Teaching Online – The pedagogical shift all teachers must embrace.

The modern educator, in its true sense defines a skill that has come off age. Imparting education has become more an act of teaching the way learners want to learn rather than following a mechanical and archaic process. The approach to teaching or pedagogy has evolved into a more child centric, result oriented and skill driven. Educators in schools and other educational institutions are united on the idea of revamping the traditional approach to teaching and discovering modern and efficient ways of connecting with the students.

Teaching in today’s schools requires educators to be more welcoming of the use of technology beyond the basics. As educational institutions today, have gradually started to offer job-oriented learning, there is absolutely no doubt technology would be an essential enabler in the process. With the increasing demand for students in the country, there is a natural push towards shifting teaching and learning online in a manner that is both effective and innovative. It is a well-known fact that learners today can associate better with video lessons rather than text books. In fact, technologies can enable standard text book material to come to life thereby establishing an engaging contact with the learner.

What does teaching online entail?

Educators that can leverage technology today, can ensure that student learning continues with minimal hindrances. Contrary to popular belief, teaching online is simple, efficient and easy to learn. It takes a small amount of willingness to adapt to the teaching environment and get acquainted with the tools and platforms. Most of online teaching is extremely similar to classroom teaching. Teachers can do everything over learning platforms such as design curriculum, conduct assessments, allocate assignments and design progress reports for their students. Infrastructural requirements are fairly limited as all that is needed is a computer with a stable internet connection.

Why should educational institutions push for online teaching?

When employed efficiently, online teaching offers a load of benefits that enable education in a way that has never been possible before. The most noteworthy of these benefits being:

• Online teaching renders geographies pointless. Since teaching online is managed by a system over the web, students can log in from their respective residences and do not need to travel to school to attend sessions. This opens the playing field to students beyond the immediate vicinity of the school’s location.

• Online teaching makes asynchronous teaching possible. Present day teachers find it difficult to ensure that every student has understood a course or lesson. The commitment to provide individual attention to each student therefore remains unfulfilled. However, online teaching enables students to schedule one to one session with their teachers and allows teachers to do exactly the same, thereby ensuring that student queries are timely addressed and their learning continues.

• Online teaching makes it easier to monitor student progress. Since learning platforms today offer the possibilities of associating learning outcomes with lesson plans, teachers are able to monitor in real time, which students are lagging behind and require personal attention. Analytical summaries are a great way for teachers to ensure that all their students excel academically.

• Online teaching helps make monotonous lessons more engaging. Traditional teachers often struggle with certain topics that do not inspire student attention and focus as the rest. Subjects such as history, sociology etc. can be made more interesting with the use of videos, slides and other support material that are otherwise absent from a traditional classroom.

The prospect of hundreds of thousands of professors and students venturing into academic cyberspace for the first time has prompted some commentators to take to social media to predict that this period could alter the landscape future for online education. "Every academician shall be delivering education online. Every student shall be receiving education online. And the resistance to online education will move away as a practical matter," James N. Bradley, chief information officer at Texas's Trinity University, wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Online teaching has off late become the face for the educational industry at large. As a consequence, to the pandemic, schools across the world have shifted curriculum online and are enabling teachers to conduct live lesson delivery using video conferencing and education management software. Teachers are able to conduct sessions, address doubts and deliver high quality education across the globe. This is an exciting opportunity for the uninitiated to be exposed to the many benefits of online learning and understand its importance for the future.

Opening School's Amidst a Pandemic – 5 things all schools must ensure

As schools and educational institutions prepare to resume activities across the country, the scare of the pandemic worsens with each passing day. While governments have changed the narrative around the severity of the disease seeking public cooperation, school owners and operators must be mindful to strengthen their defense and develop strategies to mitigate, tackle and overcome the ill effects of the corona virus.

Schools need to understand that their eagerness to reopen should not result in nearsightedness. The rush to resume activities can lead to managerial oversight leading to drastic ramifications such as school closures and containment. Keeping the safety of all teachers, students and staff in mind, the schools must work towards creation of a detailed recommencement plan in line not only with the national regulations but also by understanding international best practices and guidelines issued by bodies such as UNESCO, WHO, IIEP etc.

Amidst the many attributes of schooling that must be evaluated by the management, here are 5 key areas that require the highest attention:

1.) Identify High Contact Zones

It is imperative for schools to seek out and identify areas in the school where students and staff come in close contact with each other. The best way of doing so is reviewing a student’s typical day in the school and identify likely common areas and interaction points where the student is widely exposed. Beginning from the classroom, cafeteria, auditoriums right down to water coolers and play grounds will need to be individually assessed in order to adhere to social distancing norms. In accordance with the respective state government regulations, schools must devise a student attendance strategy and supplement the same with cordoning off areas that require physical engagement and supervising the same to ensure that social distancing is strictly followed.

2.) Develop Sanitation Strategies

All school inventories must be properly sanitized at the end of each school day in order to make the school a hazard free environment. Regular cleaning and decontamination of guard rails, door handles, classroom benches, lab equipment etc. must be undertaken. School cleaning staffs must be provided with adequate PPE gear and should be allocated rotational shifts to continually clean lavatories, staff rooms, auditoriums etc. If the school provides transport, then all vehicles must properly be inspected and duly sanitized prior to student pickups as well as after drop offs.

3.) Revisit Academic Calendars

As schools choose to reopen, and activities resume, time is of the essence. Schools need to act fast and assertively to deal with the ill effects of the pandemic as well as address the need for completion of course content. All schools should actively look into their academic calendar and re-evaluate their options to achieve maximum course completion before the next academic session. Of course, the guidance of all affiliated boards is critical to this aspect, however schools should be well prepared to explore concepts such as accelerated learning and new age teaching in greater detail. Academic calendars must be condensed and optimized to achieve the maximum within the available time. Schools need to chalk off all non academic events and repurpose their time towards core education. This is the time when schools would need to make up for lost time and get back on their path to normalcy.

 4.) Embrace Technology

The school education industry at large has been one of the worst hit industries across the world. In India, schools scrambled to shift curriculum online in the wake of the pandemic. COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of the education system and it is important, now more than ever for schools to become more accepting of the use of technology within their pedagogies. In emergency situations like the corona outbreak, technology is perhaps an enabler and not a deterrent to education as schools still believe. Schools must invest in teacher education and infrastructural improvements in order to introduce technology and modern day teaching aids within the classroom and enable unperturbed education.

5.) Rapidly Evolve

Schools, like all other industries have now ventured into uncharted territory. While medical science makes quantum leaps everyday in seeking a cure to the pandemic, schools must have their eyes and ears open to any new information that comes to light. They must be able to adapt, improvise and overcome any situation down the line without an impact on student education. They must strategize in a manner that allows them the flexibility to swiftly factor in any new changes that emerge in the coming months. They must review at regular intervals and further refine elements that are not working for them. School management must enable all stakeholders including teachers, students and parents to be ready to transition with the school as it battles the consequences of the pandemic in its own unique way. Schools must also consult, communicate and coordinate with the right departments actively in order to be ahead of the curve if the situation worsens.

As schools slowly grapple with the idea of running an institution amidst a global pandemic, here are a few safeguards that they can consider as part of their recommencement strategy:

• Installation of thermal scanners at school entrance to check body temperatures
• Setting up sanitizing stations around the school with contact less alcohol based sanitizer distribution
• Providing instant read thermometers to school infirmary and medical staff
• Suspend all activities requiring presence of more than 20 students such as morning assembly, sports etc.
• Keeping a mandatory safety kit in each classroom
• Ensuring classroom seating is such that 1.5m distance is maintained between 2 consecutive students
• Ensure sufficient signage and notices across the schools reminding everyone of the protocols at play  
• Ensure individuals without masks are not permitted on the school premises

Using these as starting points, schools can build onwards to a robust and flexible strategy to efficiently reopen and resume activities. Schools can also seek out the right partnerships from leading organizations that are closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the sector and can shoulder the responsibility alongside the management to help them expedite their progress to normalcy.

Changing Face of The Traditional Schooling Model

Schooling, as we know it, is defined by buildings, classrooms, books and schedules. Traditional schooling has been considered as the only way to a balanced education; until now. The year 2020, as dreadful as it may seem, has brought with it a new reckoning for the prevalent model of schooling across the world. As schools lie helpless in the wake of the pandemic, a closer look reveals the unpreparedness and loopholes of the system as a whole. COVID-19 has not only exposed the cracks but has also brought to light the need for re-evaluation and assessment of the effectiveness of the prevalent schooling model.

Why do things need to change?

Several researchers and experts have been strong critiques of the traditional schooling model. The archaic vision of schools coupled with dated teaching techniques has lead to their loss of faith in the system. In fact, some even claim that the present schooling model is being approached as more of a business and not as social responsibility. Individuals behind schools no longer take pride in the noble cause of empowering young minds and contributing to the intellectual capital of the nation. Even teachers are now of the ‘job driven’ mindset and are not interested in imparting education which could largely be attributed to the socio-economic scenario in the country.

Looking at the sector as a whole, almost every educational institution has been adversely affected. However, the colossal turn of events has also brought about a renewed mindset and refreshed thinking to the table. The trends and analysis clearly indicate a new dawn for schooling in India and the world. A new model is emerging – one that is more innovative, forward looking and future proof. The industry seems to be leaning heavily towards online modes of teaching and learning. More and more schools are becoming highly accepting of technology as an enabler in such perilous times. Thanks to concepts such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, innovators are designing better and more efficient ways of learning every single day. The face of the educational framework is certainly positioned for a radical change in the next few years.

Specifically speaking, EdTech firms in the country have reported upto 60% increase in user base in a month which is a testament to the changing mindset amongst all stakeholders in the schooling process. Schools have also invested heavily in their IT framework and have also strategized to move their curriculum online. Teachers are being trained and refined to embrace technology as an ally. Students have come forward and shown a keen interest in learning online and attending live lessons. Parents have also become more accepting of the idea of e-learning and encourage their children to choose digital learning.

For the first time ever, concepts like digital literacy are being explored. The American Library Association (ALA) defines digital literacy as “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills”. Students and teachers around the world are increasingly becoming digitally literate. In India, the government has also mobilized significant capital towards digital literacy missions such as DIKSHA - the government’s online learning portal which has registered over 61 crore views since March 2020. This accelerated adoption of technology has given a renewed outlook to the face of schooling and education as a whole.

Another interesting concept being heavily talked about is the idea of ‘Online Schooling’; not to be confused with ‘Homeschooling’. While online schooling is a way of offering state sponsored curricula to students and families, homeschooling relates primarily to the purchase of curriculum to be in turn taught by the parents. Online schooling presents immense opportunities for both students and teachers to assume greater control and also assigns parental responsibility to help the child stay on his/her learning path.

What is Online Schooling?

Online schooling is a branch of the EdTech industry which is defined by a heavy reliance on technology and innovativeness. Students are exposed to a blended model including both online and offline ways of learning. Teachers are expected to teach in both synchronous and asynchronous teaching formats. Parent’s shoulder responsibility with the school and act as learning coaches to steer their child’s progress in the right direction. All in all, it is an inclusive form of schooling and shows great promise for the future.

As the schooling model slowly gravitates towards a tech enabled, student centric sector, it is also important for schools to look into stakeholder education aspects. Significant efforts have to be made in the direction of reaching out to technologically averse sets of parents and exposing them to the many benefits of online schooling such as personalization, individual attention, analysis and monitoring etc. The traditional model of schooling will continue to interfere with the natural progression of the industry as long as there are people that choose to believe in its effectiveness. While the traditional model has its merits, it has now become counter intuitive to the idea of education. It is time for schools to act now if they wish to ride the wave of technology enabled schooling in the days to come.