Unlearning is the new learning

As the Covid-19 Pandemic took the world by storm, in a flash we moved from Real to Virtual Learning, from teaching in a school classroom to teaching in a Zoom classroom. My experience of teaching online was initially challenging, but later it became stronger with practice and professional development support extended by the school management. As I reflect back, some of the early challenges I faced as a teacher were:

1. Adapting to a new technology took time because I was not very tech-savvy. But with the help of the Management, H.M and teachers I tried to navigate different apps and platforms. 
2.  Learning new tools to conduct online classes
3. Communication barriers i.e rapport between student and teacher
4. Time management and teaching styles
5. Maintaining discipline among the students and fostering new classroom etiquettes

The early challenges for students were:

1. Lack of motivation in online learning
2. Technical difficulties with online tools.
3. Lack of interaction
4. Distractions in the background.

My focus while conducting the online classes was that the students understand the concepts clearly, I used the Audio and Video tools to explain the formation of natural resources, or to construct an angle. I also made videos on my own to explain certain concepts. To keep a constant check on the progress we were making, we had Google form questionnaires and quizzes too were integrated into the online class. I tried certain creative innovative strategies as well. e.g. The students were able to see a virtual tour of formation of minerals, coal formation and the elements found in nature. 

As a part of the learning experience, an activity was conducted for Std. 6 on Fractions and Std 7 on Parts of the Plant. The aim of the activity was to enhance students’ understanding and skill & to have hands-on experience and thus bolster student confidence and the ability to think critically.

As we settled into online classes, I also shifted my focus to building some relationships with students. For this, I tried to use a blend of different communication methods including personalized responses in the chatbox to their discussion posts and emails addressed to individual students.  The purpose of this communication was to keep the students motivated and to build a healthy relationship with the students. After the regular teaching periods, we also had activity classes where the students were able to show and explain the projects. A healthy mix of group and individual projects emerged as a good way to ensure success with online learning. 

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The first term was undoubtedly challenging but as a teacher, I could adapt to online teaching,  Initially, it was difficult but with more practice and support from the Management, I tried to use various digital tools and resources to solve problems and implement new approaches to teaching and learning. Overall, online education is a wonderful opportunity during the pandemic but it can never replace the real face to face interactive teaching. As a  teacher, we are not able to identify whether the students are able to grasp and have understood the concepts well. Online teaching in the midst of the lockdown though convenient should be looked as an alternative tool for teaching and should never be used to replace the conventional, real classroom teaching. 

Thanks to the Management, H.M and teachers for the training, guidance and support – all your efforts made me feel more confident to teach online.

Bajana Salome

Std. 6, 7 Teacher