As a head teacher, I have always felt that teaching means not only getting the curricular content right and imparting that knowledge. It also means encouraging children to think for themselves by making them mindful of their lives and giving them the skills they need to go about various things. I have always felt that the usual school processes should not be so rigid. Until children spend some extra time sitting idle, how will they realize the power of discipline and commitment?
The Covid-19 lockdown measures have really helped me find the answer to a question that has been nudging me for a long time: “Is it really necessary that learning and teaching should be confined to the four walls of the classroom? The new answer in this situation comes out to be “Absolutely not”. Technology has really made this big globe local to us. Physical presence hardly matters. What really matters is the right tools and the pertinent approach to use them.
In 2008 I read that there is a lot of work going on to make things e-accessible and that the future will bring user-friendly and self-teaching devices. I didn’t realize this until this lockdown that that world has arrived. Within a few days I had learnt to use and operate Zoom, Jitsy, Microsoft Team, Google Hangouts and many other platforms. The e-world has become the new reality!
Within a week I was teaching my students through an app. I received formal training from agencies but I learned most things by testing and trying. At first it wasn’t an easy to survive on e-mode (electronic/virtual/online mode) but after a few days I could see that technology does work most of the time, despite occasional disturbances, virtual distractions and audio-video problems. Initially I thought teaching through this new delivery mode was one-way communication but soon I realized that the sessions can be made lively by adding polls, surveys and videos sandwiched in between the sessions. The technology stunned me because in rural schools we just cannot afford to build in so much variety.
In the first few days, it was more a kind of game and the attendance of the students was also high but soon I realized that attendance was dropping and the joy of a new game was over. The reasons could be many: maybe a network problem, maybe the voice wasn’t audible for the students, maybe they were so busy helping the fathers harvest and mothers to cook, maybe my screen wasn’t visible or – the worst one! – perhaps my class wasn’t interesting. When I checked the chat box, however, suddenly the conversations became two-way – the children had been on mute. They started to share their problems in the chat box.
As for myself, I was feeling distracted due to various noises but soon I realized that I needed to stop multitasking and be mindful and convey the same to my students. I finally taught them a HOTS (high order thinking skill) of mindfulness.
Whenever you feel that response is weak and attendance is poor, students are just a phone call away. Good communication and effectively convincing students why they need to study comes handy. And my country, India, has a family-oriented culture so it is always easy to make calls to parents and get the folks back to classes.
However, bad networks, high charges for data and high costs for devices are a real challenge. These could be removed by providing a free, subsidized network. Village and city libraries could be converted into virtual rooms with laptops, tablets and internet connections. If learning is free, anybody has the power to become anything.
Dr Neeru Arora
************************
This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.
The International Task force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) in collaboration with UNESCO Bangkok, Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education and UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office, will host a Regional Virtual Meeting for Asia-Pacific Region (via Zoom).
Throughout the school closures, governments have adopted various measures to ensure learning continuity. In some cases, this has meant working with infrastructure constraints, such as a lack of connectivity or devices to ensure on-line learning. Teachers themselves have also been impacted by the crisis professionally and personally. As countries plan to reopen schools, the role of teachers, their knowledge of their learners’ needs, and expertise and experience in teaching practice are critical to developing school reopening plans. Moving forward, designing context-sensitive resilience strategies will need to include the voices of teachers, teacher educators and their representatives.
The meeting seeks to provide a platform to engage in dialogue on the main challenges and potential and planned interventions related to teachers and teaching, including the proposed reopening of schools.
In particular, the objectives of the meeting are:
Some of the main questions to be covered will include:
The meeting is open to TTF member countries and organisations as well as non-members. TTF focal points, representatives of Ministries of Education, and other relevant education stakeholders working on teachers issues in the region are invited to join the meeting.
You can register here.
To participate in the meeting, go to https://zoom.us/j/94610962114 (Password: 964616)
For more information, download the concept note
From the start of this global pandemic, my aims have been to help protect the health and wellbeing of my students, to maintain some continuity in routine, and to meet my students’ learning needs. As I have adapted and evolved, four principles have framed my teaching response:
I know that the learning experiences I design on campus cannot be easily replicated through distance learning. In a short space of time I have learned how to: use the tools online learning offers; balance synchronous and asynchronous connections and collaboration (if you have ever watched a YouTube video for 60 minutes you will understand what I am trying to avoid!); and establish trust and cultivate engagement in an online environment.
At the beginning of each week, I post the instructions for learning on the school learning management system. A weekly videoconference check-in is followed by a series of short assigned prompts or projects, classes are divided into smaller online tutorial groups on discussion boards, and office hours are made explicit to respond to questions and to provide feedback.
The transition has been challenging and the superhuman efforts demonstrated by the entire global teaching profession under trying circumstances have been impressive. There have been teething problems and I have trusted my professional judgement. I am, after all, learning how to teach via distance in the middle of global pandemic.
There is a steep learning curve in the first week, online fatigue needs to be managed, and I have had to rethink how to engage students and have empathy for their experience. It is really important to connect with students online and design tasks that are interactive. It gets easier after the initial learning curve.
My students are also adapting the ways in which they learn and this has been a large adjustment. They have been brilliant, demonstrating independence, developing their ability to self-regulate, and coping with frustrations. When I asked them for one word to describe their feelings about distance learning, replies included: “neutral”, “open-minded”, “curious”, “different”, “interesting”, “excited”, “isolated”, “relaxing”, “flexible”, and “unsure”.
Parents have modelled patience and partnership. Two examples from emails I received:
“We are very appreciative of everything the school is doing to keep our children connected and moving forward. Thank you to all the staff for their amazing work.”
“Our three children have had to manage the changing learning environment without us being physically present to support them. Despite the rapidly changing environment, they have coped extremely well and I am proud of their resilience and the positive perspective they are bringing to this difficult time. I attribute much of the ease of this transitional period to the approach and support provided by the school.”
I am providing opportunities for parents and students to give feedback as I navigate and fine tune my distance teaching techniques. My teaching skills are evolving and I am enjoying the stimulation, collegiality and creativity of this steep professional learning curve.
Cameron Paterson
Cameron Paterson was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.
**********************************************************
This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.
"What if lessons were like stories! What if we could watch those like cartoons on the TV!! Wouldn’t it be great fun, if lessons could float like clouds, in front of the eyes? Learning could be more fun then. Again, if there is any time, when we are far from our school and teachers and we are unable to understand even an easy lesson; what can we do then? Keeping this in mind, we came up with this endeavour.”
These words are from the description box of the Facebook page “The Online Teacher”. Let’s find out about the background story!
I am Shaila Sharmin, currently working as a teaching fellow for Teach for Bangladesh. I teach grade 4 and 5 students in a government primary school in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Like all other students all over the country, my students were preparing for a class party on 17th March, which is National Children's Day in our country. They made all the arrangements, decorated the classroom and ordered the cake. But suddenly the notice came to immediately shut all the educational institutions in the country before their party day. At first, the students thought that they had 14 days’ vacation. They were heartbroken, but they thought they could make it after the short vacation. We had no idea how long it was going to be.
When reality hit, we all found out that it is going to be an uncertain period of time. A colleague of mine, Atia, while communicating with students and asking about their life and study, realized that students did not have any scope for learning. They do not have anyone in their family who can help them regarding study. Fellows are their teachers whether the school remains open or not.
Another fellow, Sanjida was maintaining contact with her students and giving them mental support. One of her students, who was top of her class, said, “Apa, when will the school will open? I have no teacher, no homework, I have nothing to study because I can’t solve some lessons by my own. I am getting bored at home and I will not get good marks in the examination if this situation continues.” After hearing the urge of her student to learn, Sanjida tried to support some of them over the phone. But it was not very feasible idea.
Analyzing all these events, I asked myself how prepared I was to face this problem. I thought there must be an alternative way to reach her students. So, Atia, Sanjida and I came up with an idea to support our students by making educational videos and sending them through the Internet.
We were determined to continue teaching and learning because life can’t stop in this lockdown. We gathered our ideas and thoughts. Initially we thought of making videos and sending them to our students. But then we realized we could post them on Facebook and upload them to YouTube. This could be useful for many students around the country. So we started to plan, selecting topics. We named their project The Online Teacher. We opened a Facebook page named The Online Teacher and created a YouTube channel. The videos are 5-10 minutes long so viewers don’t get bored. We are writing up scripts, gathering material, shooting them, editing the videos and finally uploading them to both Facebook and YouTube. We started by sending them to students to make sure they are understandable.
Using this platform, we are trying to make comprehensible video lessons of Bangla, English, Math, General Science, Bangladesh and Global Studies and Fine Arts for grade 1-5; and to reach as many students as possible all over the country. We are also giving mental health support through messages and live sessions. We are not only focusing on textbook-related content but also trying to cover history and life-related knowledge.
We are seeking feedback from their students and asking them on which topic they need the videos. The students are also enjoying seeing their teacher on the screen and learning by themselves. But it was not an easy initiative to take. We didn't have any resources as we were not prepared for this long lockdown. We had no skill regarding video editing. In spite of the challenges, we made it happen. When you want to make a difference, you will find your way to your goal.
Teach for Bangladesh serves students who are from very challenging economic backgrounds. A little care can have a great impact on them in this pandemic situation. Engaging those students with studying also helps keep them from anxiety and depression. COVID-19 has shown us many challenges. Our good work must go on because we believe doing something is better than doing nothing.
— Shaila Sharmin
Fellow, Teach For Bangladesh
**********************************************************
This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.
They say change is the only constant in your life but who would have expected the change to be so drastic that it questions your chances of survival? CNM School caters to more than 3000 students. We conducted regular classes until 13th March when the Government told us to close. Initially we were to reopen on 31st March, but closure has now been extended till 3rd May, with talk that it will be further extended to 18th May.
On Monday 16th March, teachers went to school to discuss and assess the way forward. We organized many meetings and then took all our resources home to prepare for the coming weeks. In the meantime, some teachers created teaching videos. We uploaded them so everyone had access and parents were ecstatic.
On 18th March, the closed school to everyone, so the only available helpline and support were the online classes conducted from home. Within 3 days, we had made around 50 teaching videos, uploaded worksheets and presentations on our school portal but it did not seem enough. The communication seemed one way. We were teaching but was there learning happening? Were students even accessing the material? Was there any way we could monitor student’s engagement and enthusiasm?
The following week we began Zoom classes for our older students, teachers began creating 1-hour teaching slot where students logged in meaning learning now seemed two way. We could see our students, answer their questions and upload files. However, there was still a hitch. What should we do for students unable to log in? How do we ensure the 1-hour classes were available for them to rerun and revisit? How do we post an assessment after completion of a unit to test learning?
Thus, while we continued with our teaching videos and Zoom classes, we needed to look for something more to gather students on a common platform. So, I connected with LabXchange, a free online platform which integrates learning and research experiences initially through Twitter. On Wednesday 25th March, I spoke with Ilyana and Jessica from LabXchange to discuss training for the platform and the support desired. I also confirmed with my teachers their willingness to learn and use this new platform. On Friday 27th March, a training session for around 85 teachers was conducted which lasted an hour and a half. The training went very well and the next day, our accounts were created under “SVKM CNM school” and students were added. The platform let teachers use their virtual online material and, most importantly laboratory simulations, along with their own personal teaching materials. It allowed testing and for materials to be reused, and for the student to revisit at anytime. LabXchange completely met our teaching and learning needs.
Every day the news and social media were reporting that the numbers of people affected by COVID-19 are increasing and that everyone needs to take vital precautions. Panic had become a way of life. We wanted to help students with their mental health and so, on our school Facebook page, we created live events every day from Monday to Friday from 4 pm to 4:30 pm where we could reach out to our students through Yoga, cooking, music, games, quiz and stories. We created a timetable for teachers when they would go online for their students, along with a co-host, to lead a lively and positive event through which students could share their feelings through comments and emoticons.
We never knew that online teaching could be as powerful as face to face teaching and that with the advent of a virus, the whole world would have to refocus, realign and redesign the definition of life, work and play. The crisis has brought us completely to our knees but it has also opened windows to demonstrate immense gratitude to mother nature and all human beings.
Kavita Sanghvi
Kavita Sanghvi was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.
**********************************************************
This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.