The new normal for schools in COVID-19 pandemic

A new normal has emerged for schools around the globe because of COVID-19 and it has made way for so many questions to surface in the minds of educators, teachers and parents as we have to transform the conventional classrooms into online classes rapidly. Many schools like ours who were equipped with the infrastructural facilities immediately shifted to the online learning platform successfully from the end of March 2020. We quickly understood and accepted the fact as educators and parents that this is our new normal and that the face of schools will perhaps never be the same. Education has to continue without any pause even when we confront a crisis such as the novel coronavirus outbreak.

As educators, we must now ensure an effective teaching and learning pedagogy that emphasises student-centric learning and employs active learning activities. We must create a more robust and responsive set of educational practices or pedagogy. The concept and practice of online learning have never been so popular and widely practised until now. Countless researches devoted to the benefits of online education suggest it is even as good as face-to-face classroom learning. Training of teachers and equipping them with the technological tools and know-how have become crucial in the present scenario as online teaching involves a great deal of preparation, adjustments and numerous kinds of virtual resources. Schools would have to consider readjusting and increasing their budget allocation to respond to this emerging need in order to ensure the quality of online teaching.

A consciously designed online teaching pedagogy that includes blended learning with a flipped-classroom approach will help ensure the quality of teaching and learning process. We need to re-evaluate and redesign the curriculum for the needs of the students and their pace of learning online. We need to rethink the size and setting of the classrooms, set up a structured online monitoring support system and at the same time explain to the parents and stakeholders why these changes are taking place and special measures are being adopted by schools.

Based on the practical experiences of the teachers and feedback received from parents and students during the past few weeks, we can say with much conviction that online learning no doubt has so many advantages and we need to focus on these so that we can develop the system further and smoothly achieve the teaching goals while teaching online. Some of the most significant advantages of online learning are as follows-

–         Online learning empowers and engages students to lead their learning

–         Learning is no doubt more inquiry based

–         Critical thinking is more refined as students learn to ask questions and also improve their communication skills while boosting their confidence level

–         Teachers and students can customise the learning process as there is more flexibility

–         Learning is more self-paced

–         Enhanced technical skills and time management skills for both teacher and the students

–         Improved teamwork between peers and co-teachers

Parent-teacher communication and support is also vital for the smooth functioning of the online learning experience. Parents have played a crucial role now more than ever, as they join hands with teachers to help facilitate a positive learning environment for their children from the comfort zones at home. If parents are provided with the requisite information and guidance from schools, they can assist and guide their children at home without any hassle.

We have to seriously consider resizing and resetting the classes, upgrade the existing health and safety facilities and systems, ensure pastoral care and well- being of the teachers, students and staff to continue the learning process effectively.