There was an overall emotion of pride and accomplishment amongst teachers for getting through this unusual course of time with cogency, dedication, and determination. We were able to validate the feelings that were buzzing around, the sense of intimacy, comprehension, and engagement. We brought about vital keys to establish the relationship online. It was very impressive and triumphal, at the speed at which we, teachers and students adapted to the online teaching and learning platforms. It worked out better than anticipated. However, there have been many challenges too in terms of availability of steady internet connection and content delivery. But fortunately, we found ways to overcome these by developing new teaching and learning techniques that made us feel confident, engaged and committed.
Yes indeed, it required immense effort to keep all the students focused and communicate in a way that they understand. For many students around the world, in-person learning is the preferred and most comfortable mode of learning. They need to see their teacher’s reaction and gestures, which becomes difficult in an online context. It took us a month or two to adapt to the online context and appropriately redefine our goals and outcomes. The unexpected switch to complete online teaching was equally challenging for teachers and students. But the new circumstances endorsed an immediate need to identify and use convenient e-learning systems for synchronous classes and assessments.
While teaching in this new world of online education, one must not forget that different students have different learning styles: auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, and mixed. Working around this was yet another tough task. Visual learners learn best through pictorial representations. For them, whiteboards became their best buds as they scribbled on them and learnt concepts at their own pace. Auditory learners have a tendency to learn through sounds, reading, questions and discussions. Kinaesthetic learners learn best by doing. Keeping in mind our diverse set of learners, we created unique, practical and carefully customized learning resources to support each learner in a virtual classroom. After a month, we followed up with parents by sharing our observations and identifying the exact needs and learning patterns of each child. The discussions were meaningful, highly engaging and led us to create lesson plans and Power Point Presentations with elements of gamification. Through these pictorial animated presentations, students became more engaged as they helped us cater better to all types of learners. Choosing the right tools can have a profound impact on students by energizing them for their bright tomorrows. Identifying how a child learns best can significantly affect their ability to connect with the topics as well as participate enthusiastically. When it comes to catering to the various learning styles and distinctive characteristics of students, teachers turn up with lesson plans that speak to each type of student. By connecting different approaches and customizing teaching according to students’ learning abilities, teachers are able to maintain attention and interest across screens of the virtual classrooms. A supportive learning environment nurtures lines of conversation, systems for freedom, flexibility and greater participation which allow students to respond and reach a range of possibilities rather than a single solution.
MS Teams, the platform we have been using for the past 15 months has also been enhancing itself to provide more meaningful interactions by adding convenient and reliable features. We also encouraged skill development of students through theme-based assemblies, celebration of special days, interactive activities and much more. These activities need not only an application system but also the necessary tools to create an interactive and conducive learning environment. This experience opened doors to focused learning and the practice of such teaching and learning methods helped students understand new meanings of adaptability, and creativity, ultimately making them resilient and lifelong learners.
Exchange of thoughts and ideas around openings, flexibility and liberty helped students develop mindfulness, self-control, emotional resilience and self-discipline. The whole year was a whirlwind of learning innovative things while trying to practice mindfulness, forcing us all to find our best balance in teaching and learning.
Despite regular dialogues on Education, there were amusing opportunities for the faculty too! Antakshari, tombola, sessions on mindfulness and festive celebrations with students uplifted our souls and filled us with cheer, laughter, and positive vibes.
We, the CHIREC-Cognita Family are grateful to all our parents supporting their children’s education from home. They have been a great support and motivation throughout the year!
Finally, we won the race that began with disinclination, struggle, and anxiety. In a short amount of time, we earned confidence and precision and we were all set to accept the challenges with positivity and strength. Thus, I believe this is not the time to be skeptical but rather embrace the change and hope life will shuffle us back to normal.
Ms. Pooja Kalra
Class teacher, I A (CBSE)
My mind is a blend of creative and abstract qualities. I try to put my talent to the best use and practice my skills well to contribute to the growth of the institution. I seek harmony between work and life and endeavour to deliver the quality work that are both relevant and beneficial to the organization. My experience and knowledge provide me the capability to handle and hand over tasks in a beautiful yet productive way. My originality in thoughts and state of mind never accept defeat, take constructive criticism well. Greeting my students at the door everyday helps me commence my day on a positive and valuable note. I indulge myself more in the organizational growth and aim for common and bigger goals rather than my personal achievements.
