KOCHI: Schools are preparing strategies to start online classes from June 1. However, CBSE schools had already begun classes for Class IX, X and XII students with the help of various platforms including Zoom. This has been a new experience for the teachers who till date only knew how to teach in a classroom atmosphere.“It is tough,” said Bino Joseph, who teaches mathematics for Class XII students of Marian Senior Secondary School, Kottayam.
However, the training that we received to handle the smart classroom, came in handy, she said. According to her, one of the drawbacks of online teaching is the absence of a classroom atmosphere.
“In a classroom, students subconsciously prepare themselves for the lessons. Even teachers can easily understand whether students have grasped a concept,” said Bino. With online class, you have to go ahead believing that students will surely contact you if they have doubts, she added.
“I have observed that many students attend online classes with all seriousness. In my case, all the students have been regularly logging in for the sessions,” she said. “Try explaining geometry or analytical geometry with just a pen, paper or whiteboard while speaking into a microphone and checking whether there is internet connection. Then you will realise it’s not child’s play,” said Bino.
According to her, in the case of humanities, online classes can be conducted with ease. “For science subjects, the teaching process is not lecture-based. The concepts need to be explained with the help of teaching aids and by conducting experiments. This doesn’t happen during an online class,” she said. Bino supplements her teaching with short videos that explain concepts.
“After the classes, I send short videos of the concept via WhatsApp. Since I have taught my students in Class XI, I know who has grasped the idea and who hasn’t. So, I send the weak students extra study material along with notes,” she said. According to her, online classes will be a success only if the students take the exercise seriously.
“Another factor that plays an important role is parental participation. Without their help, we, teachers, will not be able to conduct online classes. They have to monitor their children,” said Bino. She was also full of praise for the school which has helped teachers immensely in making the shift to online teaching. “We are trained in conducting online classes. The CBSE too has issued directives in this regard,” Bino said. On conducting online tests, she said, “I have already conducted one test and I think it was successful. The students appeared for the test and WhatsApped me the answers. Well, the question of cheating arises. But you should know that those who want to cheat will do so even in an examination hall.”