Virtual Learning ~ Reflections by DP1 Students
There was, three days back, an article in the TOI main edition,’ how children were throwing pranks and being disrespectful to their teachers in online classes’! Our children, teachers, HODs and Principal Saarada Ma’am, took great objections to that article. That article was also written by some erstwhile Principal of another CBSE school! The TOI Senior Editor, personally called and asked for some of our students’ reflections. You would see their writing as well the intenseness with which they have been caught displaying their interest in non-stop learning.
Parents, please read the styles of the student’s reflection and the power of their message to the people and other students, teachers and their parents. “I am jealous of these kids. I wish we had this kind of education”, says President Robbin Ghosh. The senior Editor found the article of a very good standard and personally called to complement. The write up has been by a group of six students from our DPI (11 Standard),
Anoushka Shetty (16years) in DP1. Has 1 younger brother (MYP1), Sarah Chawla (17years) in DP1, Ehsas Kakkar (17years) in DP1, Sparsh Kataria (16years) in DP1, Vyom Shinde (15 years) in DP1, Sayesha Gawde (17 years) in DP1
Their leader Ms. Anoushka Shetty, has compiled it all. You would be able to reflect on the power of their write up, that they do belong to another species of children. They are not, as we were in our school days? Important reflection, on their own, that they have learnt, are practicing, and as were guided by the school and teacher’s philosophy of academic honesty, no copying and self-restraint? They do belong to another world of teaching and learning of International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy, coupled with Vedanta.
- Victorious Kidss Educares has taken advantage of the technological advancements that we have today, and us students are being provided with a great substitute to physical school. In this alarming global standstill, I am so grateful that our schoolwork has not suffered. This step of online learning ensures that we won’t fall behind, and we will advance into the next year with the necessary knowledge. Since staying in lockdown for a long amount of time can get very dull, we look forward to learning something new every day. However, video conference classes also have their limitations, and we do miss quite a bit from school. Of course, with a platform like this, technical difficulties are to be expected and they can get a bit frustrating. This can also be an obstacle in subjects like mathematics, where nothing beats a whiteboard and marker. Some concepts are extremely advanced, and can’t be taught through videos or worksheets. Another issue is pranking. Some students might release their pent-up frustration by pranking the class, or simply chatting with their friends; this can get extremely frustrating and irritating. Most students don’t disrupt the decorum of online classes, due to the IB pedagogy that we have been taught. We know to display learner profiles, such as principled and balanced behavior in all settings. Regardless, our school has ensured that this stays to a minimum by creating rules of “netiquette”, and guaranteeing that the students are involved and the classes are interactive. Through these actions, the issues that many schools face with video conferencing classes can be greatly reduced.
- Working from our homes is very comfortable. In this daunting time, any source of familiarity is welcome, and the teachers have also been working tirelessly in order to provide a streamlined and comfortable transition of style of learning. By adding activities, worksheets and online lab experiments, we look forward to class every day. However, while staying in a familiar environment may have it’s benefits, it can also lead to lowered concentration. Household obligations can come in the way of our school work sometime, especially for those of us who have younger siblings. This simply was not an issue in school, and it will definitely take some time to get used to.
- Naturally, we miss each other very much! Seeing our friends as pixels on a screen is worlds apart from seeing them in real life. We miss eating our tiffins with each other in the cafeteria. Nevertheless, this time can be used for making connections as a family; sitting down and eating lunch as a family otherwise is very rare, given school, office and household chores.
- We feel that we are actually completing more during the lockdown! The longer hours and reduction in wasted time (transport, unpacking, conversation) means that class time is much more valuable. Thus, more assignments have been given, as well as regular assessments and exams. This ensures that we study more than usual, and consequently, most concepts are better understood. The amount of assignments can also sometimes get overwhelming, but we believe that this helps us manage our time and prepares us for a future in a technology-dependent society. Furthermore, one important skill that we are learning is self-restraint. The temptation to scroll to Instagram, when your laptop is already open, is very strong, but we have been learning to overcome it and focus on the task at hand. This will be extremely beneficial for us in the future.
Us students are witnessing a global state of utter confusion. In these troubling times, where nothing is certain, something as habitual as seeing our teachers explain the theory of evolution or esterification gives us an invaluable sense of security and comfort, which is hard to come by these days.
