3 teachers tell us how learning changed in 2020

Vibha Singh, principal, EDMC primary school, Mahila Colony medium81449388CLASS DIVIDE: Our children come from the lowest strata, most are first-generation learners whose parents are migrant labourers. Most of them had no access to smartphones. Those who did have had one phone for the family. In case there is a senior sibling, his/her access got priority.We started sending worksheets and study materials to WhatsApp groups. We also allotted morning 7am to 8:30am and 1pm to 2:30pm, when parents are at home, as call time to contact children. Books were not available initially. Our teachers also bought white boards and made videos and sent it to the children.FOOD & RECHARGE: We had to take care of food availability in the household during the lockdown, as many were daily wagers living hand to mouth. Teachers collected funds and ensured availability of food in the households and also helped fill the ration coupons. There were times when we had to recharge their parents’ phones.YOGA & MASKS: Our children are up to the age 12. Keeping them inside the house led to depression and some became aggressive. We had to motivate both students and parents. After some time, saturation point was reached and students stopped studying. We taught them yoga, games and masks making to keep engaged. Some teachers even made YouTube channels for children.Vidhu Narayanan, science teacher for classes VI, VII & VIII, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya medium81449412ATTENDING TO WEAK: In a classroom, it is easier to have a one-to-one interaction. Online you can’t reach out to everybody, particularly to the economically weaker section or otherwise weaker children. I would call a smaller number of children for the tutorials and use that time for one-on-one chats. I also tried to connect outside of class hours. I am perennially on the phone now!LEARNING OUTCOME: During online classes, children and teachers faced a lot of internet issues. Students get restless and you are not always sure how much learning has taken place. Assessment is not of the multiple kinds we have in school. One isn’t sure of learning outcomes.RESTLESS: Everybody seems to have reached saturation point. In class, we plan the lesson in different ways. The experiential learning I have been practicing in school went out of the window. Online, there are not too many ways to keep students engaged and occupied. Students have started asking when they are going to come to school.Sunil Kumar Joon, English teacher, Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Ghitorni medium81449444TECH & TOOLS: Being unaware of the utility of various applications, tools and devices was a major challenge for students and teachers. The department of education provided platforms where we could learn the use of technology. For example, there was a 'Digital Tools for Education' training by Google and online NISHTHA training by NCERT. We learned various video conferencing apps, as necessity is the mother of invention.OFFLINE WITH ONLINE: Many students didn’t have access to devices and the internet. Such students were encouraged to join class in pairs with neighbouring classmates. We went to the school and provided them with hard copies of worksheets. I was available on phone to students and parents.Like this story? Get more such stories in your inbox. Subscribe to the Education+ newsletter hereUntitled Carousel 77943174