Online classes may help schools in this lockdown to push the academic year ahead, but it is a burden for my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, says Sanjay Mittal.
IMAGE: Tarushi Mittal, 3 1/2 years old. The Learning Park Liluah, Howrah, West Bengal. Photograph: Sanjay Mittal
My views on online classes:
A. New teachers arrive and start teaching. Child gets uncomfortable with the new stranger.
B. Child don't know how to react on a video call.
C. Child feels more comfortable watching educational videos on YouTube than online classes at this age.
D. A home tutor is better than online classes.
E. There is no proper communication between students and a teacher in online classes.
F. If parents have to sit with the child for online classes, then it is better parents teach their children themselves.
IMAGE: Advait Alva, 5, Senior KG, attends online school.
Photograph: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
G. During an online session the child gets irritated.
H. After attending online classes a 42-month-old child feels as if she was forced to hear what was not properly feasible.
I. The voice was not clear nor was the teacher clearly visible.
J. Online classes needs a lot of professionalism in the video conferencing of teachers so that they may know how they can make children comfortable.
K. Teachers should create small videos and send to students to watch them again and again. Teachers may call a 10 to 15 minute session online with individual students.
L. These online classes are useful and feasible for students above Classes 6 onwards. It's a burden for students below Class 1.
M. Educational institutes do not understand what small children are going through in this lockdown.
Dear readers, are you a young parent or a student?
How are you dealing with online classes during the lockdown?
What are your concerns and going forward, how do you plan to address them?
Please share your stories, experiences and suggestions.
Simply write to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject: Coping with online classes) along with your NAME, AGE, LOCATION and details of your child, if you are a parent. We'll feature the best responses on Rediff.com.
Feature Production: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
