Blended learning can improve maths, science results

27th July 2018 By: Erin Steenhoff-Snethlage - Creamer Media Writer

Blended learning, a combination of traditional classroom learning and online learning, can assist South African high school and university students in understanding complex formulas in mathematics and science, says wireless connectivity firm Ruckus Networks sub-Saharan Africa sales director Riaan Graham.

“In general, in the education and training market currently, we are still very much caught up in the nineteenth-century way of transferring knowledge, where an educator stands in front of students and transfers knowledge.”

However, owing to the way students interact with technology and the way technology has become such an integral part of society, the attention span of students currently is quite different from that of older generations, as students often have shorter attention spans and focus on multiple tasks at once, Graham explains.

Blended learning can make learning environments richer using multiple methods to explain or translate information to students in ways they are used to and understand.

Graham tells Engineering News that educators can illustrate complex principles to enable students to understand the information faster.

For example, educators can use an online video to illustrate complex mathematical principles and use them in real-life applications. “Students often say that there is no real-life application in maths; however, with blended learning, formulas can be used for typical real-life applications, highlighting the use of maths and providing students with a deeper understanding of the subject.”

Further, the best way to learn is through not only textbooks, Graham notes, but also writing, listening, hearing and seeing. Blended learning can use a multitude of mediums, making the learning experience multi-faceted.

Blended learning will have “profound additive benefit for students”, he enthuses.