Enrolling your child in a hybrid school can offer them the best of both worlds when it comes to choosing between an online or traditional learning program. During the pandemic, the shift to online learning allowed many families to discover how flexible educational programs can enhance their lives. Yet, students often reported missing out on opportunities to engage with their teachers and classmates in real-time settings.

The hybrid model fuses the benefits of both types of academic environments to provide students with live interactive lessons each day with an asynchronous curriculum that encourages self-paced learning.

What Is a Hybrid School?

Hybrid schools blend live instruction and online learning to allow for a higher level of personalization in lesson planning. With purely virtual schools, students may not engage in live conversations with their classmates or teachers. Instead, the majority of teaching is conducted through pre-recorded instructional videos.

Meanwhile, traditional brick-and-mortar schools require students to be in a seat within a building on a clearly defined schedule. While the curriculum and schedule are designed to fit the needs of the general student population, it might not be the right fit for children who need to work at their own pace.

Hybrid virtual learning includes live, in-class instruction to encourage student engagement and online work that provides your child with more flexibility in their schedule. Families often find that the flexibility in the scheduling makes it easier to meet developmental and behavioral needs, such as giving children brain breaks and opportunities to engage in physical activities that enhance their mental focus.

How Does Hybrid Learning Work?

Hybrid learning programs incorporate several essential elements to provide a well-rounded education to students starting at the Kindergarten level and continuing through high school. Exploring these elements helps you to understand how a blended learning program supports academic success.

• Live classes – In-person lessons that allow students to listen, ask questions, and work with other children in large groups and smaller, break-out classrooms

• Self-paced coursework – Asynchronous learning times when students complete assignments that support what they learned during their live classes

• Access to online tools and resources – From online research libraries to interactive science lessons and math modules, students learn to use multiple resources to increase their knowledge.

Hybrid School Vs. Online School: What’s the Difference?

Parents often inquire about the differences between a hybrid class vs. online learning. With a hybrid class, your child’s teacher will connect with the class live through a virtual classroom. Once your child logs in, they can see their teacher as they speak and raise their hand to ask questions like they would in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom. Online classes typically use video lessons without a live teacher interaction to convey important information.

The live aspect of hybrid learning is the biggest difference you’ll notice once your child enrolls in this type of learning program, and educators often consider it to be the most essential. Connecting with a live teacher online allows students to get real-time feedback regarding their newfound skills and questions. Students also tend to enjoy higher engagement when they can get instant responses to their questions, and being able to hear and speak to their classmates and teachers is an important part of their socialization.

Benefits of Hybrid Virtual Learning

When you’re wondering, “what is a hybrid class,” one of your biggest questions may be how it will benefit your child. Taking a look at these benefits can help you determine if a hybrid learning program is what your student needs to succeed.

• Enjoy greater flexibility for students and their families

• Encourage academic success with a personalized learning pace

• Gain greater access to teachers and essential resources

• Discover more opportunities for socialization through live classes and clubs

While hybrid programs offer many similar benefits, it’s also important to choose a charter school that goes the extra mile to support students and their families. PA Distance Learning provides dedicated and highly trained educators who are always ready to help their students. To ensure that every student meets their goals, our teachers offer live help sessions where your child can get personalized feedback and answers to their questions.

Hybrid Homeschool: Is It Right For Your Child?

Choosing to use a hybrid homeschool program takes a large portion of the pressure off of your shoulders as a parent. With traditional homeschooling, parents often take full responsibility for the majority of the lesson planning and teaching. Traditional homeschooling families may also need to supplement their lessons with outside courses, and you may feel a large amount of pressure to help your child socialize with other children and adults.

Hybrid options provide your child with more structure. Being required to attend live lessons helps your child start their day with a mindset that fosters success. During live instruction classes, your child’s teacher will introduce new concepts and review past lessons. Your child’s teacher can also meet with you during conferences and respond to your emails to provide you with new ways to support your child.

Why Choose PA Distance Learning?

One reason PA Distance Learning stands out is the school’s commitment to quality education and the unique use of a blended learning model. Our goal is to surround students and their families with support that includes a comprehensive list of learning opportunities.

At PA Distance Learning, a typical school day starts around 8 a.m. when students spend around 2.5 hours or more engaged in their live lessons with a certified and licensed teacher. Following these live lessons, your student will then move on to completing their online work.

In addition to hiring certified teachers with a history of supporting students, our school offers online clubs, in-person field trips, and other engaging activities that enhance the online learning experience. From taking a trip to the zoo to participating in a cooking or yearbook club, your student becomes an important part of our community from the moment they enroll. Please reach out to us to request more information about how our learning model can enhance your student’s academic journey.