The challenges of online education for teachers

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we look at education and schooling. When we switched to online classes two years ago, many of us thought that this would be a temporary phenomenon and that it would last for a few months.

This switch-over has thrown open a wide array of challenges besides the obvious technical and connectivity issues.

Most of us chose to be teachers because the reward lies in what we do: engaging with children on a daily basis. When we walk into a class, we tend to pick up so many unstated cues. In online classes, we miss out on all those cues as we see only a limited view of the child. It becomes difficult to address broader concerns like the emotional health of children, how they are coping with the pandemic and their interactions with peers.

We also see that the habits of maintaining notebooks, doing homework regularly, learning to be mindful have taken a back seat. Online classes have impacted the attention span of both teachers and children, who are struggling to sustain interest and stay motivated.

With classes, correction of notebooks, assessments all happening online, the physical health of teachers and children has taken a beating. One of my colleagues commented that she gets severe eye irritation and another said that she has neck and back problems. A teacher from the primary section shares, “there is also a digital fatigue that sets in after a while. This is true for our children also.”

When work is from home, there is a blurring of the personal and professional space. We see parents struggling with this as well. For our teachers in the nursery section, finding the right balance, learning how and when to involve the parents and how much is a challenge.

With the government mandate to reopen schools but also continue online classes, things have become more complicated. As a teacher mentions, “It is as though we have become robots, switching on and off like machines!”

Opportunities

Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities. We see that with the adoption of online classes, the world has become a smaller place. Earlier, getting our alumni to come to the school for an interaction would involve so much planning. These days, they can hold regular conversations, parents are volunteering to conduct workshops and grandparents are even holding storytelling sessions.

Online classes are no substitute for regular schooling. However, we also know that online technologies are effective in specific contexts. While the uncertainty and the complexity of the Covid is unnerving, we as teachers can do a few things to take care of ourselves, both professionally and personally.

Tips to prevent online tedium

View yourself as co-creators of a learning space so learning becomes a shared responsibility. Make parents and children become our learning partners.

Consciously emphasise well-being as an important objective in lesson plans.

Go on a digital detox. Ensure you have technology-free hours every day. You can also add technology-free activities for children.

Set and hold clear boundaries with respect to work time.

Set and maintain a routine.

(The writer is an educator)