online learning TORONTO — Ontario’s teachers are gearing up for another pandemic-altered school year and for certain educators that will mean presiding over classrooms where students learn in-person and online at the same time — a model some say comes with a host of challenges. The so-called hybrid classroom […]
Hybrid classrooms could become more common, but teachers say they have drawbacks
TORONTO — Ontario’s teachers are gearing up for another pandemic-altered school year and for certain educators that will mean presiding over classrooms where students learn in-person and online at the same time — a model some say comes with a host of challenges.
The so-called hybrid classroom emerged as the preferred choice for some boards as the province shifted between online and in-person learning due to the COVID-19 situation during the last academic year. That model is expected to return in several schools this fall as the government has mandated that boards offer a virtual option.
But some teachers whose boards switched to hybrid classrooms in the middle of the last school year say the model has drawbacks.
“It was overwhelming. It was stressful. I felt like I wasn’t meeting the needs of the students, because my focus was divided,” said Shelly Predum, a Grade 7 and 8 teacher with the Algoma District School Board in the Sault Ste. Marie area. “It was very difficult to try and do two forms simultaneously.”
That board implemented hybrid classrooms in November 2020, after spending the first two months of the academic year with separate classes for students learning online and those attending in person.
Some boards prefer the hybrid model because it allows students to switch almost seamlessly between online and in-person learning. But flexibility for parents and ease for administrators came at a price for teachers, some said.
Predum said she often had to make alternate plans for her remote students who couldn’t participate in group work and other activities.
“My class and I, we decided to do some snowshoeing outside in the winter. And I had to provide something for my online learners to do while I went outside with my class,” she cited as one example. “There was a lot of extra planning involved.”
Technical issues also plagued her class, Predum said. Her remote students were sometimes unable to connect, leaving her to try to conduct tech support from afar.
“I’m trying to help talk them through it, and the students in class are waiting,” Predum said. “We became IT professionals.”
