Happy Teachers’ Day: AR to film clips: Teachers innovate to make online classes interesting

Of all the people who work from home in the ‘new normal’, teachers probably have it the toughest, with maneuvering digital tools for online lessons to keeping students attentive. Many have come up with innovations that have gone viral. On World Teacher's Day 2020, we pay tribute to teachers and talk to a few who have gone the extra mile in these challenging times.
I was happy to introduce AR into classrooms
Shyam Vengalloor, teacher, AEM AUP School, Moorkanad
Inspired by the seminars and news shows, Shyan Vengalloor, an upper primary school teacher, felt that it would be interesting to include Augmented Reality (AR) to pep up virtual classrooms. "I joined the school seven months back and in two months after my joining, the lockdown was declared. When the online classes began, it was quite a bit monotonous and I felt restless. That's when I got curious about AR being used in seminars that I attended and also in a TV news channel," says Shyam, adding that a company in Delhi quoted seven lakhs to implement it. "That made me look into it more and find a few apps. I showed a LKG teacher how to use it. When we showed it to other teachers, they were also inspired.” Now Shyam helps teachers across India use AR in classrooms. "I am still continuing my research and experiments and I am really happy to be doing this,” he says.
Films trigger interest and better understanding
Pranav Suresh, assistant professor, SN Law College, Kollam
Within a few days of online classes, Pranav realised that in the absence of live interactions, it was quite difficult to catch the attention of each student in the virtual sessions. "It was quite understandable that attention spans would be low," he says. So, to attract their interest, the professor, who is also a film buff, decided to create short videos with movie clips and augmented reality, explaining the specific law he was teaching. "I created a video for environmental protection law and Environmental Impact Assessment using clips from Vijay-movie Kaithi, Amar Akbar Anthony and so on. I play the video initially and then explain the lesson," he says, adding that the response of his students has encouraged him to use such entertainment elements in his classes.
Getting coordinated for dance classes
Rajesh Raj, dance teacher, The Choice School, Tripunithura
Rajesh Raj, dance teacher at The Choice School, Tripunithura, never imagined he would end up having to teach dance virtually to little kids. "The early days were really challenging as correcting the steps of little ones online isn't easy. The moment you try to correct one, another one will make a mistake. I had to really brainstorm to create steps and methods to bring coordination in the classes," he says.
Rajesh then invested in a set of gadgets, including a tripod and lights. "I then planned how to hold everyone's attention. So, I initially took the help of the parents as well so that they could correct the position of the children's hands and movements," he says, explaining that now all his students are in sync through the class, which is a relief during the long sessions. "We celebrated Onam and Independence day with virtual performances and it went really well," he says.
Popularising practical science at home
Biju Mathew, science teacher, GHS, Cheriam, Malappuram
Biju Mathew considers every child a scientific genius. The science teacher at GHS Cheriam, who is passionate about teaching and always did practical lessons with students with whatever available resources, found the shift to virtual teaching easy. "I have been researching this for several years, so when the lockdown was declared, I quickly shifted online and started interacting with students across the state through science experiments that can be done by kids with plates, glasses, pvc pipes and other things that are available around the house," he says. Titled Kaleidoscope, his science skill enhancement programme is quite famous among the children in Kerala. "One doesn't need board and chalk to teach the children, as they will understand concepts themselves through the experiments they do at home. All we need to do is facilitate them," he says.