybrid learning allow you to engage both online and face-to-face students at the same time.
They also overcome obstacles that may arise while teaching both at the same time.
For example, students in person may be able to safely share with a partner while those online may not have a partner to share too.
All of these things make up an effective student engagement strategy for hybrid learning.
By incorporating these strategies you will feel:
- Less overwhelmed
- More consistent and organized
- Like more students are engaged and excited by the lesson
With that in mind, here are 3 student engagement strategies for hybrid learning that are easy to use and can be implemented in 5 minutes or less.
Student Engagement Strategies for Hybrid Learning
Digital Themed Activities
Coming up with activities that both online and face-to-face activities that both groups of students can do at the same time can be almost impossible.
That’s why one of the best student engagement strategies for hybrid learning is to use activities that are both online and printer-friendly.
For example, these year-round writing activities are perfect for engaging students during hybrid learning for several reasons.
These themed digital activities are inspired by some of the most famous books at the primary level and help bring the book to life.
They are also printer-friendly so you can assign them digitally for those online and print them off for those that are face-to-face learning.
Another reason why these activities are a great student engagement strategy for hybrid learning is that they are modified into 3 different levels.
These help you accommodate the different levels of writing your students are at without having to buy multiple resources.
There are many other activities out there that are engaging and they also accommodate for online and in-person learning.
So next time you are looking for supplemental activities for your hybrid classroom, look for activities that tailor to both groups.
This will help you save money, time, and energy!
- Amazing Student Engagement Strategies for Hybrid Learning
- 3 Student Engagement Strategies to Transform Online Learning
- The Ultimate Guide of Student Engagement Strategies In 5 Minutes or Less
- How to Get Students Excited About Reading
Morning Work
One of the first things you learn as a teacher is an importance of starting the morning off on the right foot.
In a hybrid setting, this is no different.
Finding activities or a routine that both in-person and online students can do at the same time in the morning can be difficult.
That’s why you need to start incorporating Question of the Day.
If you google “Question of the Day” you will often see activities where students drag and drop their names to a yes or no question.
This can be problematic or not very effective because students:
- Finish in 10 seconds
- May drag and answer without actually caring
- Are already asking what to do next while you are still trying to take attendance.
That’s why I argue that effective “Questions of the Days” are open-ended questions that ask the students “why.”
An example of this would be:
“If you could open up your restaurant what food would you serve and why?”
This activity is effective because:
- It makes students feel like they can share their opinion.
- Students feel like their opinion matters.
- It takes longer to do which means more time to take attendance.
- Students are implementing essential Common Core ELA standards.
- Students are practicing explaining their thinking.
Share with a Friend/Animal
Depending on the guidance of your district, cooperative learning can seem nearly impossible.
That’s why sharing with a friend or stuffed animal is such an essential student engagement strategy for hybrid learning.
Want your online and in-person to share with a partner while still being 6 feet apart, quiet, and safely?
You could break them out into google hangout rooms or have them share with a stuffed animal or “Desk Monster.”
Having your students share with a desk monster helps them get their answer out loud before sharing it with the class.
Having students bring a friend in class also makes sure they are accountable and on task throughout the day.
Putting it Altogether
Overall, student engagement for hybrid learning doesn’t have to be difficult and overwhelming.
In this post we covered:
- What Student Engagement For Hybrid Learning is
- Why Student Engagement For Hybrid Learning is Important
- 3 Student Engagement Strategies For Hybrid Learning
I hope you found this article helpful and don’t forget to download this “Ultimate Student Engagement Guide” for even more student engagement tips that you can use in the hybrid setting.
Happy Teaching!
