The New Normal Of The Education System

The pandemic completely turned the education system upside down overnight, all over the world. People were left with closed schools, virtual learning, discontinued extracurriculars, and desks- six feet apart. In other words, a complete mess.

The situation was difficult, experimental, yet interesting, as trying out different ways of pedagogy was the need of the hour. Learning and adapting to figure out new ways of creating a teaching-learning culture is the way to connect with students online. It was possible that colleges and universities could emerge even better if some of the changes made during those impossible months don't disappear once we say goodbye to masks.

As a people’s person, there are a few aspects of change that should be put forward for the benefit of readers and parents:  

Emphasis on Cultivating Trust is an important aspect during the pandemic

It is important to listen, care for one another, seek perspectives, solve problems together, stay true to core values, and follow-through. These are acts of ongoing trust-building that I hope we carry to the future.

Say YES to Family intrusions 

Zoom classes and cameras in hybrid classrooms allow parents to appreciate the terrific efforts teachers are putting, see what a child is learning and intervene when necessary. 

There is great power and transparency in this. This kind of openness can strengthen college communities, enable valuable insight into what schools and colleges are doing, and provide students with all the support they need. Hoping that the system finds a way to keep it long after the students are back in the classroom.

Stop Teaching-by-Telling

The pandemic has toppled the firewalls between classroom activities and out-of-school learning. As the virus recedes, building on the strengths of the new types of pedagogy that have emerged from educators working with the community is important. It’s best to not give up the powerful, novel models of learning and motivation that are a silver lining on the dark cloud of this human tragedy.

Continue Creatively Assessing

It has been exciting to see Universities be creative in shifting how to assess student growth, and hopefully, this continues across classrooms.

Ask What Matters

It was a wild ride. Being teleported into breakout rooms helps to find oneself taking solace in a familiar face or marking time in a silent standoff, waiting for someone to initiate the conversation. This two-dimensional, waist-up world, brought a realisation that things like someone’s hairstyle or other things didn’t matter anymore and that one could even show up to class barefoot. This brought an opportunity to learn that ‘having an unstable internet connection’ was the new ‘my dog ate my homework’ and that the effort required to click ‘unmute’ somehow made one feel like whatever they said better be worth it — most of us, anyway. Also, discovered that vibes transmit through Wi-Fi, and can be felt without ever knowing how a person moves through the world.

Hoping that when Universities resume in-person classes, the experience will be radically different — with instructors distributing video lectures early and focusing in-person time on interacting with students to ensure that they understand the concepts being taught. There is no intention to waste the proximity on one-way stuff. It has to be two-way learning.

Dr Gayatri Indrakanti

Guest Author The author is Assistant Professor, S K Somaiya College, Somaiya Vidyavihar