• Teachers should make original videos on the text and share them with students, instead of relying on content available on the internet.
• Teachers should control the settings of the online platform to block intruders and maintain discipline.
Several schools are holding meetings with teachers to tell them how best to conduct online classes, which, the authorities insist, should not be seen as a “stopgap arrangement”.
Many private schools switched to online classes after the state government brought forward the summer vacation in government and government-aided schools because of the heatwave.
This is the third consecutive year that the government issued such an order, to protect the students from the searing heat.
“Teachers are being asked to make more original videos (to explain various topics to students) instead of borrowing from the internet. When a teacher who is teaching a particular topic makes the video, she can tailor it according to her requirements,” said Dalbir Kaur Chadda, the principal of South Point School.
“We have to be innovative to grab the attention of the children attending an online class. As for the videos available on the internet, the parents might have already shown them to the children,” Kaur Chadda said.
During the Covid pandemic, when online class was the norm, teachers across schools relied heavily on videos to explain the text to the students.
“For some subjects or topics, videos are readily available on the internet. But, for example in literature, we are encouraging teachers to make their own videos, especially because online classes are becoming a regular feature,” said Kaur Chadda.
A teacher in South Point has made a video of a train journey, and what the passengers came across during the travel, to explain noun to Class I students, the principal said.
“We have to understand that online classes are here to stay, so we do not completely abandon them at other times of the year. We do send certain assignments to children, online, on certain days, even when in-person classes are on,” said Gargi Banerjee, principal, Sri Sri Academy.
St James’ School had last week briefed the teachers about the safety measures to be adopted for online classes.
“It is easy for teachers to maintain discipline during an in-person class. But during an online class, there could be some unseen faces.... Hence, it is crucial for teachers to be aware of the control tools for the online platform. Students usually target those teachers who are digitally not savvy. So such training is crucial,” said Moromi Roy, digital coordinator, St James’ School.
“We are having these online classes not for a couple of days, but for a prolonged period. So the issue has to be taken seriously,” said Roy.
In most private schools, online classes are to continue till the summer vacation
starts.
