Ever since India went into its first Lockdown, Education has been one sector, which has been hit very badly. The absence of a regular schooling schedule, has meant that the kids who do not have access to Smart phones/Computers with connectivity have been left out of the formal schooling system for prolonged periods, without support from teachers, peer learning and interaction and the guiding force of a curriculum especially at an age when they need it the most. The social, psychological cost of this break is immense and when compounded with the number of students going through this phase, will certainly drag the enrichment of human resource of the country down by a few points.
The cost of this at an individual, family level is going to be shocking in the long run. Studies show that, left out of the formal schooling system, students especially from a lower income / BPL Back ground tend to drop out or scale down their aims. If a student had wanted to pass secondary school earlier, it is possible that altered circumstances might prevent him/her from accomplishing it or restrict studies after a particular grade, due to impoverished family circumstances. Education experts speak about learning outcomes in students and identify unfruitful methods and routine teaching learning as some of the causes for students being promoted to higher classes without the expected set of skills, required for that age. This is a major problem that has to be addressed continuously to measure the outcomes of time spent in the schooling system both by the teachers and the students. However the Covid Pandemic has further enlarged the gulf between expected and actual learning outcomes, largely due to the lack of interaction between the teachers and the students and the absence of a real classroom atmosphere. The virtual learning platforms which provide a semblance of an atmosphere cannot entirely supplement the classroom where learning takes place in 360 degrees through teachers, peers, text books, Black board, aids and A.V support.
The Lockdown in the academic year 2019-20 was imposed on March, 22. It mattered only a little since the academic year was drawing to a close and the situation warranted such a measure. However the academic year 2020-21 was severely curtailed due to a prolonged phase of uncertainty and lack of knowledge about the behavior and weapons to combat the virus. A.P was one of the first states to re-open with an elaborate Covid prevention protocol in place, and schools started to function from 23-11-2020. Nearly 5 months had been reduced from the academic year. The Covid second wave has forced another closure of educational institutions and they have been closed from 20.04.2021. Hence roughly, only 5 months of schooling could be done during the academic year 2020-21. Now we are staring at an uncertain date for the commencement of the academic year 2021-22.
As I have remarked, children are being forcefully kept away from the formal schooling system. As we await the commencement of the institutions when children can physically get back to schools, it is important for teachers to devise strategies to engage their students so that they are supported continuously for their academic needs.
For this purpose I propose three strategies.
Pre-Pandemic: We have already crossed this period. However understanding the strategies could be useful for future needs. During the course of the regular academic schedule, teachers tend to push through the curriculum or the syllabus to prepare the students for the Summative assessments. However investing time in going through the text book tasks in the form of classroom tasks and home activities should be encouraged. Though all the activities may not be performed, it should be compulsory to make the child visualize the activities. Working together and working alone. In the classroom situation, students should be encouraged to work together on these activities and tasks. However they should also develop an individual aptitude and involvement to tackle those tasks later in life whenever required, and such an attitude will help them to work individually at home.
Study skills: As students progress to the higher classes, study skills like Note taking, Note making, Summarizing, Reviewing and Collating become very important. These skills will become very handy when students learn at home. Hence teachers have to spend time to cultivate these skills and the onus to a greater extent lies with the language teachers.
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During the Pandemic: Teachers should support the children during the Pandemic situation. However for this interaction to yield the best results, it should not be random or haphazard. Rather it has to be planned, graded and systematic, giving the child a sense of being involved, monitored and assessed on a regular basis.
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The Strategy of 4 T
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Time table: One of the first things to be done is to draw up a time table for the Virtual classes and the telephone classes (for those who cannot access zoom, WhatsApp etc.) separately. Teaching or explaining over phone can be very difficult when addressing a large group and the time spent may be futile if there is no perceived result. Pre-reading shall be adopted and comprehension should be tested. The teacher can elaborate on a difficult point or clarify a certain issue.
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Task – setting: Instead of teaching and explaining, task-setting by the teacher is very important to diminish the disadvantages of long distance and the completed tasks should be reviewed meticulously.
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Testing: Short, response based testing in one line answers, fill-in the blanks etc. should be employed to test not only peripheral learning but also the comprehension of the student.
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Text book support: At home the student should be continuously in touch with the text book and the teachers should make them go through the same. A dedicated student can turn the text book into an excellent support base given the elucidation and illustration for every lesson.
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Home – Projects and learners’ Diary :
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Of the above two, learners’ diary should be a daily affair, being a record of the learning done by the student so that the corresponding time table evolved by the teacher works in tandem.
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Short or Long-term projects like scrap books, Herbarium, research papers, book-reviews, should be decided and entrusted subject wise by each teacher. The activities given in the text books can be allotted for revision. Learners’ diary and home projects should be verified by the teachers once there is a possibility of physical interaction.
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Post- Pandemic: Post pandemic when the institutions reopen and the students come back to the classes; teachers will have to assess the educational needs of each and every student separately. Review of the curriculum of the previous year in the form of a random assessment test both for factual as well as critical comprehension to identify the learning gaps and if necessary run short duration bridge courses will be very important. Veering the students towards learning, introducing the curriculum and rolling out the academic plan for the next year should maintain a connect with the previous year.
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The social, emotional turmoil of the Covid pandemic has to be addressed in an honest and humane manner so that the students engage with it as a personal learning experience. Every teacher is resourceful and enthusiastic in their own way and can probably introduce various techniques to meet the ultimate goal. These strategies are broadly illustrative and can roll out for the teachers a plan to work with, which can be constantly evaluated and modified. As they say “Don’t curse the darkness but light a candle” A generation of students needs the support of teachers, to not let a disease hurt their passion, their enthusiasm and learning and the teaching community can answer this need.