At Ekya we teachers and educators are perennial learners. Ekya provides us a platform to learn new things and helps us get better at what we do. It was the same this year too and that helped us prepare well for the new aspect of learning in education today that is ‘online classes’.
It was the first time we got to understand how teaching-learning can be done effectively using online tools and engagement strategies. We were introduced to Zoom and trained on other online strategies for effective teaching, which we were totally unaware of earlier.
When I got to know that I will be handling online classes for the youngest of the lot that is sub-juniors.I had mixed feelings. I couldn’t imagine a two and a half and a three-year-old sitting in front of the Computer system, watching me on screen, listening to my instructions, or participating in instructional activities. Some questions in my mind were – “How will I make them follow classroom norms like waiting for their turn, muting, unmuting, raising their hands when they have to talk”. These were my fears and that which took some time to get overpowered. They were multifold and were centered around my ability to reach every student in class in an effective way.
I had many questions running in my mind too like- How will I give attention to each and every child? How will I make every child feel connected to the classroom? How will I ensure that they interact with me and with others in the class? How will I be evaluated for my teaching? Will I be able to give my 100% in this format of teaching?
My experience of my first session at the Pre-Primary changed the way I looked at online classes for children of these grades. The session started with an introduction where I could see students accompanied by their parents. Few of them or rather most of them were reluctant to even sit. I could hear them crying and telling “This is not my school” “She is not my teacher” “I don’t want to sit and see this ma’am”. I remember one child hiding under the table and her parents coaxing her to come out and listen to me.
I decided to continue the class and encouraged them to just listen to me from wherever they are and however they want to. I simply began by asking their likes, dislikes, and interests. I was amazed by a few of their responses that showed clearly what they would like to see and learn in my class and also how they would want it.
Listening to their responses I thought if I begin with music and dance I can connect with them easily. And so, in the second half of the session, all I did was play music and dance with them. I was at the same time a little apprehensive about their parents’ watching me. My instincts told me that this is the best way to grab my students’ attention and make them comfortable in my class. And, by the end of the session, I could see most of them dancing.
I was pleasantly surprised by the parents’ positive and affirmative responses. In just a week’s time students were not only attentive in class but very comfortably muting, unmuting, and following other classroom rules too.
The way my students behaved and bonded with me, their enthusiasm, their capabilities to understand, observe, and comprehend was something that I feel is a wonderful preschool experience.
To share one more of my experience. During a show and tell activity on ‘my favorite food’ I had told my students that I loved the masala dosa that my mom makes when I visit her. Many days passed by after this and one day I was conducting a session from my mom’s house as I visited her. One of my students noticed a difference in my home background and enquired about it. When I informed her that I was at my mother’s place she was quick to ask, ‘did you have masala dosa?’.What surprised me was the child’s observation and the capacity of retention.
Today, after successfully completing 14 weeks of teaching and evolving as a teacher on an online platform, I get to hear from parents that my students look forward to my classes and they keep talking about me to everyone at home.
This made me understand that irrespective of the platform and the age if you are able to deliver what the child needs and the way the child needs he/she will do what is expected of them.
By
Ms. Shanthi Shetty
Ekya BTM
PPM Teacher
Online teaching for pre-primary rather than imagining ways and strategies, many of us picture as to how the class would be. I think it was the same with school parents too. They were even more worried, as they had to take time off from their normal routines and be with their wards throughout the sessions. Imagining these little ones to be independent in a new online setup of teaching-learning was indeed difficult.
At Ekya JP Nagar, our first thought as teachers was how do we work with the Montessori methodology on the screen? How would children absorb concepts without materials? Or how should we facilitate experiential activities with them?
Further on, our minds wandered as to how will these children sit in front of the screen and that too in one place? How will they receive instructions from teachers when they have their parents around them? Can they be ready for school by 8:00 in the morning or be taking their sessions on the bed? Will they have their moms feeding them throughout the sessions? So many questions kept hovering around us.
We were certain about one aspect and that was - we would not hear any cries in the beginning days of this academic year as was normal in the physical school set-up and we were also sure that we would miss children in school. But, we wondered how long each online session should be? We were worried about working with a large number of students on the screen.
At Ekya, with the Montessori set-up, we have the sub-juniors as young as one and a half to two years old. The students are grouped with smaller numbers and allotted different slots. They have a number of co-curricular sessions alongside their core learning area sessions that help them strengthen their interests and personality.
Let me share with you how students took online experiences and started becoming independent. The teachers set class norms for them initially and students adhered to them religiously. They started sitting in front of the screen with very little movements. They started showing that they no more want their parents around. They sat on a chair with a table in front of them, on which they had their computer system. They could take instructions well. They could even solve worksheets and write in their four-lined books beautifully!
They managed using different aspects of a Zoom call, such as mute - unmute, leave meeting, etc. They did not require their parents’ help with these issues anymore. They started liking this online set-up. They comfortably spoke and interacted with their pals and appreciated this set up with their friends’ group. They wanted to have more of these kinds of classes. They woke up early and reminded their parents from the classes. They never wanted to miss even a single class.
It was a great feeling of satisfaction and comfort for our teachers. We were very happy as we accepted this change of online learning along with our students. This seems unbelievable but is so true.
By
Shashirekha R
Pre primary
Ekya JPN
Children have an innate love for stories. Fulfilling this need requires meticulous planning in a class curriculum. Preparing myself for storytelling class would require me to visit our school library and choose books as they are plenty - fairy tales, fables, behavioral stories, folk tales, and so on. After picking the books I head back to class ready to read a story to eager children.
Reading a book is always enjoyed by the little ones as they get to see colorful pictures that are appealing. Sometimes even a classic would be thoroughly enjoyed by the little ones huddled in front of me. Everyone would want a front-row seat as close to me as possible just to get a peek at the pictures in the book. Pictures provide an immediate vision of characters. They help to keep the children's’ attention and instantly respond to characters. To conduct an uninterrupted class it becomes necessary to lay down some ground rules before I begin -
Students would abide by the rules reluctantly just to listen to their favorite story and some would also try to sneak to my sides to get a glimpse of the pictures in the book. Sometimes a short story would take a long time to finish as students would be eager to share their thoughts and experiences as the story progressed. All in all, a very warm and endearing sight to see a teacher reading to a small group of students around her.
Virtual storytelling,‘Oh dear! I had butterflies in my stomach. I had to make careful plans to make it as interesting as before especially now when the need for this is a lot more. I realized that it may be an essential tool in helping students stay connected to us. As I started my research I realized I had more options than I had in a physical classroom. I could choose both online books to read as well as read-along story videos. On a virtual platform, I could reach out to more students than in a physical classroom. Not to forget the many parents and grandparents who were enjoying the stories reliving their childhood along with the children.
Ground rules were different on a virtual platform. There was no sneaking to peek at the pictures in the book. See the power of pictures!! Screen share and ‘voila’ all the children got to see the pictures at the same time as I read the books. No more “Can you show us the picture ma’am.” Children also get an opportunity to speak after the story. We have been left surprised by the students’ comments and understanding of the stories and morals.
I included stories to help students cope with the present situation of staying indoors. Post-story session students came up with numerous suggestions on how they could keep themselves entertained and busy as they continued to stay indoors. In a story on recycling waste, some of the students showed how they made things from waste and gave varied ideas.
Taking students into a different world was something I achieved through stories. I can never forget the amazement the students expressed when we explored the deep oceans with the story ‘ A house for a hermit crab’ by Eric Carle. I remember the day one of the students could not stop laughing after a funny story.
Storytelling helps in making students curious, build their imagination, and develop communication skills. It helps students understand their culture and other cultures and experience different worlds through their imaginations. In the current scenario, a storytelling session has played a crucial role in keeping the students mentally healthy. They feel connected to school which is their second home and also to their peers which is vital in reassuring our students that all of us together are facing the same challenges.
Storytelling can help increase students’ willingness to communicate their thoughts and feelings. To help students become confident speakers ‘story weaving’ was introduced. It was great fun to listen to the stories the children wove around images shown to them. The stories were very short at first and became longer as they got familiar with the activity.
There is no doubt in anybody’s mind that there is no limit to a child’s imagination. I had to come up with another way of encouraging students to use their imaginations and creativity. Through storytelling, students could be helped improve their memory skills and retell a plot using words that help in building vocabulary. Storytelling enhances listening skills in the students which are vital in their learning process.
Recycled craft
The idea of the activity - recreating a story the way they would like to end. It was amazing to hear so many different endings to the story ‘The thirsty crow’. The enthusiastic participation of students was worth watching in the ‘story relay’. The story took different twists and turns as one child carried the story from the previous one. There was no end to their story until a buzzer was sounded. Students enjoyed as much as everyone else listening to them narrate the stories.
Virtual storytelling has widened my horizon to explore and make storytelling more enjoyable than before. Using technology to my advantage has made me a better teacher. No matter what situation I confront, I know I can find a solution.
By
Asma Tabassum Ahmed
Pre primary ( Montessori)
Ekya BTM
Leave a reply