The following was an actual inquiry by a group of teachers who were moving from onsite to online and remote learning for ākonga. This group became very collaborative as they journeyed through their inquiry. They decided to do a practice run of what online and remote learning might look like for the ākonga and kaiako by doing hybrid learning onsite at school first. By doing this they were able to observe and adapt before circumstances required them to provide hybrid learning in reality. 

I will begin by explaining what the group did, starting with the scanning of ākonga and their learning behaviours, and then how the group gathered feedback on planning and teaching for next steps. From the feedback, there were new learnings and insights for adapting future lessons. Lastly, I’ll describe and offer suggestions, from the group, of how inquiry could make a difference in preparing kaiako and ākonga for hybrid learning. 

Suggestions from the group about scanning: 

Explain to ākonga that you are wanting to improve teaching and learning for online and remote learning. Divide the class into three groups: face-to-face, online and remote ākonga. Plan the same lesson for all three groups to complete onsite. Set up situations where ākonga manage their own learning from the lesson planned:

1. Teach the lesson with the onsite/face-to-face ākonga. 
2. At the same time, stream it to the online ākonga, and 
3. Record it and play it to the remote ākonga, while all three groups are on site.

Scan (observe) ākonga for behaviours such as;

• Do they understand the learning intentions? 
• Did they achieve the success criteria? 
• Are the instructions and modelling supporting ākonga enough to continue on their own or with small group support? 
• Identify ākonga who need more support from the kaiako and think about what that support might look like? 

Look for evidence that ākonga are:

• Caring for the device (always charged, put away after use, etc.)
• Being safe online at school (and at home)
• Sharing work with other ākonga (and whānau) 
• Managing their screen time and physical/wellbeing activities
• Using the learning intention and success criteria to give constructive feedback to kaiako about the appropriateness of the learning activities

Observe if ākonga are doing the following:

• Establishing set routines or times for uninterrupted learning
• Seeking feedback from whānau, ākonga and kaiako using the learning intention and success criteria
• Organizing materials and resources ready for learning
• Effective time management
• Participating in study groups with (whānau or) others

The observations are collated and recorded.

Feedback for improvement: 

Gather feedback from all three groups about the success of the lesson. Analyze it. What do the ākonga notice about how successfully their mode of learning catered for their needs? Use the feedback to go deeper into what mindset, teaching and learning has to change to cater for all groups? Below are some hints that might help:

• Recording lessons is an easy way for onsite, online and remote ākonga to view the lesson as many times as they need to. Learning intentions and success criteria can be embedded in their learning as they re-wind to check. 
• Make a shared Google doc to record responses. This gives ākonga the opportunity to support and reflect on other’s contributions and feedback.

Plan once, for all hybrid ākonga:

Identify the changes that need to be made so all groups get the most effective teaching and learning opportunity whatever the mode. Kaiako plan and teach the same lessons for each group and the delivery of these lessons may vary in a hybrid learning situation. Here are some ideas that might help:

• Using websites, YouTube, and downloadable resources in the planning and teaching and learning, gives the online and remote ākonga the same or similar opportunities in their learning as onsite ākonga.
• Share the plans using Google docs with ākonga. This supports feedback from onsite, online and remote ākonga (and whānau).

New learning for kaiako: 

From the feedback given, consider what changes will need to be made to ensure equitable learning experiences whether ākonga are in the onsite/face-to-face, online and remote learning groups? Were you able to plan once, and for all students? What might you need to do differently to be as efficient as possible while meeting the needs of all students?

An added consideration is how might kaiako support the diversity of ākonga within all three groups. A useful framework for planning is Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This offers strategies and approaches that meet the diverse needs of all ākonga. Information about UDL can be found here.

Has it made enough of a difference?

After several lessons, assess the new practice from feedback provided by ākonga, whānau and teaching colleagues. Here are some ideas that may help kaiako monitor the effectiveness of their planning, teaching and learning:

• Select ‘target ākonga’. Target ākonga are representative of groups of ākonga in the class and are used to measure teaching and learning. Kaiako success is determined by the achievement of the target ākonga. Target ākonga may represent English Language Learners, Māori, Pacific, etc.
• Request feedback through shared Google docs, surveys and interviews.

Where might you start? 

The key points of using teacher inquiry to support kaiako and ākonga prepare for hybrid learning are:

• Scanning ākonga learning behaviours is important so that you have a baseline of information to inform your hybrid planning.
• A feedback process is reciprocal and provides information about the performance of both kaiako and ākonga relative to learning goals. 
• Preparing ākonga for hybrid learning (onsite, online and remote) with teacher support while still at school sets them up for success when it becomes necessary. They are more likely to understand and participate in hybrid learning situations because they have been well prepared. It will reduce anxiety because ākonga have experienced it before. Students will practice hybrid learning in a safe and supported environment.
• Team up with other kaiako – a collaborative approach improves kaiako practice and helps hybrid learning to be sustainable.

Further Information

• A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry by Helen Timperley, Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert.
• Resilience Planning for Schools by Derek Wenmoth.
• Guide to Universal Design for Learning