Do students learn to respect the time of the teacher? Are they obedient and disciplined when it comes to spending their allotted time on laptop? Do we , as parents, help the teachers with our child’s learning experiences and perceptions? These are all frequently asked questions related to online classes in the ongoing pandemic time.
Academicians say “the digital divide in the country may turn on-line classes into an operational nightmare”. Due to Covid-19 , a tendency has been developed across the country towards digital teaching- learning though it’s feasibility is very poor in the rural area of our country. There is a growing tendency to use the teaching Apps , E- learning tools, video conferencing but all these accessories have ultimately proven to be insufficient against the live classroom teaching and student-teacher interaction.
A large section of parents who is basically handicapped in information technology and for whom the first priority is to ensure food for the family, e-learning for their ward is definitely a difficult concept.
It is proven in a research study that students enrolled in distance learning are comparatively average performers than the students in regular classroom teaching. Apparently, on-line teaching in the perspective of Covid-19 can’t give benefit to the good and proficient students. Online resources can’t supplement the resources available in four walls in a classroom.
Computer based instruction is generally limited to power point video lecture, but it can’t be an alternative to discussion or participatory method of a classroom. Can we think in group activities , co –operative learning in an on line class? It is true that a student learns a very little from the text books. No instructional technology or material has been developed to replace group activities or student’s learning from the lab. Topic discussed in the classroom makes the class vibrant, on the contrary, teachers as well as students miss a lot if there is no face- to -face interaction. A teacher in a classroom can do miracle and is able to motivate all learners as per their capacity instantly which is impossible in digital teaching. It inflicts a process of participation in e-learning.
A teacher in physics or chemistry might not be feeling as comfortable in on –line class as he feels quite good in chalk and board in the class or in test tubes in the lab in chemistry practical classes.
(The writer is former faculty, DMS of Regional Institute of Education (NCERT), Bhubaneswar and associated with different academic bodies of our country. He participated in a UNESCO educational programme at Bangkok)