A shift in pedagogy
The silent classroom with the early morning light streaming in... seconds before the children came in from assembly! 😄
The break times that were accompanied by laughter and delicious food!
Activities inside the classroom and...
...activities outside it!
A tranquil assembly hall at the end of the academic year...
These are merely a tiny fraction of the things that I knew I would miss when I completed my teaching contract. The three years in the classroom were a multitude of powerful experiences, a spectrum of emotions, numerous heart-warming connections, and a host of challenges. I often tell people how I learned way more from my children than they did from me! A part of me wanted to stay a teacher forever and continue the roller coaster ride that is the school year.
However, another part of me realised that, in the long run, it was perhaps better to explore a different facet of the education sector. While I couldn't recreate the above scenes from the desk of my new job, I could still try to find a way to do the one thing that was at the core of all I did in Pune - teach.
That is how/why I zoned in on online teaching.
4+ years later...
I have had the joy of working with ~25 children in one-on-one classes translating to ~1400 hours of online teaching experience. Seeing the global thrust being given to online learning/teaching courtesy Covid, I felt that the time was ripe for me to write about my experiences. 😀
In the following postlets (using my creative license here to make up a word for short posts! 😂), I'll walk you through my journey as an online teacher by drawing on examples from classes and interactions with my students and their parents.
That is how/why I zoned in on online teaching.
4+ years later...
I have had the joy of working with ~25 children in one-on-one classes translating to ~1400 hours of online teaching experience. Seeing the global thrust being given to online learning/teaching courtesy Covid, I felt that the time was ripe for me to write about my experiences. 😀
In the following postlets (using my creative license here to make up a word for short posts! 😂), I'll walk you through my journey as an online teacher by drawing on examples from classes and interactions with my students and their parents.
Next post: The foundational bricks
I like the idea of writing about online teaching experiences. You could maybe even compare/contrast online with face-to-face from a pedagogical lens.
ReplyDeleteEven personal - as a teacher... your personal take as a teacher on both (face-to-face and online) would be nice to know. :-)
Yes, one postlet will definitely be a compare and contrast of online classes with face-to-face ones! I'll also try an touch upon my own views/preferences with regards to both modes. :-)
DeleteLove the pictures from your classroom teaching years!
ReplyDeleteWhile online teaching does help students to keep learning going at a time when schools are closed, I'm not sure if it will significantly improve access to learning. The kids in rural (or even semi-Urban) areas still do not have access to digital tools like a fast internet connection and teachers might not be fully equipped to deliver the same experience online. What are your thoughts based on your experience in both forms?
Thanks for the comment, Rajiv.
DeleteYes, access is something that can get lost in the hype surrounding online teaching and it (access) is definitely a challenge in rural/semi-urban India. In fact, there is a fear that the pandemic and closure of schools will lead to a widening of the divide between those in urban areas with connectivity and those who lack it (connectivity).
All the children that I have taught online were from urban areas with access to decent internet. In fact, for a successful session, the child has to be able to hear you clearly (and vice versa) and the whiteboard should function smoothly - both only possible if there is a stable internet connection.
I don't think that online teaching can and should replace in-person classes and schools. Schools offer so much more to children than just content knowledge - social skills, clubs, sports, lasting friendships, team spirit etc. The pandemic has necessitated this rather abrupt transition as some learning, in the form of online classes, is seen as better than no learning at all!
Had no idea you were teaching online! What subjects? And to whom?
ReplyDeleteHaha! I teach math to students of grades 6 to 12. Part-time but keeps me connected to teaching. :-)
DeleteReally liked how you structured this post to explain the shift in your approach to teaching. You being some who has experienced both, how effective do you think online teaching can be? Adding to Rajiv's questions basically, assuming students have the best access to digital tools, what would you like to be added (that is not part of a current online class room experience) to make the experience more effective? To make it feel more like a real class room where questions from students come up in a more organic manner and at the same time, facilitating those small discussions students have within the class room itself?
ReplyDeleteThese are very pertinent questions, Kartik - thanks for asking them.
DeleteI do intend on comparing/contrasting the two modes of teaching/learning in a later postlet. Suffice to say, my view is that online teaching/learning is inferior to in-person classes and school. Also, since I have intentionally taught only one-on-one classes online, I can only imagine (by extrapolation) the challenges that teachers must be facing in handling classes of about 30-40 students!
If you could write about the patterns for different age groups of kids, going up to 12th standard or beyond if you like.
ReplyDeleteHow does it vary for students and teachers in terms of understanding, preparation, pros and cons?
I could definitely touch upon the variations that I have seen between grades 6 to 12 since that is the segment that I have taught online. :-)
DeleteI could imagine that surrounding of school, with the teachers in the class bringing everyday a new way to fit the topics in our brains. Those interesting classes were filled with anecdotes, book-to-self comparisions and 'shreyas bhaiya's drills' my favourite.T weekly tests then used to be very helpful. I wish all of this could continue.... Thanks for this post bhaiya
ReplyDelete