Effective materials for hybrid classroom: Focus on writing skill

Abstract

Material is one of the most important issues in education. There have different materials on a particular topic but the real thing is how effective the materials are. A certain material can act differently in certain environments. At present we are talking a lot about two platforms in education, one of them is online class and the other is face to face class. However the mix of these two platforms is called hybrid classrooms. A hybrid classroom can play a significant role in teaching. The Covid like pandemic situation has enlarged the importance of this type of classroom. This research gives much more prominence on the effectiveness of writing material in hybrid classroom. There are different types of materials in writing but all do not perform alike. The material works suitably in regular class may not work properly in online class and even a particular effective material can act differently for the same platform on the basis of students’ location and their nurturing ability. Moreover, this study has given importance to the students of remote areas in Bangladesh where it is bit difficult to get mobile network let alone internet. To do so, the research has been designed three (3) different essay writing topics for both regular and online classes for the students of remote area in Bangladesh. All the participants are from HSC first year from three different institutions. Since most students of this level in Bangladesh are from three different categorizing like Government, MPO and Private, this study focuses on the participants of three particular institutions like them. All are located in the remote rural area of Bangladesh and the participants are from three different sections like Science, Arts and Business. The data are verbalized and explained in descriptive manner. The findings propose that though the hybrid teaching plays an important role, the participants are significantly behind in the online class. The actions of their regular class are also below the standard mark. Rural students are far behind compared to urban students. They lack sufficient motivation and are very indifferent to produce language while writing. Apparently the unavailability of the internet acts as a major factor in conducting hybrid classrooms properly in these remote institutions. It is true that the learners have a lot of inclination towards such classrooms and they want such classes, no doubt. Besides, the teachers of such remote institutions must be given training on hybrid teaching. So this research clearly shows that not only the learners’ inability but also the surrounding factors like unavailability of internet issue, poor classroom facilities, lack of teachers’ training, lack of motivation and unsuitable environment play the important role behind creating a material effective for hybrid classroom.