by The destiny of India is being shaped in its classrooms…quoted the Kothari Commission as the Indian Education Commission in 1964-66. And now an ironic coincidence has occurred in the remarkable year 2020, as there are no physical classrooms and the reigning government has come up with the NEP 2020. So then, where is the destiny of India now, when there are no classrooms as such? Well, digital classrooms are eminent now. The most incredible thing about this transformation has been that there hasn’t been any long term planning or piloting in place prior to its implementation. It can be remarked here that the education ministry cautiously involves piloting for new textbooks and curriculum before its implementation. Also adding to it is an unprecedented formulation of consultation, for The New National Education Policy 2020 which has been formulated, after it involved around 2 lakh suggestions from 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, 6600 Blocks, 6000 ULBs, 676 Districts of India.
But as it is rightly said, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” The human race is at the pinnacle of success when it comes to technology and all what counts is a zepto second. Owing to this attitude of ours, the year 2020 came up with a grotesque mask under the name of pandemic, giving us no time to react, reciprocate or remediate. Apparently taking away the little beings away from their second home. What would anyone expect from the educators’ community, at a moment when neither the bureaucracy nor the medical community were efficient enough to put up any SOP’s in place? When the enemy was microscopic, the battle fields were unknown, do we expect a compassionate educator to be negligent? Absolutely not. They let their physical classrooms go soulless for the goodwill of their students. But then what about the passion and enthusiasm of teaching? What about the Hippocratic oath they have taken by themselves to nurture the society with knowledge. As the drowning man clutches the straw, they grabbed up the digital devices, researched on their own to put a practice in place. They left no stone unturned and no leaf uncovered to get connected, to educate and to see their caged beings bridged to a wholistic learning environment.
The immediate reaction was of applause, when the educators ranging from KG to PG plunged into the sea of technology and kept the drowning ship of education afloat. But soon there was an uproar of criticism. The rabble rousers had an immediate concern for the child’s screen time, their distorted musculature while spending hours in front of devices, burden of academics even during pandemic, illeffects on vision and what not. Well, they probably had a schizophrenic attack, leaving them in a memory lapse that made them forget few facts. Children used screens even before digitalization of education prior to pandemic moreover that screen time was increasingly passive. The inculcation of screen habits (gaming) were from families and households and not from the educators , which was rather a reason for decrease in academic achievement. The effects of video game play on academic performance Jancee Wright University of the Cumberlands , Modern psychological studies, volume 17,number 1 article 6(2011).
But the question is , why is there such an uproar? Has the education system given up on physical campuses? Have we accepted that the digitalization of education is forever and the digital platforms are the permanent solution? No technology can replace a teacher and his physical set of classrooms. Technology has always been an aid to educators. The stakeholders, especially the parents need to understand that the globe is in a never imagined situation due to the attack of a deadly virus. Everyone is contributing to achieve normalcy in their own special way despite of knowing the fact that TIME is the only remedy. Nothing can be done except precautions and self care, when the ability of generating a vaccine is also being delayed. And so, just like every sector, the education system endeavoring to create a provisional #NEW NORMAL.
Good ideas are always ridiculed initially. Did we think and rethink about the damage to the environment while using the diesel engine for the first time? Does this show neglect towards the environment? NO. The concept of sustainable development was soon realized and is being implemented. Yet, the only concept that works in the world is CHANGE and ADAPTATION TO CHANGE. The same is applicable to digitalization of education. Let’s look at the brighter side of remote learning during the pandemic itself rather than focusing on the digitalization of education as a whole. The online learning provided a platform where the students saw a different face of education. Looking at the technical aspect, for those who do have access to the right technology, there is evidence that learning online can be more effective in a number of ways. Some research shows that on average, students retain 25-60% more material when learning online compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. This is mostly due to the students being able to learn faster online; e-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom setting because students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through concepts as they choose.
Establishing a routine becomes crucial for children, especially while staying indoors the entire day, which they are not used to. Online classes from schools with a proper time schedule have engaged them creatively. The introduction to online classrooms has encouraged students to stay motivated and deal resiliently with the epidemic-induced anxiety. This growing transition to online learning and interactive classrooms has also made vast improvements in the resourcefulness of students. With the advent of new learning technologies, students gain more computing capabilities and develop aptitudes in the usage of technology for reasons other than gaming and entertainment. Children of middle school who learnt application of various computer skills only in computer practical classes, now are able to create their own .pdf files , easily scan and convert images for submission as well as email them to reach deadlines. Schools have not only included academics but various other co-curricular activities including exercise, music, motivational speaking, author talks, various competitions virtually along with training webinars for staff giving a wholistic learning platform digitally.
It is vitally important to remind children that this isolation is temporary. Distance learning has often been unfairly pigeonholed as a poor alternative to face to face learning. However, with the sudden need for social distancing and self-isolation during the lockdown, this otherwise resisted educational approach is being wholeheartedly embraced. Certainly these classes delivered the science of well being. The happiness quotient of children was on a raise when they could see their classmates and teachers on the screens. The serotonins were on a higher altitude when a class prankster could successfully discover and execute his plan on a virtual platform. The feel good factor rushed the Dopamine levels when a Nursery toddler saw his favorite teacher smile and play a tossing ball game with him through the desktop. Educators converted adversity to opportunity, when most of the home learning for toddlers and infants included life skill development activities, soft skill enhancement and guided the parents to spend quality time with children by designing integrated fun and learn cocurricular lesson plans. It is important to portray a controlled and calm approach to life ,when these minds see the number of fatal cases soaring high each hour. Educators did this wonderful job of holding hands and whispering to each child, “I CARE”, AND WITH ME BY YOUR SIDE, TRUST THE TRANSITION”. The pandemic won’t last forever but the relationships we build in these strange times will.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bhumiba Gohil is a Doctorate in Educational Psychology and has researched in the field of Emotional Intelligence of secondary school teachers. Moreover, she is a graduate in Microbiology and is currently working as the principal of Amarjyoti Saraswati Vidhyalaya in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. She has three research papers in national journals to her profile along with interesting articles on parenting in Education Today and Brain Feed magazines. She is a freelance blogger, contributing interesting blogs on momspresso.com. Being a lifetime member of the Early Childhood Association, India, and the ambassador of TIE, Bhavnagar (Team of Ignited Educators) she has been taking various workshops and webinars for support staff, parents, and teachers. Her core areas of interest include activity-based learning, designing interdisciplinary academic activities for secondary students, and employing a broad range of instructional techniques to retain student interest. Being a learner at heart she continuously strives to master verbal communication skills in order to crave the rainbow of her ideas.
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