Embrace each challenge in your life as an opportunity for
self-transformation.”
– Bernie S. Siegel
2020- the restructuring year has
come forward with super challenges forcing the human race to rethink, readjust
and revamp.
‘When the going gets tough, the
tough get going’ has to be incorporated literally.
In every aspect of life we have
had to relook at things and to work out the ways and means to handle them.
In the present scenario, it seems
a distant dream to run educational institutions, as large gathering of students, teachers and
support staff is not safe. In such times technology has come to the rescue of
educational institutions in the form of web-based video-conferencing tools that
allow teachers and students to interact face to face in a virtual environment.
It is said that the Necessity, is
the mother of invention! In this case the best schools in India and abroad are
inventing everyday something new in terms of content, presentations and they
can be credited for creating new systems of on-line learning for their
students. All schools today whether big or small, public or private are trying
to explore, discover and enthusiastically experiment with available
technologies to reach lessons to their learners through an online interface. It
is no less than a revolutionary change in the field of education not only in
India but across the world.
Online Classes : The New Normal
Online learning, due to its
usefulness, ease-of-use and popularity is deemed as ‘the new normal’ by experts.
The unabated Covid-19 pandemic, absence of a vaccine and a confirmed line of
treatment have made re-opening of schools a remote possibility in near future.
No wonder, that the best educational
institutions such as Aspam Scottish School in Noida are constantly gearing-up their resources and upskilling
their faculty and staff to provide a seamless online learning experience to
their students sitting at home. This safety measure benefits not only the students
but all the stakeholders.
Till quite recently, the focus was
only on academics, but now parents want their child to excel in co-curricular
activities as well. It is quite obvious
for a parent to worry about the situation today and that how it will affect
their child’s education. Students are facing a drastic change in their
daily routine. But at the same time many positive changes have been noticed
amongst the students. They have got more quickly attuned to the changes than
ever. More participation, shedding of inhibitions, punctuality in attending
online classes, increased confidence level and working closely with the
teachers and other classmates are some of the important observations that have
drawn attention of all.
On a qualitative level,
online classes will lead to new, different and more relevant outcomes for
the learners.
Teachers today have got to re-think the way they teach when they go online – not just moving from face-to-face teaching over to an online version, but re-designing the teaching to fit the requirements of online learners is the true test of a teacher. Teaching well online has many of the similar requirements as teaching well face-to-face. Clear learning outcomes, assessments that test for the desired learning outcomes and differentiate between different levels of achievement, etc. remain the same. However, there are different requirements, because the context in which learners and facilitators are working will be different.
Teachers today have got to re-think the way they teach when they go online – not just moving from face-to-face teaching over to an online version, but re-designing the teaching to fit the requirements of online learners is the true test of a teacher. Teaching well online has many of the similar requirements as teaching well face-to-face. Clear learning outcomes, assessments that test for the desired learning outcomes and differentiate between different levels of achievement, etc. remain the same. However, there are different requirements, because the context in which learners and facilitators are working will be different.
Teachers are being trained through attending
regular training sessions and webinars to master the use of various features of
the online-learning apps such as mentimeter, padlet, kuhoot, whiteboarding,
audio/video resources, organising synchronous and asynchronous activities,
break-out sessions for group work and project-work in addition to preparing
quizzes, Mind maps, flowcharts etc.
Keeping in mind the fact that learners are not used to long
durations of screen-time which may lead to stress and fatigue, schools have
creatively drafted their timetable to provide a near-normal learning experience to their students. Therefore,
at the Pre-Primary and primary level the classes are interspersed with Art and
Craft, Music and Dance, Story-telling sessions and other interesting
activities. At the secondary and senior secondary level teachers bring-in
interesting facts about the topic of the day or organise on-the-spot quiz,
online- presentations and class discussions to keep children interested and
meaningfully engaged.
School Counselor, PE Teachers and other teachers as well
also address the learners to give them tips to manage not only their mental
wellbeing but also their physical health and mobility which may be affected due
to their extended on-line time. Some stretching, breathing and eye exercises
enable the students to keep fit.
Similarly, teachers and school counsellor are trained to address
the challenges faced by ‘first-generation
and not so well -trained online learners’ (who are trying to adapt to
the new systems) to reach out to them and provide emotional support to
encourage and reassure them for ensuring maximum learning outcome.
This is heartening to share that
the top schools of India and we, at Aspam
have adapted the change and adjusted to this paradigm shift so well. The
teachers have gone beyond the transaction of academics and the transaction of
intellectual, emotional, adaptability and spiritual quotient and moreover
integration of artificial intelligence is being adopted, practiced and
perfected.
The new normal of digital literacy
demands- a change in the mindset and an attitude and aptitude to learn.
Children are slowly and steadily being led to fit in this new normal situation.
At this point, the role of the families and their unconditional support for
preparing our present generation future- ready is of paramount importance.
Let’s together help and allow our children to grow, express and move on
