Online classes: ‘We need to adapt to the situation’

Every school has adapted to online learning. All the teachers are asked to conduct online classes. But, are our students and teachers ready for this? Are they equipped enough to conduct the classes? Do they have enough online resources? Are our students ready for this change? Answers to these questions are mostly negative. Change has to be always welcomed, but this sudden change can hit hard on our ideas and methods of learning. Neither students nor teachers were prepared for this. Many of the students use phones for playing games, and they are not used to accessing study material on phones.

We need to adapt to the situation and take it as a challenge, and this will change the course of action of learning. The technology has widened the horizons. There are many ways to teach and learn with or without a teacher. Nature being our biggest teacher, has taught us patience, love and care.

We are all waiting for the situation to be under control and everything going back to normal. Many students have asked if the syllabus taught now will be repeated again in the classroom when things go back to normal. I just smile as I don’t have an answer. If it has to be repeated, then shouldn’t we start now, or let’s take it to the level where students will not ask such questions. The students will grasp more when we will teach in a regular manner. There are so many webinars enriching us in ways to conduct online classes. Be creative, prepare your own material for classes, podcasts, power-point presentations and many other things.

Will these things help my students? Sure, it will, but what about the teacher-student bond of caring love and understanding. So many students are motivated to study because of their teachers. The bond shared between students and teachers will be missed totally. The teaching is mechanical and robot-like. The students may get sharper and knowledgeable, but they are starved of social bonding. They will miss out on the diversity and classroom interaction.

(The author is a teacher at DJ Doshi Gurukul English Medium High School, Ghatkopar)