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We received a circular from Dr. Joseph Emmanuel, the Academic Director CBSE on 25/03/2020 with the subject ‘Making the Quarantine productive’.

The Pedagogical Planning Committee met and prepared plan for the Blended Learning System. An extraordinary meeting of the School Managing Committee was summoned on 3rd April 2020 to get an approval of the plans.

We started the online classes for classes X and XII on 6th April 2020, for VI – IX and XIth on 15th April. For students of III – V on 22nd April and for classes I & II on 4th May.

We studied the quality of transmissions in other apps. Zoom rated better than others. As of today we haven’t received any complaints of Zoom platform.

The main challenges we face included: convincing the parents, capacity building for the teachers, creating readiness among students for interactive classes, accessibility and affordability.

Most parents did not find an issue, but a few parents of primary and upper primary classes resisted in due to the screen hours spent on mobile and other gadgets. To manage the resistance, we included many hands own activities, linking topics directly to the textbook, asked them to get notes printed instead of writing from a mobile screen, to boost social and emotional skills, activity and games based videos were uploaded.

We have taken a parent and learner satisfaction survey and modified many areas of the blended learning system.

Parents of classes 4 to 8 and Secondary and Higher Secondary responded very positively with a lot of appreciation. A few parents of classes 1 to 3 were apprehensive about the system. According to them, the children are too small to respond effectively to digital classrooms. However, when we tried out with experiential learning pedagogy, they were eager to present their cute items through video.

75% of students responded very positively to the blended learning system. It is evident from the regularity in their attendance and their successful score in the online tests. Their lack of readiness is a specific challenge. Being at home, it is difficult to get up and be ready for the class.

A shift to a remote learning platform was sudden and unprecedented. It has taken time to compromise with the new settings. The impact of Learning Outcomes varies from student to student. Students are provided with plenty of digital resources that they can access freely. Compared to in-person classes, teachers prepare special assignments high lighting the learning outcomes and applications. However, better learning outcomes could be generated only through real-life classrooms.

Writing habits have been neglected. This may create difficulties for students facing a three-hour-long written examination. They may require a settle down time from a digital platform to a real in-person classroom. Many of them would have become lethargic due to lack of physical activities. They need to be made more active and alert.

COVID – 19 and its impact has created a new normal situation. We have to adapt ourselves to the new modalities. There is a big list of what could be required to be done to keep our children safe. Wearing masks, keeping sufficient social distancing, use of sanitizers, soap and disinfectants, avoiding social gathering, etc become mandatory social norms. The present situation will have a change when the vaccination will be administered. If the ‘break of chain’ takes place with vaccination, the fear of societal and community spread will go away from people. A proper monitoring system to monitor and check the entries and exit. Proper disinfection of the entire building and campus twice in a day for at least one year. Complete support of parents and stakeholders to provide safety of all students, teachers, staff and prevent the spread of the virus on the campus.

Both students and parents understand that the situation was unavoidable, sudden, unprecedented not only for our country but for the entire world. Human beings are endowed with the blessings of adaptability. Hence we have to adapt ourselves, change our way of living, thoughts and habits. However, as there is dawn for every dusk, things will get settled down faster and will be back with enthusiasm, energy, and a new spirit.

Curious Times gives children a platform where they can showcase talent, creative ideas in the form of drawings, articles, poems, stories. Students’ social and emotional well being is taken care of in the magazine with a lot of games, puzzles, cartoons, etc. Students feel really happy and joyful when they see their creative works are published and the whole country is viewing the same.

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