As students gingerly go back to school across the world, the consequences of a two-year gap in traditional, face-to-face education will surely be evident. Bereft of social contact and classroom imposed routine, learning is bound to become a challenge as teachers come up with new ways of retaining student engagement.
During the pandemic, schools had to instantly produce a whole new way of sharing information, design tests and allow discussions online.
Now that students are returning to the classroom, it looks like the lessons and habits learnt over the last two years will be laid aside and we will carry on as if the intervening two years have never happened.
This would be the wrong course to take. Online learning, for all its limitations of digital participation, limited feedback and erratic network, created new ways of learning which will continue to be crucial in the years to come.
Research has shown that online learning suits specific learning styles. Introverts, visual and non-verbal learners all benefit from settings which do not require real time interactions. In addition, online learning also incorporates the skills of time management, independent learning as well as self-motivation.
The global perspective which digital, online learning provided has been unprecedented. The opportunity that students got to interact with peers from different parts of the world and collaborate on projects is a much needed element in education which should not be wished away.
This is not to say that the traditional classroom does not have an important role. Undoubtedly, nothing can substitute physical interactions between students and teachers. A fixed routine, conversations and collaborations in class as well as opportunities to discuss in real time add to the quality of learning.
However, it is not inconceivable that there may be other situations in which classes need to go back online. Natural disasters, weather disruptions, increased pollution, snow days or heat days could make it necessary to move classes to an online platform, without disrupting the flow of the class. That it is possible to do so seamlessly is the important lesson from the pandemic. Schools can maintain a hybrid element in learning by inserting extra practice work for students, having discussions online, and perhaps offering videos to be discussed in class the next time.
The pandemic taught us the importance of equity in society. Moving forward in education, it is important that all children and young adults be equipped to deal with tomorrow’s world in as skilled a way as possible. That such skills include the ability to negotiate within a digital community is a given. Children need to learn the skills that online learning provides independent work, comfort with technology and critical thinking.
Students returning to face-to-face classes are nervous and excited, uncertain of how they will bridge the gap that two years have made. But educationists must maximise the lessons of online learning and continue the system in a more hybrid system. This will ensure that the next time there is some kind of emergency, we will not be caught by surprise.
SANDHYA RAO MEHTA
The writer is an Assoc Prof, Dept of English Language and Literature, SQU
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