Minimizing learning gaps for out-of-school students
Throughout the course of the school year, students experience medical and/or behavioral issues that preclude them from attending their assigned school and classes. Students may be provided homebound instructional services where a certified teacher visits the students in their residence, providing five hours of face-to-face instruction and support on a weekly basis. In other cases, students may be assigned to an alternate setting outside their assigned school; with certified teachers providing instruction that is as close as possible to that the student’s peers are receiving in the regular setting. Even with certified educators providing the instruction to students outside their regular setting, gaps in the learning develop and tend to widen with each missed class period.
In a blended course, students will have access to a far greater amount of course content, be able to monitor and engage in online course discussions, submit required assignments, and receive timely feedback from his or her teacher. While the face-to-face instruction will still be missed, availability to course content and online participation will provide students the opportunity to engage in the real time learning activities of his or her peers and significantly reduce learning gaps created by a student’s extended absence.
In a blended course, students will have access to a far greater amount of course content, be able to monitor and engage in online course discussions, submit required assignments, and receive timely feedback from his or her teacher. While the face-to-face instruction will still be missed, availability to course content and online participation will provide students the opportunity to engage in the real time learning activities of his or her peers and significantly reduce learning gaps created by a student’s extended absence.