PARADIGM SHIFT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

PARADIGM SHIFT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

March 2020 had nothing unusual. It had all the normalities of works. Boards exams were in
their full swing, home exams yet to be commenced in the third week of the month, we
teachers had had assigned duties like conducting practical exams, invigilation, evaluations
from CBSE. In fact, March gives breathing space from classroom teachings, but offers hectic
schedules.
Like all gone years, I had evaluation task. I had relieving from the school and started the work
at the evaluation centre. It always takes ten to twelve days off from the set schedule of the
school. Still nothing unusual. It was in the second week of March, a teacher sitting by me
became a little bit comprehensive as she had a call from somewhere and she shared the
startling news that something unfamiliar and unusual was going to happen. People at some
places started buying rations in bulk. Yet I could not feel the pulse of the coming days.
I had a call from my daughter who studies in a residential university. She conveyed the
unexpected news that the university campus was to be vacated for two weeks. Students had
started going from there. At the same time, students also started leaving the campuses. No
one knew about the future orders. On March 18, evaluation work was stopped, board exams
were suspended. No one knew what was to be announced.
There came an unusual request. There was a 14-hour voluntary public curfew on 22 March,
2020. On 24 March, a nationwide lockdown for 21 days was announced, limiting movement
of the entire population as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in the
country. It was thought that the situation will return to normalcy after 21 days. Who knew
there would be three extensions till 30th June, 2020? There started a chain of unlocks. Life
started returning to normalcy yet far from the pre-Covid days.
Although, it’s partial, there is functioning in all the walks of life, yet schools have been kept to
the last. Schooling is crumbling in endless wait. Teachers are either losing jobs or partially
being paid or not being paid. There are a few schools that are genuinely taking all cares of
their staff. We are among such blessed and cared staff members. At the same time there are
teachers who have to compromise with their primary needs and requirements.
Schools are still waiting for their occupants. Empty corridors, prayer ground,
playgrounds, courts, auditorium, swimming pool, gymnasium, dining hall, skating
rink, waiting lounge are left only for deafening silence. The COVID-19 pandemic has
disrupted every aspect of school life. It has almost collapsed education systems
and structures that ensure a continuation of learning for all students.
The well quoted traditional phrase “the show must go on,” is genuinely relevant
now. We are committed to continue the show of teaching and learning despite
unseen thrown spanners and hurdles. We teachers never give up. We are ready to
learn to have reach to our students. We recognize the exigent requirement to
continue teaching.
Hence, we switched to online teaching – learning practices during this pandemic
period as our school could feel the need of the hour. Therefore, teachers were
trained about the new teaching tools. We could prove in a few days that we are
best at adaptation. We learnt about all the required teaching tools and how to use
them in order to have access to our students in the first week of April itself. When
the other schools were just planning for the same, we could start it.
We are ever examining the best ways to connect ourselves with our students
virtually but effectively. We are striving hard to explore numerous educational
models to meet the needs of our students.
Besides hiccups, there opened new avenues of experiences. Thanks to Covid 19,
otherwise, we could have remained unaware of what we have now. Amid the
pandemic, the classrooms are no longer what they used to be. Parents are
attending classes although, off screen. Their presence boosts up our confidence
and motivates us to give the very best of what we know. They have access to see
how their sons and daughters are taught. They can see the teachers who are
working for their children.
For us, our day is dedicated to juggling several tasks, from handling our own
students and teaching lessons, to addressing many demands of online classes. We
teachers are true Covid warriors (unsung heroes).
These online classes have made education from all perspectives easily accessible to
students with the click of a button. But like every coin has its two sides, they are
not free from drawbacks. Sometimes, we teachers find that the students are not
taking classes seriously. They switch on and leave and do not respond. They mute
their mike and even of teachers as well. Assignments are not submitted on time.
Screen time for the teachers and students is to too long to adjust the eyes to the
screen. The frequently well-practiced sentence, we articulate, “Hello students, am I
audible?”
In addition to it, we have to be available 24×7 for them. We are accessible to them
on WhatsApp and anytime their query pops up and we have to address the issue as
fast as we can. With the digitalisation of education, we can be accessed at any time
of the day that leave us with less personal time. There are no Sundays of pre Covid
time. It sometimes results in anxiety. It’s very interesting to note that at time we
find that there is no learning environment in the houses of some students. There
are unfamiliar sounds of utensils from the kitchen, hawkers’ sound in the street,
someone’s conversation interference, and students are being disturbed by their
brothers and sisters and other siblings in the house. The noise in the background is
a common feature of online classes.
One thing that disturbs us more is the deafening silence of the classrooms. Forty
pairs of tables and chairs torment us. As we are, they are also in wait of their
occupants. The classrooms once brimming with the 35-40 students at a time, seem
Sunday classrooms. We teacher break silence. There is no noise of counting roll
calls. No one seems standing at the door and waiting for their teachers. Shifting
from traditional classrooms to virtual ones is sometimes difficult because students
are not physically present. Teaching at times is monologue and other times, it is
merely dominating and ruling ‘Apostrophe’ literary device.
Sometimes, our online classes fall flat when we come to know that some of the
students missed the classes because of poor internet connectivity. They fail to
catch up with their virtual classmates. And that is why broken servers and low
internet connectivity bar students from regularly attending their online classes,
thus making them lose track of course.
Despite of so many detriments, I feel online classes are the best option to teach
and have access to the students. As teachers we can’t have our existence barring
them. Engagement is better. We have understood how to use teaching tools and
teach them. Now we’re not restless and enjoyment, contentment and happiness
prevail at the both ends.

― Mr. Surendra Prakash Anand, PGT English

*The views expressed in the blog are those of the author.