Lessons Covid taught me

Embracing the vitality

When a crisis becomes an opportunity, growth occurs naturally! While the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted lives and started an era of uncertainty, it also accelerated growth and change, especially in the education sector.

At Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Lucknow, we geared up for this challenge within days. Though the transition to digital lesson planning and teaching through multimedia and presentations was nothing new to us, the difficult part was to maintain the same level of interaction and capturing the attention of the students online. So, we went all out and put hours in learning new tools and techniques for engaging, accessing, and giving constant feedback to the students. But like any learning curve, we were also fluctuating at times, constantly using trial and error method, adopting and disposing strategies according to responses in our online classes.

One big transformation that happened to me as an educator was to embrace the vitality that change brings along. A passive team player like me turned into an active learner pretty quickly, looking for new ways to get involved, taking initiatives and exploring new paths. This allowed me to evolve as an educator and implement the 21st century skills within my classes.

Whether it was sharing fun and innovative assignments like designing ‘Cell Applications’ or ‘Comic strip for photosynthesis’, performing experiments live, accessing the students continuously using online tools like Quizzes or Socrative, inviting real time responses via Nearpod and Ideaboardz or initiating discussions by integrating Science with Hindi, English, culture and values, we were doing it all and getting better at it with each passing day.

We, as educators, were exposed to not only the child but to their families as well. This made us not only more confident and inclusive but also changed our attitude towards those sudden inspections that we dreaded. In fact, peer observations and learning from others became a norm and helped us to improve our craft. Suggestions were now taken as a means to become better and not frowned upon. We did the same with our students as well. Peer reviews and group assignments allowed them to understand the importance of constructive feedback. With the increasing work load, learning the art of collaboration, division of labour and time management became a necessity. Sometimes, doing so was difficult. At other times, it was exciting. This roller coaster of a journey certainly created a 3600 shift in our professional personality.

Finally, I would like to conclude by saying that you always have a choice, either allow yourself to stagnate or push yourself to rise. Sometimes, unexpected situations act like a stimulus you never knew you needed, but if responded positively will help you to thrive.

Binish Usmani, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Lucknow

LEARNING TOGETHER EVEN WHEN WE ARE APART…

The year 2020 will be remembered for decades to come, a year when everything changed when the whole wide world was reduced to our homes where the only company with us was our family. This is the point where the world was in chaos and confusion, with no ray of hope in sight, when the lives of people were in jeopardy as we fought the deadly pandemic.

A major change that occurred was the commencement of online classes and we, the teachers armed with our laptops and zoom and WhatsApp went into the virtual world to teach the students.

To play our part in the shift to the ‘new normal’. The pandemic as a whole has taught me a lot but the real test was to become an effective teacher, which I had always tried to be and to prevent myself from becoming a mere video on their screens. And I think that I have been effective in doing so.

The first thing that I have learnt from the pandemic is that in the modern times that we are living in, we have boundless capacity for effective teaching and learning on a virtual platform.

The second thing that I learnt was that we as teachers or people in general were ignorant of the ways that technology could aid us in effective teaching and it was a joy to learn and to be up to speed with the current generation in terms of technological prowess.

The other thing that I learnt is that teaching can never be effective until you have a bond with your students when you communicate with them and when you accept and appreciate their innocence and quirks.

And the last thing it taught me was that no matter how advanced the technology becomes it can replace a teacher for teaching is not only about the completion of syllabus rather it is love mixed with a sense of responsibility that really enables us to teach and for them to learn. And it is just pure joy to see the students coming to school slowly but surely and the way they come up to us and wish us with sheer joy and it is then that we realise that we have genuinely made an impact on them.

Ekta, Yadavindra Public School, Mohali