Gurgaon: “Technology cannot replace the role of a teacher and classroom learning,” Manoj Lakhra, elementary headmaster of Government Senior Secondary School at Bajghera, told TOI after finishing his round of classes.
The remark by Lakhra is not an isolated one. It actually sums up the daunting task school teachers are facing while engaging students in classrooms after imparting lessons over the screen for almost a year.
As schools begin to call students back on campuses, several teachers and principals told TOI that most pupils were suffering from a lack of attention span and were not being able to concentrate for more than a few minutes. This, they said, was more evident among students of junior classes.
Heads of several schools said the prolonged period of remote learning had made the children used to the environment at home. This apart, the huge disparity in the online system of education, where students from humble backgrounds did not have access to digital lessons, means this section has to be re-introduced to all the teachings they might have missed for almost a year.
Some teachers said around 80% of the students were unable to recall the lessons taught last year through online classes. “It’s a fact that the reach of online classes was limited. As a result, now that students are back to classrooms, we are witnessing the gaps in learning. But we had been expecting this. Even a two-month summer break leads to change of habit and lack of strict discipline needed to learn concepts. In this case, these kids were in absolute isolation for nearly a year. They did not have teachers to track their progress nor did they have friends around them to clear doubts,” said Anjana Dhingra, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Chakkarpur.
It is the junior students, teachers said, who have been struggling the most with basic writing skills, arithmetic concepts and reading abilities. “The pandemic has been a great lesson for both teachers and students. Yes, there are learning gaps among all students, but it is the starkest among those studying in classes 1 to 5. From making spelling mistakes and grammatical errors to slow writing speed, they are no longer used to the classroom environment. They have been out of touch for almost a year and that is clearly reflecting now,” said Lakhra
Apart from making mistakes, students are also hesitating to ask questions and voice their doubts. Discipline has taken a hit too, and there appears to be a discomfort in following instructions from teachers.
“This is primarily because of the socio-emotional impact of remote learning. Students have been away from the school environment for a year and the atmosphere in their homes was perhaps not conducive for learning. They are easily distracted now and teachers have to invest time on individual students to understand their issues and help them get into the classroom mode,” Lakhra added.
With only a few weeks left for the academic session to conclude, teachers have been tasked with not only bridging the learning gaps but also improving the attention span. Sources said many teachers were covering only important parts of the syllabus to help students clear the final exams.
Education experts, however, expressed apprehension about this approach. They agreed that bridging the learning gap would take a few months, but argued that rushing through the syllabus could be counter-productive. They suggested that teachers should engage the students through group activities so that they become used to the classroom culture at the earliest.
“The prolonged closure of schools had a different impact on different students, depending on the kind of support they received from their teachers and parents. The major impact was on habits. Isolation is not conducive to learning abilities. With teachers and peers not around, learning psychology was impacted badly. We don’t need to bridge this gap through rote learning. Instead, the focus should be to bring them to school culture through habit formation,” said Francis Joseph, an educationist and co-founder of School Leaders Network.