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
The value of homework has been scrutinized for a long time. There are a few students, parents, and teachers who go to a great extent feel that homework causes a lot of stress. Others feel that it is a boon, an encouragement to learn beyond what is taught in class. For the latter, it is the time they spend to work independently to achieve something. Is the scenario the same in an online setting with the pandemic? My thoughts below revolve around this aspect as a teacher at Ekya Schools for Grade 6 and 7.
Homework is where students and teachers work together to achieve a goal. It helps them to build a bond where they can discuss, attend to concerns, or even help solve the problem as in the case of math or any subject. The online learning model during the pandemic situation provides a similar promising time within families. Students at times get in touch with their parents for help or concern. When the family gets together to solve it, we notice trust and admiration. This successively allows parents to get more involved in their child’s education, understand what is happening in the class. How do I know this? Often, we teachers see parents and siblings attending but they are also participating by helping their child answer. We see this kind of bonding even in our family ties session.
Responsibility is the other topic I’d like to talk about. Imagine children completing their classwork, project, homework without being prompted. That would be a dream. Teachers and parents have to walk hand in hand to reach this path. We have to keep reiterating to achieve this goal. Once students do this without being told to do so, it means that they are responsible enough to make good decisions in life too. This indeed means they are heading towards a life encompassing larger goals of life such as social responsibility.
Considering the online mode of education with only 3 hours of classes on core subjects, students have a considerable amount of time to do asynchronous study. This after school 2-3 hours that they spend is a gift that they need to cache on. For instance, students can work on their assignments, etc. at ease and not rush for last-minute deadlines.
Thanks to Google, that invariably helps students to take notes, information, or homework off it so there is no space for research or students giving their views and opinions. But, I am hopeful that while there is information all around, there is an opportunity to use that constructively... And the online environment is an opportunity for students to move beyond copying to being ethical as well.
During these uncertain times, education needs to continue, families, students and teachers are the heart for a positive learning environment be it online or offline.
By
Ms Anjana Santhosh
Ekya School - JPN
English- Grades 6 and 7
6-7
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
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