What does ‘Hybrid’ mean, anyway? We know you’re asking! Read on for more information!
Préville Fine Arts’ New ‘Hybrid’ Teaching Model
When clients have asked (and they have!) the standard answer we’ve been offering is this:
This year, in order to ensure the continuation of our programming in the face of changing health and safety recommendations, as well as individual comfort levels, we are using a hybrid teaching style, which means that some teachers can teach online, some in person, and some may do a combination of the two. Students are offered the same flexibility for almost all classes.
In practical terms, we’re aiming to ensure that if we need to halt in-person activities again, we’ll be ready to hop back full-time into our online, tailor-made, Jitsi platform (learn more about this platform in our blog post “An Evolving Camp“). Our new platform was given a test run this summer when we moved all of our summer camp programming online. More about that in a minute…
For the artists in your family, hybrid learning at Préville means that our classrooms will be equipped to teach a limited number of participants in person, safely, while also allowing for a small number of classmates to take part via our online technology, directly from their homes. In the case of most activities you’ll note the choice at registration for either the ‘hybrid’ or ‘online only’ options.
Most of our teachers are prepared to do at least some, if not most, teaching in person. Whatever the case may be, we encourage all of them to take the opportunity to familiarize themselves and their students with our online platform and its attributes.
Our Online Platform: What We Discovered This Summer
While nothing replaces individualized, in-person contact with an instructor, we are very excited by the feedback we received from our online summer camp experience. Teachers and students alike were surprised at what benefits they discovered in learning via the online classroom. Teachers can personalize their studios with imbedded apps that illustrate concepts, support play-based learning or allow for on-demand listening to music by a particular composer or performer, to name just a few examples.
Creatively the possibilities of hybrid learning are also exciting; check out this video to see how instructor and Préville Dance Academy Director, Jamie Malysh, worked with students online and in person to present an original performance piece, during this summer’s Choreography Intensive.
What about chatting in the hallways at NDL? Sadly, this Fall, we won’t have that luxury.* Creating and maintaining a sense of community built around a warm welcome and friendly connection is intrinsic to Préville’s core values. As such, it is important to us to be able to re-create spaces for people to connect in our online platform as well. Summer camp participants were greeted by Ines, our Camp Manager, and our amazing monitors in the lobby of the virtual space, where they could also hang out and chat or work on projects. Teachers with a few minutes in between classes would usually pop into the lobby with a quick question, or to take a break with colleagues.
*While caregivers won’t be able to chit chat in the hallways, we encourage you to bundle up, bring a thermos and catch up outdoors! At Préville, we’ll be embracing the Norwegian concept, ‘friluftsliv!’
What People Have to Say About Hybrid and Online Learning: Testimonials from Summer Camp
Flexibility…
“We made a last minute decision to head to the country the week of our camp. At first we were like… but we can’t she has camp, then we realized, hold on we can just bring the laptop and she can do the camp remotely! And that is exactly what we did. My daughter did her last two classes down by the lake! It was nice to have that flexibility!”A safe alternative…
“Préville virtual summer camp was great! I was so happy to have this safe, online alternative to day camp this year. My kids took multiple classes, and enjoyed them all (Dance, Voice, Arts, Piano, Robots).”Hybrid classrooms open up new creative possibilities…
“Choreography camp with Jamie was an extremely rewarding experience for my daughter. The use of technology is topical and the fact that it is integrated into the final work is fantastic. Thank you Centre d’Art de Préville for these 3 unique and magical weeks. Thank you Jamie for allowing our dancers to surpass themselves and to explore avenues previously ignored.”
Still Not Clear On What Hybrid Learning Means at Préville?
It’s ok; this is new for all of us. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help! Or watch the video on the right to see examples of how hybrid learning was used this summer.
Learn about our COVID-19 protocols.
We can’t wait to see you all very soon!
Most classes begin October 3, 2020. Dance classes begin Tuesday, September 29!!