teaching and learning
BLENDED LEARNING Whilst 2020 was a year of challenges, it was also a year of growth; one where we capitalised on the potential of technology to improve learning and provide students with a range of unique opportunities. It’s true that 2020 was a year of firsts for our teachers, students and parents, a time when we tackled learning away from the physical school and achieved so much that we could not conceive prior to the disruption of the global pandemic. It helped us experience first-hand the benefits of learning online, and at the same time emphasised the joy and value of physical, face-to-face interactions with students. It was through this experience that our understanding of the importance of a ‘blended’ approach to learning and teaching; a combination of online and face-to-face learning, deepened. Exploring the benefits of blended learning had been a priority at Ruyton for a number of years prior to this experience, and in 2019, Learning Leaders across the School had embarked on a project to explore research-based approaches to improving learning and teaching with technology and develop a ‘blended learning’ vision at Ruyton. This work continued throughout 2020, with Learning Leaders taking time to delve deeper into blended learning by undertaking online professional development offered by Harvard University Graduate School of Education and working with a digital learning consultant specialising in blended and online learning.
It was certainly an interesting time to continue with this work as we were unable to gather face-to-face, and in many ways, the perfect time! Our lived experience of working and collaborating at a distance brought new perspectives and insights to blended learning. By the end of 2020, the leaders of learning in the School had developed a shared vision of what blended learning means and could look like for students from Early Learning to Senior School. It’s a vision that places the student at the centre of learning; a landscape where teachers blend the power of physical, face-toface interactions and the benefits of technology to support learners to reach their full potential in age-appropriate ways. Our blended learning vision is about more than enhancing learning with technology. Blended learning at Ruyton is underpinned by our Learning and Teaching philosophy and Learning Pillars. Our blended learning approach provides opportunities for choice, flexibility and experiential learning, and supports our girls to be independent and collaborative learners who connect, explore, discover and create. So what’s next? We emerge from a tumultuous 2020 committed to empowering teachers and students to move from crisis to consolidating our blended learning vision. This year, Learning Leaders will spearhead a professional learning programme across the School, supporting teachers to apply an action research approach to explore how we can effectively embed blended learning in our practice. Student feedback will play a critical role as we reflect on and refine our approaches to blended learning, ensuring that we continue to change, adapt and evolve as a community of learners. Sylvia Guidara Digital Learning Consultant
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the ruyton reporter
